Why Dogs Eat Grass And Is It Harmful?

Why do dogs eat grass? Your beloved canine companion clearly isn’t a cow, so you might be confused when you see him eating grass. You might even be worried. Are they hungry? Bored? Sick? Will eating grass hurt them? First, rest assured that you’re not alone in your concern, especially if your dog is eating grass and vomiting. Statistical findings support the perspective that plant eating is normal behavior among domestic dogs. Pica is the technical term for the disorder characterized by eating things that aren’t food. Though it’s important to understand why your dog may be displaying this behavior so that you can address it if needed. Sometimes pica indicates that your dog has some type of nutritional deficiency, though it is often simply a sign of boredom, especially when practiced by puppies and younger dogs.

Dogs eating grass is actually quite common (it has been observed in wild dogs, too, and may be completely natural) and this form of pica does not usually cause too many problems. In fact, most veterinarians consider it a normal dog behavior. Here are a few reasons why your dog may be eating grass.

Reason Number 1

Your dog needs to clear his throat by vomiting. In many cases the dog isn’t actually throwing up. Evidence suggests that most dogs that eat grass aren’t unwell beforehand, or at least they don’t seem so. In fact, fewer than 10% of dogs seem to be sick before eating grass, according to their owners. Canines cannot clear their throats so they often swallow grass because it helps the frothy stuff that collects in their throat to come up. When ingested, the grass blade tickles the throat and stomach lining; this sensation, in turn, may cause the dog to vomit, especially if the grass is gulped down rather than chewed.

Reason Number Two

Your dog is bored. Eating grass as a form of entertainment. If this is the case your dog needs to exercise more. Often perhaps a walk or provide them with toys to pass the time. In other words give your dog something to do or play with. If you suspect your dog is eating grass because they are bored, it might be beneficial to be sure they’re getting enough exercise. Engage them in some fun activities. Try tossing a Frisbee or playing another interactive game with them.

Reason Number Three

Your dog likes the texture or taste of grass. They may just like the way it tastes. It is as delicious to them as the salad is to you. Remember, dogs enjoy all sorts of things that disgust the human palate—dirty socks and gristle from the trash can, anyone?

Reason Number Four

Your dog may be self-medicating by seeking a remedy for a gassy or upset stomach. Your dog may have a feeling of nausea and eats grass as a solution for his stomach irritation. It does seem like dogs will seek out a natural remedy for a gassy or upset stomach, and grass may do the trick. There is little nutritional value in grass for them because dogs cannot digest it. It’s worth calling your vet if your dog doesn’t normally display this behavior and just suddenly started eating grass to rule out any intestinal issues that can potentially be serious. Your veterinarian can determine whether your dog has an underlying gastrointestinal disease with a physical exam, fecal exam, and blood tests including a blood count and chemistry panel.

Tip Number One

Ensure your dog gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Dogs chew things frequently when they’re bored and need “something to do.” Be sure to provide plenty of enrichment and activity and even appropriate chewing options, like chew toys.

Tip Number Two

Ensure your dog has a balanced nutritional diet and that he gets enough to eat and drink. On the chance that your dog’s pica behavior is caused by a nutritional deficiency, switching to a better dog food, especially a high-fiber variety, could help alleviate the problem.

Tip Number Three

If the eating of grass is not sudden or excessive then don’t fret it’s normal dog behavior and not necessarily a bad thing. Remember that grass-eating is a common dog behavior that usually occurs in normal dogs and is generally not associated with illness or dietary needs. Signs of illness are infrequent and vomiting afterward is also not common.

Most experts say that letting your dog eat grass poses no real risk. But do keep an eye on it, especially if there is a sudden increase in grass eating; it could be a sign of an underlying illness. And always monitor a teething puppy, because ingesting a lot leaves, grass, and sticks can lead to a blockage. So when should you call your veterinarian? If your pet experiences lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss concurrent with grass-induced vomiting, they should see the vet. If not, you can probably rest easy knowing that your dog is just doing what dogs do.

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The post Why Dogs Eat Grass And Is It Harmful? first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Steps and Tricks You Can Use That’ll Make The Walk Go Smoother

Do you get home from your hard day at work, say hi to your canine friend and then get the leash? Does your dog begin running around in circles, jumping up and down? You finally get the leash on them, get them outside and they’re dragging you out the door to reach the item they want to smell up close.

As you’re being dragged by your dog, you smile at your neighbors, knowing they are wondering who is walking who. You pull back on the dog’s leash to get him/her to slow down. However, your dog is just not listening. You have no way to slow him/her down to catch your breath and get him/her under control.

Believe it or not, this is how the majority of people are walking their dog at the very start of it. In the end, the walk turns to a chore. In the end, the dog does get the exercise he/she needs and you don’t want to take your dog out anymore. Thus, you may want to learn how to stop your dog pulling on the leash.

How To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Leash: Why They Do It

Dogs have always pulled on their leash. Why? They’re not genetically bred to have a collar on their throat and have that leash attached to your arm. The reason they pull is because you’re holding them back. The first thing you need to learn when you want to know how to stop your dog pulling on the leash is to train them to know you’re not going to do any walking if they don’t slow down.

Believe it or not, most dogs have no idea they’re doing something wrong when they’re pulling on their leash. They’re not pulling on the leash to assert their dominance nor make you angry. They just love being outside so they can smell everything.

You must gain control over the situation. You need to control what your dog has access to and what they don’t. When you show your dog that their behavior will stop the walking, they’ll begin to understand that pulling on the leash is the last thing they need to do. Don’t yell or scold them, as it just confuses them.

How To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Leash: Revamp The Walk

If you’re going to be effective at keeping your dog from pulling on the leash, then you need to begin working on it from the moment you pick up the leash. You may notice that your dog picks up rather rapidly on what you’re doing before going outside.

You want to be in control of this situation since what they do inside will cause them to react how they do outside. If your dog is excited and jumping around, you can be sure he/she will do that outside. Make sure your pup calms down before you go outside.

By waiting just five or 10 minutes, your dog’s energy can drain. Keep in mind that overexcited dogs can be very difficult to control. Don’t open the door until they are sitting down quietly and patiently.

Once you’re outside, you can let them do their business right off the bat but you must maintain control afterwards. Since dogs pull back when they’re on a leash, you cannot pull back yourself to teach them not to do it. Want to know how to stop your dog pulling on the leash? It’s easy! You stop walking. You don’t move until you have them sitting down either beside you or behind you.

It’ll take some time but eventually your dog will pick up on the fact that you don’t want him/her to pull on the leash when you stop walking. Anything more than you stopping the walk to get them to stop is going to complicate matters.

As you get them to stop, you should work your way up to have them walking beside or behind you. Be sure to bring some treats since you can make the entire process go smoothly when you reward them for their good behavior.

Need more help learning how to stop your dog pulling on the leash? Pick up Secrets to Dog Training, which is a detailed, step by step guide that can help you stop common dog problems like pulling on dog leashes. You’ll also get some photo examples, case studies and videos to help you get a real handle on your canine friend.

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As a child you probably remember instances where you did something good and were rewarded for the action – good behavior, good grades, etc. The basics for training your dog really is not that much different. Although a bit different than a child, the positives that your dog will appreciate are attention and praise as well as food. You will use these things to encourage your pet to repeat the positive actions that you approve of and can be one of the most powerful tools that you have when training your dog for good behavior.

Here is some basic information that will help you successfully use positive enforcement training. Firstly, timing is so important! You want to immediately reward your dog for the positive behavior – they have very short memories and attention spans. Secondly, consider using a clicker to mark these behaviors that you want to encourage – this is helpful for the dog to make the connection between the positive behavior and the resulting treat.

Keep your commands as short and simple as possible. If you have not ever owned a dog and have observed others and their dog training commands you may have wondered why the commands are so short and simple…well, you are talking about a dog and no matter how smart they are there are limitations to what an average dog can learn. The typical sit, stay, down, leave it – they are used so often because they work and dogs can easily be trained to know their meanings.

Lastly you need to remember that consistency is the key to successful dog training. When the dog does something good, make sure you reward, make sure everyone in the family does this too as well as having everyone use the same commands. Also, make sure you are not inadvertently rewarding for bad behavior, for example. Your dog barks and barks, louder and louder so you let him out. This is a perfect example of rewarding bad behavior; instead require him to perform a good behavior for you before opening the door. If you try to think like a dog now and then, you just might end up with the best behaved dog on the block.

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If you’ve ever seen dogs being aggressive toward each other, you know just how disturbing dog-on-dog aggression can be. Aggression between dogs can take the form of growling, snarling, snapping, posturing and even outright fights which could cause significant injuries for the dogs. It can also be difficult for the owners to safely break up.

Dog aggression towards other dogs is troubling, but unfortunately it isn’t all that uncommon. There’s a good chance you’ve seen it, whether your own dog was involved or it was someone else’s. You might not know what causes it, however.

Dog-on-dog aggression is almost always the result of inadequate socialization while a dog is young. Socialization is the process by which a dog learns how to appropriately communicate and interact with others. It provides the key to preventing her from being aggressive toward other dogs throughout her life.

The socialization process involves exposing your dog to as many other dogs as possible. It’s important to let her meet, mingle, play with and just be around a large number of dogs of all sizes and ages. This exposure to other dogs is what teaches your dog the difference between neutral or positive interactions and behaviors that are truly threatening. Without a proper understanding of this difference, it’s easy for your dog to misinterpret another dog’s behavior.

For example, that other dog might simply want to play, but she won’t see it that way. Instead, she might think she’s being threatened, and she’ll respond to this perceived threat by becoming aggressive. Think of socialization as how your dog learns to communicate and interact appropriately with others.

Puppyhood, especially between ten and sixteen weeks of age, is the most important period in your dog’s entire life as far as socialization is concerned. A dog that isn’t thoroughly socialized during this critical period is a prime candidate for becoming overly fearful or behaving aggressively when she encounters other dogs later in life.

Typically, one of two things will happen when an unfamiliar dog approaches one that’s been poorly socialized. Because the poorly-socialized one hasn’t had enough exposure, she might be frightened by any new dog she meets. Or, she might react to encountering an unfamiliar canine by displaying aggressive behavior. A dog that hasn’t been thoroughly socialized doesn’t understand how to “talk” or behave with others. She also doesn’t understand what those other dogs are “saying” to her. Dog-on-dog aggression is often the result of this miscommunication.

If your dog has a tendency to behave aggressively toward other dogs, there are some things you can do to help prevent potential trouble. In fact, the actions you take when your dog meets up with another dog can significantly affect whether the outcome will be positive or not.

1. Keep her under tight control whenever she leaves the house. This means that at a minimum, you’ll need to keep her on a short leash. Avoid using the type of leash that spools out to get longer and winds up when you want it shorter. Using a short leash will let you react to potential trouble quicker and your dog will already be close to you. With a longer leash you might have to haul your dog back to you if an unfamiliar dog appears out of the blue.

2. Train your dog to heel. Once she becomes proficient, she will walk calmly by your side with the leash slack, not taut. This might not sound terribly important, but a taut leash can inadvertently communicate tension to your dog – and that tension is exactly what you want to avoid when another dog comes by.

3. Watch your body language when another dog comes near. Stay calm and relaxed, because she will take her cues on how to behave from you. If you tense up whenever another dog approaches, she will sense it and she’ll tense up too.

4. If your dog starts misbehaving when she sees a dog nearby, direct her attention toward you and give her something else to think about. For example, you could ask her to sit calmly and look at you for a few minutes until the “danger” she perceives has left the area. Afterward, give her plenty of praise and a treat for remaining calm despite the presence of the other dog.

Intervening to Stop Dog Aggression towards Other Dogs

If a fight does break out, don’t try to get between the dogs. Dogs’ teeth are sharp and when a dog is in a fight, she’s just as likely to bite you as the other dog that’s involved. Instead, try the following techniques:

1. Shout “stop it” using a loud, angry tone. Shouting might startle the dogs into stopping or backing away enough to let you grab one. Once one dog backs away, the other one probably will too, because she’ll think the threat has been defused. Take your dog by the collar as soon as one of them backs off.

2. Throw a tarp or blanket over the dogs if shouting doesn’t stop them. They’ll probably be so confused that they’ll stop fighting. You can also try using a hose to spray them with water. The longer you spray, the more likely it is that the fight will end. Be ready to grab her as soon as the fight breaks up.

3. Spray the dogs with a solution they hate. Most dogs detest lemon juice that’s been diluted with water, and spraying them might be enough to stop the fight. Commercially-available citronella sprays work the same way.

4. As a last resort, grab the back legs of one of them and try to drag her away from the other dog. Dragging her away in an arc will make it more difficult for her to turn and bite you.

Remember, no matter how you end the fight, you need to remove your dog from the area as quickly as possible.