The Grass is NOT Always Greener - But Still Smells Good

This episode addresses the time old issue of our dogs munching on the green stuff!  Is it good for them?  Is it safe? And why are they doing it?  Check out all the reasons and what we can do for them. 

Transcript

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Grab your cup, hug your pup, and join us for Peace in the Pack's Canine Coffee Talk. Hi, I'm Nancy T, your canine behavioral specialist and owner of Peace in the Pack. And there's Paxie saying hi in the background. Hello, Pax. I heard a little whimper back there. I don't know if you guys heard it. But anyway, he's relaxing. We just came back from a walk. Um, so speaking of walks, listen, my dogs do it, my clients' dogs do it, my friends' dogs do it. Every dog does it these days, and that is eating grass. Now, years ago, it was a thing everybody assumed it was about dogs wanting to calm their stomach due to some sort of gastric problem. People would just say it's a natural recourse, you know. But is it though? Or is it part of it? Or is that not true? Well, we're gonna find out in a few minutes. In the meantime, grab your cup of coffee. I have my iced coffee these days since it is summertime. First, I'm gonna take a little sip. It's really good. It's like a caramel almond and hazelnut all mixed together. It's really good. Give a snack to your very best friend, have them snuggle up with you, and let's get started. Okay. Dogs eating grass. Now, it's a normal instinct. Overall, it's not usually anything to worry about, but these days it kind of is because our dogs seem to be overdoing it. You know, it's not just a nibble here and there. It seems to be a little more insatiable than it ever was. And it seems to be across the board with a lot of dogs, a lot of ages, a lot of breeds. And I've seen it firsthand. And my clients are asking me about it. Now, I'm not in the medical profession. I do have I do have friends that are vets, I do need to consult with them about it. But primarily, you know, years ago it was known to be for their stomach. But you know what? That is just partially true. Meaning that's only one of the reasons, such as needing fiber in their diet, which was always thought of to be the case. Well, grass is rich in fiber, it provides the roughage, it does help in their bowel movements and digestion. The other highly popular reason was that they already have a problem, a gastric problem that they're suffering with, and are trying to chew the grass to induce vomiting. Still a viable reason today, but not always a situation. It could also be behavioral. A lot of times it could be boredom. Boredom shows itself up in many ways, and that is certainly one of the ways. Digging behavior, chewing, all those ways illustrate levels of boredom. And certainly grass eating falls under that as well. Just something for them to do. We also have to remember that our dog's ancestors did consume prey that consumed plants. So it is in the nature of the genes as well. And they could innately be tapping into their roots every now and again if a scent or even a taste is that pungent and to them irresistible. And grass does have a certain taste and smell, so then they somewhat get addicted to it as well. Now, this time of year, and I know from my peace walks, there's been a little bit more excessive duck poop around than we've wanted. And I know many dogs are attracted to that. Sad to say, you know, but they are. And we have to keep them away from that. But a lot of times grass can harbor things like that. So what it is is that's a very strong pungent smell, and it harbors a lot of pungent smells, right? And again, it doesn't have to be a pleasant smell for dogs to be attracted to, for them to be lured by smell and taste, as long as it's pungent and strong. And certainly that kind of thing in grass does attract dogs. Grass provides all those kinds of scents. The scent of other dogs, cats, of other animals that have done their business in certain places, obviously gets dogs' attention. In certain areas, the grass may be a little lush. Whatever the reason is initially, but dogs seem to be these days a little more insatiable. What we have to be careful of, of course, are the pesticides. It's very important to keep dogs away from consuming grass due to the chemicals and the toxins from the pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that could be toxic. Also, parasites. We'd be very careful because when dogs do uh sniff another dog species, parasites can be present. So that's very, very scary. So we want to make sure that doesn't happen as well. Also, eating lots of grass, and I've seen it with my own packs, can cause stomach upset in itself, where they will regurgitate that right away. So that times I'll see little pieces of grass, and I was like, here he goes again. So eating quantities of grass, especially the long grass, can cause stomach irritation. It can cause intestinal obstruction. So that can be really scary. You know, this has just been more and more prevalent. I would say in the past, I would have to say the past three to five years. That's what I've noticed. Certainly the past two to three years, it's been an amazing uprising of that. Meaning I've I've seen a surge of it because a lot of clients on the whole have either talked to me about it, asked me about it, or I've personally seen it firsthand, where we have to pull the dogs away. So this just seems to be what's going on. It's not going to be completely fatal, thankfully, but it's certainly enough to cause at least digestive upset and certainly regurgitation or vomiting, and and it can be worse depending on the area of the grass and what's in it. Also, we have to be aware of pica, might be an underlying condition too, that'd be causing that, which is when a dog consumes objects that are not edible or digestible. So always check with your vet to make sure there isn't an underlying medical condition. Now, I started giving my dogs probiotic, but that's because it benefits them both. I did talk with my vet, so it's always important to talk with your vet first. But honestly, it looks like that's been helping PAX a little bit. It really has. I'm using the Proviable DC. There's all so many good ones. There's Purina Proplan, Fortiflora, but your vet can help you with that. It helps with digestion and restoring healthy gut bacteria. And improved digestion does help your dog absorb all the necessary nutrients, and it stops them from seeking out that kind of fiber from plants that they might be seeking. So, in my particular case with PAX, that is helping, but again, everybody's different, so you must talk with your vet. It is not a cure all for everybody. And of course, we have to find out, like we were talking about, the reasons why dogs do this. So behavioral boredom is not going to be solved by this. Uh, same with pika or any underlying medical issues, right? So you have to find out if your dog has other gastrointestinal issues, those kind of things. So, again, a trip to the vet is definitely necessary. But I'm gonna keep you updated on it since I only started this recently, only started this a few weeks ago, and they're doing well on it, but I and I'm seeing some improvement. I'll give you an update as the weeks go on. And I'd love to hear from you too. Let me know. If your dogs are eating grass, how much, how difficult is it to keep them away from it? Can you redirect them? What happens prior? And this is important to a behaviorist, believe me. What happens prior to that? What happens right after? And like I said, can they be redirected? Are they bored? What is their diet like? So think about some of those questions and get back to me and let me know your story. I'd love to hear from you. And this way we can help each other. So, bottom line, there are so many reasons dogs do this. Jewelry's still out on it, and every individual, every dog's different. I'll say that all the time. And this is no exception. And certainly when it comes to their health, their physical health. But sometimes mental health does overlap, right? So we have to make sure it's not behavioral or boredom or that they have other issues that's exacerbated. You know, that in other words, they're they're not only bored, but they're frustrated because they have nothing to do and they need to expend energy. That would be another reason a dog would do that. Expending energy is a big one, right? A good, not only task behavior to keep them occupied and nice and tired, but also a structured walk would help tremendously with that. Structured walk to where they're walking alongside with you. I always call it like a handhold close by on the leash, sort of in a heel position, and then letting them out freely to sniff, enjoy the walk, do their business, and then okay, back to you again. Structure, non-structure, structure, non-structure. Kind of keeps the dog challenged mentally and also physically on the walk. So it's it's it's a good combination. Dogs need to be busy, they can't be getting bored. There's so many ways dogs can get bored. So we want to make sure that's not an issue as well. But aside from those issues that we talked about, there is that natural inclination that dogs just like the smell and the taste of grass. It is a natural thing to do. Chewing is a natural thing to do. It is in their genes and in their DNA, and they could just simply like how it smells and tastes. But like we talked about earlier, we have to keep them safe because unlike the natural world, our world may be filled with toxins and pesticides and things of that nature that dogs are not expecting. So we have to steer clear. You know what? It is time for a treat. We haven't done a treat in a while, right? Here we go. And there it is. And here my dogs are. One for you, hang on. And one for you. Okay, guys. Our treat for today. Teach your dog something new today. Anything. And then get back to me about it. One task behavior today to add to his or her repertoire. And if they haven't started, then start one. Start with basic sit. But if they know all the basics, like sit, down, stay, then pick a new one. Try leave it. Try drop it. Try a fun one. Most importantly, make sure you're spending quality time with your dog and your dog is having fun while he or she learns. But try to practice one good task today and then let me know how that goes. When you build up those tasks behavior, I promise you, it not only makes you proud of your dog, but it makes your dog soar with pride and confidence and heightens their level of self-esteem. Give that to them. And also at the same time, guys, you're giving them some work to do. Just like we were talking about earlier. It's always a good thing to give your dog something good to do and expend that energy in a good psychological way. Well, thanks for joining us today, guys. Check out my website at peaceinthepack.com if you have any questions about your dog's behavior. I will be doing classes soon on Udemy, so keep in touch. Follow along with our podcast as we offer them once every two weeks. Bi weekly, isn't that how you say that? Yeah. Looking forward to talking with you soon. Do your part to create peace in your pack. Because remember, peace changes everything. Take care.