Understanding Why Dogs Eat Grass: Health Insights & Practical Tips

I’ve mentioned at least a few times now that, since the weather here has been getting nicer, I’ve been spending a lot more time playing with the boys at the park.  One day in particular last week I walked Kit to the beach, via a path that was bordered by lots of fresh green grass, and all Kit wanted to do was graze! 

This behavior isn’t anything new for Kit, as you can see from this video I uploaded 5 years ago…

One thing I find interesting is that while Kit can get pretty obsessive about eating grass, Fen never really does.

Why do dogs eat grass anyways?  It seems to be common knowledge that dogs do it to make themselves throw up when they have upset stomachs.  I’m not sure how I feel about that theory.  I feel like if Kit was eating grass to soothe an upset stomach it would mean that he pretty much always has an upset stomach, since he’ll almost always go for a nibble of grass given the opportunity.  But Kit’s a very healthy dog, active and playful.  Furthermore, while eating grass does sometimes make him throw up, it doesn’t always.

Some people think dogs eat grass for the fiber, because their diet is lacking in some nutrient that they maybe get from the grass, or just purely because they like to eat grass! I’m pretty convinced that that last theory is what motivates Kit.

What do you think? Does your dog like to eat grass too?