Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mazie, our 9 month old husky pup, insists on eating grass and makes holes. She is not digging holes, she just grazes and creates new holes daily. Is this normal husky behavior? Is she missing something in her diet? Our other dog is a 10 year old husky/lab mix and has never done anything like this. I keep applying pepper to the existing holes, and rubbing her nose in it. She just makes new holes. She is currently being fed Nutro Natural Choice lamb and rice formula.
She is tearing up our once beautiful yard!! Please help me understand her behavior.
Thank you - Tony

First off Don't rub the dogs nose in the holes. it wont teach her anything and she may begin to resent you for it. remember she is still a puppy and doesnt know right from wrong.

eating grass is not an uncommon thing for dogs to do. typically they will eat grass because of a stomach acke or to aid in digestion. she may just like the taste of your grass, plain and simple. you Should disscus the situation with your vet. they can find out if anything is actualy wrong. you should bring a food sample and food ingredient list with you so they can cancel anything out. you should also bring a stool sample so the vet can find out what is going right through her.

Your puppy needs to be out in the world having fun and playing with you and getting lots of exercise. Huskies need a LOT of stimulation to be happy. If they don't get it from you, they make their own and that typically manifests itself into destructive behaviors like digging, barking, or chewing.

You will want to supervise your puppy while it's in the yard and redirct and not let it dig holes. Unless caught in the act of digging a dog can't learn not to do something. So any corrections after the fact will not work.

Find a wonderful sport you and your puppy can do together. This is a great time to go to obedience classes, find a dog park that is well run and let your puppy run and play with other dogs, or get an attatchment for your bike and let your husky run next to yo uwhile you ride. This is a breed that can run for 12 hours a day pulling weight so take advantage of that. Put a light backpack on him and go for long hikes and make him carry his water and your lunch. Find a skijouring team to join.

The posibilities are endless. Have fun! Your puppy is a bit young to jump high or pull full weight, but you can start conditioning now.
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PHReign
Email me: HReign@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHReign@pethobbyist.com
Dear dog,
I can not buy anything larger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to your fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straigt out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing more than doggy sarcasm.