Eating Dirt

[SnoManX]

My yellow lab has been eating dirt A LOT lately. While throwing the dummy for her this weekend...she stopped by a hole she had dug and took two mouthfuls. Is she lacking something in her diet? Is this an indication that something is wrong? Or is it similar to eating grass?

Thanks!

[SSSTaxidermy]

I know you will get much more “experienced” answers other than mine. But I’m curious to know how old your lab is. That could make a huge difference in the issues you are experiencing. If she is young, it appears she has more esthetic of retrieving with the dummy for herself, rather than wanting to retrieve for you. I guess ultimately, you want your retriever to retrieve for you rather than for themselves. I struggled with this for a while in a much different situation. It could be something as simple as keeping the training sessions very short, and letting her know who is boss when it comes to retrieving. I resorted back to and if all else fails, revert back to your simple obedience training. I feel that if your dog doesn’t listen to your commands at 5 feet they won’t listen to you at 50 yrds or whatever the distance may be. I'm guessing it is't anythign to do with diet or anything along those lines. I’m a trainer of the K.I.S.S principle. “Keep it simple stupid”. I can relate to that to that level better…LOL. Good luck.

[SnoManX]

I'm not really concerned about her stopping on the retrieve - she knows when it's business and when it's play time. Just wondering why she is eating mouthfuls of dirt?

Thanks!

[Neighbor_guy]

I had a springer once that would eat the "sugar sand" that we have in parts of Isanti county. The vet said it was a mineral dificiency and told us to give him a vitamin.

Mabe try that???

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Neighbor Guy,

What kind of vitamins?

I have a Lab and Springer, both older. I can't turn my back without them diving for mouth fulls of dirt.

Mike

[Neighbor_guy]

I feed a daily I think it is pets prefered, but I can not remember where I got it. I think if yoiu ask your vet or look at wallytown or petsmart they should be able to recomend one.