My neighbors 2 senior dogs (age 12 & 13) started eating dirt a lot. It seemed there was certain spots that appealed to them most. I am not sure why they did it but it seems to have become less of an issue for them since the weather started changing. They mostly ate moist dirt that isn't quite as moist as mud but not totally dry. They usually would dig a little bit before eating to uncover the top layer

. I am not sure if they chose spots where something was urinating or if there was decomposing bugs or other matter like someone else suggested

. The Shepherd used to eat poop and grass mostly but then switched to the dirt and we never could figure out why. Hers did become a problem because she had dirt textured poop that would explode when it hit the ground (crumbled like dirt) and she seemed to not be able to hold it indoors. She would quiver and poop immediately. She started becoming sneaky because she knew we would stop her from eating the dirt, so she would fall behind or run ahead on walks to get to her spots

. The younger dogs also ate dirt for a while because she did but they did not seem as interested in it as she was- they seemed to do it to get attention and to get chased away from it. They young ones also did the same thing with the poop eating- they did it because she did. If your dog prefers certain spots like these girls did, maybe something can be used as a deterrent or repellant

. Bitter apple didn't work for these guys because they eat the small bitter apples that fall off the tree (and hot sauce seemed to make poop seem more tasty for the lab mix) but maybe something that tastes bad but is safe can be poured into the dirt to help address your problem. Not sure if it will help or if your dog frequents the same dirt spots but it is all I can think It can be hard to break a dirty habit

!!!! Best wishes to you both.
