Why do dogs eat grass?

Are you curious about why your furry friend can't resist munching on grass? In this episode of our podcast, we explore the mystery of why dogs eat grass and the potential benefits it may have for their health. From evolutionary theories to the latest scientific research, we dive deep into the topic to give you a better understanding of your canine companion's behaviour. Whether you're a dog owner or just a lover of all things canine, this episode will surely be an enlightening listen. Join us as we explore the world of dogs and discover why they can't resist a tasty patch of grass

References:
1.     https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228739099_Grass_eating_patterns_in_the_domestic_dog_Canis_familiaris

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248336232_Characterisation_of_plant_eating_in_dogs 

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Transcript

Why do dogs eat grass?

[00:00:00] Suellen: Hello and welcome to the first episode or first mini episode in a series that I'm calling why "Do Dogs Do" Something? In these episodes, we're going to attempt to unravel the weird and confusing world of dogs and why they do what they do. So, in today's episode, we are going to be looking at why dogs eat grass.

[00:00:27] And this is a fairly common question, so let's dive into it. Most dog owners, 80% of us, in fact, will have noticed that our dogs eat grass from time to time. My dog's one of them, and in fact, he sniffs around until he finds the perfect blade of grass. I don't know whether it's how old the grass is or the colour or the type, but he definitely prefers some over others.

[00:00:54] Now, this behaviour is a little bit confusing because grass is considered [00:01:00] to have very little nutritional value, especially to a dog .

[00:01:04] The first thing you need to know is that grass eating is considered completely normal behaviour for dogs, and quite common by the researchers who have actually studied this phenomenon.

[00:01:16] And in one study, the researcher considered that grass-eating shouldn't be considered any kind of behavioural problem or an indicator of illness. So why do dogs eat grass? Well, there's lots of conjecture as to why? Some theories, include things like, you probably heard all these, the need to vomit, the need for some roughage in their diet.

[00:01:45] They eat grass as a laxative, or there's some kind of dietary deficiency and there's not much scientific evidence for any of these things. But let's talk about what scientific evidence there is [00:02:00] around the grass eating behaviour. 

[00:02:02] Grass eating seems to be influenced by how old your dog is and the time of day. So what researchers have found in studies is that grass-eating tends to be more common among younger dogs, and they tend to do it earlier in the day rather than later in the day. And they also found some relationship between how full the dog feels and their need to eat grass.

[00:02:29] Plant-eating behaviour like grass has no relation to the breed or the sex of the dog. But as I mentioned, younger dogs seemed to eat grass more often than older dogs, but it wasn't tied to the fact that they needed to be sick because they weren't feeling well.

[00:02:49] Interestingly enough, this plant eating behaviour seems to have originated from the dog's ancestors, the wolves. And in studies they have found [00:03:00] up to 70% of wolves will have some kind of plant matter in their feces or in their gut. They don't know what the reason for this is, but they think it might have something to do with the wolves wanting to get rid of intestinal parasites.

[00:03:18] So this plant-eating behaviour in wolves is thought to have been preserved during the domestication process of our dogs as we know them. So that's why our dogs seem to have this behaviour as well. But the purpose that it serves in our domestic dogs is really unclear.

[00:03:35] But the bottom line is that any study is done in a grass-eating behaviour have concluded that grass-eating appears to be completely normal behaviour and it isn't associated with illness or vomiting or dietary deficiency. 

[00:03:54] However, if you have any concerns about your dog's behaviour or health, it's best to consult [00:04:00] your local vet. 

[00:04:00] So that concludes our first episode into Why dogs Do what they do. I hope you enjoyed it and find it useful and stay tuned for more mini episodes. We release episodes on this podcast twice a month. See you then. Bye-bye.