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When french bulldogs start to eat everything in sight it becomes quite concerning rather quickly. Whether they’re eating non-food items, poop, or always seem starved, something is off.
Why Do French Bulldogs Eat Everything:
When a french bulldog starts to eat everything out of the blue it could be because they have an underlying health issue that’s developed a condition called Pica. Less serious reasons for french bulldogs to eat everything are for attention, instincts or they’re exploring.
In this post you’ll discover:
- 8 real reasons why french bulldogs eat everything
- 5 potential dangers when french bulldogs eat everything
- 4 tips to help your frenchie stop wanting to eat everything (tip #4 is an important first step)
- And much, much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
8 Real Reasons Why Your French Bulldog Eats Everything
1) It’s Instinctual
Sometimes your frenchie may not be able to overcome their instinctual urges.
For a long time, before dogs were domesticated, food was quite scarce and they wouldn’t know exactly when their next meal was going to be.
Which meant when food, or anything they deemed edible, was available, they’d fill their belly with it.
Simply because they weren’t certain when they were going to have the opportunity to eat next.
Of course your pup doesn’t have to worry about this as they get daily kibble and treats here and there.
But if they’re eating everything they may not fully understand this.
They’re also not aware how eating non-edible items or certain human foods can be potentially dangerous to them.
2) High Levels Of Stress
When a french bulldog has high levels of anxiety they may pick up certain destructive behaviors as a way of coping with their negative feelings.
And if your pup is chewing up and destroying items in your home they’re likely eating portions or all of the items they’re destroying.
There’s a condition called Pica, that makes dog’s crave, and eat, non-food items.
Your frenchie can develop Pica through feeling overly anxious/stressed or through health related issues, which we’ll get into later.
If your pup has always had problems with eating everything, they may have had a traumatic experience as a pup which is still affecting them today.
Or, if their eating everything is new behavior, high levels of anxiety or even separation anxiety can be developed in a few ways.
Which are:
A change in where you live. If you recently changed where you live, your pup may be having emotional difficulties adapting to their new environment. They likely miss their old home and scents they grew to love and haven’t gotten used to their new home.
A change in family structure. If recently you had a girlfriend or boyfriend move in, or, if a family member passed away (canine or person) they may not be handling the change well. Also, if they were adopted from a shelter, they may not have gotten used to living with a loving family quite yet.
A change in schedule. If you had been working from home for a long time then had to go back to the office, this not only changes your daily schedule, but your pups as well. Which might be difficult for your pup to accept and is having difficulties adapting.
Related Reading: 7 Ways To Eliminate Your Dogs Anxiety, Shyness Or Fear
3) Not Getting The Right Nutrients
If the food your frenchie is eating on a daily basis isn’t providing their body with the nutrients they need, they may eat everything in an attempt to get those nutrients.
Finding the right dog food can be tricky as some frenchies are more picky than others.
But a good general rule of thumb when it comes to picking dog food is to get the highest quality food you can afford.
This is because most of the cheaper dog foods contain mostly filler ingredients that don’t have proper nutrients.
They’ll typically be grain-based as opposed to meat-based.
Yes, dog foods where the main ingredient is some form of meat cost more, but it’s because there’s real food in the product.
Which means it’s going to have nutrients your pup is craving and could stop them from feeling the need to eat everything.
Important note: It’s always a good idea to consult with a vet when it comes to their food.
4) Problems With Their Health
If your frenchie has any underlying health issues it could definitely be causing them to eat anything and everything.
They could have a hormonal imbalance or a disease that’s causing them to eat everything.
As mentioned before, if your pup has a medical issue they can develop the condition Pica.
Which makes them crave and eat non-food items.
Diabetes, thyroid problems, and intestinal cancer for example, are all diseases that can develop their Pica condition.
While there are potentially a few harmless reasons for your frenchie to be eating everything, it’s important to have a vet confirm it’s not anything serious causing the behavior.
5) They Simply Want Your Attention
It’s true that a bored doggo is a mischievous doggo.
And if your frenchie feels like you haven’t been giving them the attention they deserve, they may do silly things to get your attention.
Eating everything is unfortunately one of those things.
Typically a frenchie will act out due to boredom and wanting your attention when they have too much pent up energy.
If you were to give them more daily physical activity, you might notice this behavior fade away as they become more interested in resting rather than acting out to get your attention.
Related Reading: 10 Best Toys To Entertain Your Dog | Boredom Buster Toys
6) Their Daily Bowl Of Kibble Isn’t Enough
Unknowingly, the amount of kibble you’re feeding your frenchie everyday might simply not be enough in terms of their daily calorie intake.
Which makes them feel the need to go elsewhere to take care of their constant hunger.
If you can easily see their rib cage, or feel it with no muscle or fat getting in the way, they could be underfed.
French bulldogs are supposed to weigh anywhere between 16 to 28 pounds when they’re fully grown.
So if your pup is on the lower end of that range, or below it, you may need to adjust how much dog food they’re getting each day.
7) They Experience The World Through Their Mouth
When your frenchie licks and chews on different things, it’s how they get a better understanding of the world around them.
Similar to how you and I pick things up and inspect them to get a better understanding of them.
But, your pup doesn’t have thumbs so they’re stuck using their mouth.
So if you have an incredibly curious/exploratory pup, they may want to put everything in their mouth to taste and eat it.
8) They Picked It Up From a Friend
Sometimes dogs pick up bad behaviors from another dog. They see them do something, think it looks like fun and repeat the behavior.
Unfortunately they only pick up on instinctual behavior rather than learned behavior.
It could be digging, barking, scratching or eating things they shouldn’t be.
If your frenchie didn’t normally eat everything in sight, but saw another canine friend doing it, they may be simply repeating the behavior, unfortunately.
In this case it’s going to take some time to unlearn this type of behavior.
And it’s probably best to avoid the pup that they learned this potentially dangerous behavior from.
5 Possible Dangers If Your French Bulldog Eats Everything
Outside of there being an underlying health issue with your frenchie, there are 5 possible dangers if they continue to eat everything.
Those dangers are:
- Eating something that contains toxic chemicals/materials
- Could create blockages in their digestive system
- Increased risk of choking
- If eating poop, it could contain parasites or tapeworms
- Break or chip a tooth
4 Tips To Help Your French Bulldog Stop Eating Everything
1) Give Them More Exercise & Attention
If your frenchie’s ‘eat everything’ behavior isn’t health related, it’s more than likely because they want attention or are bored.
Which can easily be solved with more exercise.
If you typically give them two short walks per day, try increasing it to three.
Or simply make their two walks longer.
You could also try going on more fun adventures like hikes, having more play sessions when you have the time, or trips to the dog park.
A tired doggo is a peaceful doggo.
And typically when they have too much pent up energy it’s because they aren’t having their daily exercise requirements met.
But once they are, they easily become more interested in resting as opposed to being mischievous and eating everything.
Related Reading: Top 15 Best Harnesses For French Bulldogs | Ultimate Guide
2) Crate Training Can Be Useful Here
Using a crate can be a wonderful tool to help train certain behaviors out of your frenchie.
Also, if their eating non-food items is coming from a place of anxiety, a crate can become their safe place.
Frenchies like to burrow and be in den-like spaces because it gives them a sense of security.
So training your pup to enjoy being in a crate can help with their overall anxiety as well as prevent them from eating anything and everything.
Related Reading: What’s the Purpose of Crate Training Your Dog?
3) Change Up Their Diet
Whether it’s getting them on a completely new dog food or changing up how much you’re feeding them.
A change in their diet could be exactly what they need to stop wanting to eat everything.
You can use this simple at-home formula to determine how many calories your pup needs in a day.
It looks like this:
Divide their weight by 2.2.
Multiply that number by 30.
Then add 70.
So if your frenchie weighs 20 pounds, it would look like this.
20 / 2.2 = 9.09
9.09 x 30 = 272.7
272.7 + 70 = 342.7 daily calories.
Then you can look at their dog food and see how many calories are in it per cup and adjust based on the number you get.
Of course this is a general guideline and shouldn’t replace what you’ve been told by your veterinarian.
4) Consult With a Professional
Whether it’s a vet or a behavioral specialist, it can be very beneficial to consult with a professional.
You can either learn how to stop the behavior from continuing or get them the medical treatment they need.
When a frenchie is eating everything it’s certainly not normal behavior.
So having a professional take a look at them is definitely a good idea.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last
11 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Cry & Whine So Much + Tips
16 Interesting Reasons Why French Bulldogs Lick So Much
7 Real Reasons Why French Bulldogs Burrow Under Blankets
Sources:
5 Reasons Your Dog is Extremely Hungry
