26/10/2026
🌱🐺 LET YOUR DOG EAT THE GRASS!
Somewhere along the way, we've started treating dogs eating grass as though there's something wrong with them.
Why...? Dogs have been grazing on grasses and other vegetation long before we started feeding them out of bags and bowls.
Grass eating is a normal canine behaviour. It can be part of natural foraging, and the plant material provides roughage that passes through the digestive system.
Now, does that mean every dog eating grass has an upset stomach? Absolutely not. Does it mean they're trying to make themselves vomit? No. Most dogs that eat grass don't vomit afterwards.
Sometimes a dog just wants to eat grass!
What I think we forget is that our dogs are now living in an urban jungle. Concrete footpaths. Artificial lawns. Landscaped gardens. Sprayed reserves. Perfectly manicured parks with signs telling us where our dogs can and cannot go. We've gradually removed so many opportunities for dogs to engage with their natural environment.
Then, when they finally find a beautiful patch of fresh, green grass and start having a nibble, we're pulling them away!
I'm not suggesting you let your dog graze on every nature strip in the neighbourhood. We need to be conscious of pesticides, herbicides, contaminated areas and plants that aren't safe for dogs.
But when you've found a lovely patch of clean, untreated grass, why are we so determined to stop them?
Let them sniff it. Explore it. Roll in it. Have a little graze if they choose.
Not every natural behaviour needs to be interrupted, corrected or turned into a medical concern. Of course, if your dog suddenly starts eating excessive amounts of grass alongside vomiting, discomfort or changes in appetite, that's something worth investigating.
A healthy dog enjoying a mouthful of fresh grass? I think we need to stop overcomplicating it.
We already ask our dogs to adapt to so much of our human world. Surely we can leave them a little room to just be dogs.
🌱 Find the good grass. Let them enjoy it.
Nimeria German Shepherds
⚔️ Connected by the Pack. Driven by Purpose.
💜 The Village | Community & Dogs
➡️ Join: Nimeria German Shepherds | The Village
