As you are doing your routine housework, you find your dog eating up hair that he had found on the floor.
This act makes you wonder if he is trying to help you clean up the floor by eating the hair that is scattered around or if there is more to that behavior?
Your dog is eating your hair which is found on the floor because he wants to help you with the housekeeping, or he is doing that just to get your attention. He is suffering from Pica, or he is curious about the taste of your hair. He is stressed and chewing on hair helps him to calm down.
He is Suffering From Pica
If you find your dog persistently eating something other than food, he may have pica.
Pica is defined as “eating non-food items” and can be a sign of medical or psychological conditions.
It is an eating disorder where a dog eats non-nutritive materials, such as hair, dirt, sand, ashes, clay, mud, paint, paper, wood or even electrical cords.
Pica is usually a behavior seen in puppies and young dogs under the age of four months old.
However, pica can also be seen in older dogs, including dogs older than 10 years.
If you find your dog is having difficulty controlling his urge to eat non-nutritive materials, it may be a sign of a more serious health problem.
You should seek professional help immediately to prevent your dog from any potential health risk from swallowing any toxic or non digestive materials.
He is Curious About The Taste Of Your Hair
Things that possess unique scents NEVER fail to capture any dog’s curiosity and make them want to sniff and taste them.
That is what is happening to your dog. He finds your hair irresistible.
You see, your hair is rich in pheromones, which are chemical substances secreted by glands of your body and that trigger his curiosity to taste them.
He wants to taste your hair not only because it is rich in pheromones and also to know you more.
Chewing Hairs Release His Stress
It has been proven that chewing helps any anxious or stressed dog to calm down as this action releases the stress hormone cortisol, which reduces the anxiety and stress level the dog is experiencing.
So, when your dog is feeling stressed, you will likely see him start chewing on things around him, such as his bed, toys, home furniture, paper and hairs found on the floor.
What you can do is to get him some chewy treats or stress balls for him to chew on and release his anxiety.
You should also allocate time to play with him, bring him out for a regular walk and let him socialize with other dogs. This will help to relieve his stress.
He Is Cleaning Up Your Hairs On The Floor
You may find his act of eating hairs on the floor to be weird, but he is in fact trying to help you keep the floor clean.
He sees that you are busy cleaning up the house, and he wants to do his part to help you with the housework work.
And the way he will do it will be to eat things such as hair and dirt that he can find on the floor.
He Is Trying To Get Your Attention
Have you been neglecting your dog lately? He could be doing this act simply to get your attention.
You see, dogs are extremely intelligent animals, and they know what they can do to get your attention.
That’s why at times you will see your dog performing some weird actions such as eating his poop, chewing on furniture, eating hairs or even peeing on his bowl just to make you notice his presence.
To avoid this from happening, you should ensure that your dog gets sufficient attention focused activities to keep away his boredom.
Plan for physical and mental games to keep him occupied and provide a channel for him to release his energy.
Activities such as tug of war, flirt poles and fetch games are ideal choices for your dog to let off his pent-up energy.
As for the mental simulation activities, I would suggest that you carry out some obedience training to make your dog respond to your instructions.
This will make him utilize his brain power and keep him mentally tired.
The Scent Of Your Hair Eases His Anxiety
Have you been out of your dog’s sight for a long period of time? He could be missing you and trying to find you.
You see, an hour of your day is equivalent to 7 hours of your dog’s time.
So, if you are out for 4 hours, your dog will feel that you have been away for almost 28 hours, and it is no wonder why he is missing you so much.
To ease his separation anxiety, he will try to get hold of things that carry your scent, such as your shoes and clothing, and sit on them
He may even sniff and eat YOUR HAIRS on the floor as his attempt to find where you are.
He Is At His Teething Stage
When your dog is in his teething stage, he will be more likely to chew on everything in sight.
You will see him biting and chewing on his toys, your shoes and clothing, hair and paper on the floor or the surrounding furniture.
This stage of teething usually lasts for about 6 months till his adult teeth come in.
You can help by keeping a close eye on your pet and making sure that he has plenty of chew toys available for him to chew on.
He will exhibit signs such as chewing on everything he can find, persistent drooling, eating slowly, bleeding or swollen gums and visible loss of his teeth.
You could also find spots of blood on his toys as he is chewing on them.
So keep a lookout for these signs to work on easing his teething discomfort.
Is Eating Human Hair Bad for Dogs?
Generally, consuming some strands of human hair is not going to cause any harm to your dog.
But if he is going to do that for a persistent period of time, or he is ingesting lots of hair at one go, it will have an adverse impact on his health.
His digestive tract may become blocked once a large amount of human hair accumulates and this may result in clogging of his intestines.