If your husky has a habit of eating rocks you might want to know why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you why your Siberian husky might be eating rocks and what you can do to get it to stop.
So, why does my husky eat rocks? Possible reasons are that it is not getting the right nutrients in its diet, boredom, illness, stress or it could be an inherited trait.
There are actually many reasons why your husky might be doing it and it could be a combination of multiple different reasons. However, there are also some things that you can consider that will help you in figuring out the exact reason why your husky does it. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it should become easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your husky eats rocks, stones or pebbles
Each of the different reasons why your husky does it will likely come with some clues.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your husky might eat rocks and what would make them more likely.
It’s not getting the right nutrients in its diet
It might be the case that it is not eating the right diet and it is trying to get the extra nutrients from dirt and rocks. This would be more likely if it started doing it suddenly when you started feeding it differently.
If you’re unsure if your husky is getting the nutrients that it needs, you can read on nutritional guidelines at Petswebmd here. You can also read about what you should and should not feed a dog here.
Boredom
Huskies are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they don’t get enough exercise they will often begin to seek their own entertainment and it could be why your husky has been eating rocks or small stones.
Generally, it is recommended for huskies to get at least an hour of exercise daily. If your husky is not getting that much exercise it would help to make sure that it does.
An inherited trait
It’s also thought that dogs would eat rocks, grass or gravel before they were domesticated by humans. They would do it since they wouldn’t have been able to get food as easily so they would try to get some more nutrients from the rocks or dirt. It could be that this is a trait that dogs still have today which is why they occasionally choose to eat dirt and small rocks. This could be why wild dogs are often seen eating small rocks and dirt.
Illness
It might be the case that your husky has been doing it in order to relieve an upset stomach. This would be more likely if it has been showing signs of illness, it has been doing it suddenly and if it has been doing things such as vomit. If it does seem like illness could be the cause, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
It likes the taste
It could simply be because it likes the taste of the rocks or stones. To reduce this from happening you can make sure that your husky is getting a lot of exercise and you can give it things to divert its attention away from dirt such as toys or bones to chew on.
It smells food
The reason why it does it might be because it smells food there. This would be more likely if it eats from the ground in locations where food was recently. For example, if it eats from the ground where a grill was recently, it would make it more likely that it smells food.
Stress
Another reason could be that it’s a coping mechanism to put up with stress. If your husky recently had something happen that could be causing it to be stressed such as a change of environment, a change of owner or if one of your other dogs died then this could be the cause.
Things to consider
When it started eating rocks
It would help to consider when your husky first started eating rocks since it could be the case that it has been doing it due to an event that occurred.
If it started doing it suddenly, it would make it more likely to be due to things such as stress, a change in its diet or becoming ill. It would help to consider what else changed when it started doing it.
When it eats rocks, stones or pebbles
It would also help to consider the timing of when it starts doing it. If it starts doing it more at certain times it might be the case that the timing has something to do with it.
If it only seems to do it when it hasn’t gotten exercise it might be doing it out of boredom. Whereas, if it does it when it has not eaten for a while then it could be the case that it is hungry.
How to get your husky to stop eating rocks
Below are a number of options you have when getting your husky to stop eating rocks.
Make sure its diet is right
As mentioned above, eating rocks could be a sign that there is an issue with its diet. It would help to discuss its diet with your local vet when you see them next. You can also read on nutritional guidelines at Petswebmd here and you can read about what you should and should not feed a dog here.
Give it exercise
Since huskies are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise daily, it would help to make sure that it is getting the right amount of exercise. You can exercise it by walking it yourself or you could get a dog walker to do it for you.
Give it other things to chew on
Another option you have is to distract your husky from eating rocks. You can do this by giving it other things that will keep it occupied such as by giving it lots of toys to play with and by giving it lots of toys that it can chew on instead.
Train it to come to you
You can also train your husky to come to you when you call it. That way when you see your husky eating rocks or when it is about to eat them you can call it to come to you which will help you to reduce the amount of dirt that it is able to eat.
I have written more about how you can train your husky to come to you on command in this blog post.
Take it to a vet
If you cannot figure out why it has been eating rocks, it has been doing it excessively or it has been showing signs of being ill, the best option would be to seek the guidance of a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular husky.
Reduce its access to rocks
It would also help to reduce its access to rocks whenever possible. You can do this by preventing it from being able to access certain areas of the yard or by monitoring it when it is in the yard.