How Do Dogs Know What’s Edible?
How do dogs know which wild plants are edible and which aren’t? I have a rescue (cattle dog/pointer/hound mix) that lived in the wild for a bit as a puppy and she forages whenever she can. She’s always sniffing her way to something tasty and in the 7 years I’ve had her she’s never been poisoned.
Last week I saw her eating mushrooms in the yard which is what prompted me to post. I like to forage myself sometimes, but wild mushrooms make me nervous even with a guidebook in hand. Either somehow she knows that puffballs are edible and the other wild mushrooms here aren’t, or ??? Is this something I need to worry about, or is my dog just smarter than me? I know she’s smart, but I’ve had dogs my whole life and they never messed with mushrooms (or wild plants for that matter).