# Is it normal for a dog to chew ice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707 "2011-06-08T03:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/1 "2011-06-08T03:26:34Z")
I have a dachshund named Nathan('cause he’s such a good hotdog) I got him from the animal shelter, and based on their estimate he is by now a little over a year old. Lately he has developed a taste for chewing on ice. He’ll take a whole cube I’ll give him from a drink of mine, or take the chips from the tray after it’s been emptied. He gets plenty of regular water, I refresh his bowl every day. So why does he want ice? He’s an indoor dog most of the day, although I do take him for walks, and to the bark park where he can run free in a huge fenced yard. Do you have a dog that likes ice? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/2 "2011-06-08T03:29:26Z")
Absolutely! My golden retriever likes it more when she’s hot (which is most of the time) but she definitely will chew on ice. Dogs like to chew. Be glad it’s ice and not shoes. I bet ice is GREAT for their teeth, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/3 "2011-06-08T03:30:13Z")
I have a dog who likes ice, but whether it’s “normal” or not I’ll leave that to more educated people than I to decide. Hudson is an Alaskan Malamute. He has a huge bucket of fresh water at all times, and it’s currently winter so it’s not hot by anyone’s stretch of the imagination. But he loves ice. He loves to chew it and crunch it. He also loves frozen bread, frozen carrots and frozen food of any sort. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/4 "2011-06-08T03:40:18Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Absolutely! My golden retriever likes it more when she’s hot (which is most of the time) but she definitely will chew on ice. > > Dogs like to chew. Be glad it’s ice and not shoes. I bet ice is GREAT for their teeth, too. Oh, he’s chewed shoes. And the bite guard he filched off my nightstand. Oh, and the crotch out of my undies, two phone cords, my purple belt to my karate gi, a pair of my glasses, plus assorted other items. He’s starting to get out of the habit though, I give him ice and acceptable chew toys. ---
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/5 "2011-06-08T03:54:23Z")
I’ve got a couple who do. They stalk the fridge when they hear the ice dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/6 "2011-06-08T04:00:53Z")
Yep, got a Lab who will happily munch on ice, then chases it around the floor when he tries to lick it and it shoots off in a random direction, then gets confused when he shoves his nose up against it to get a good sniff and thinks the freezing of the nose is the ice cube attacking him. He isn’t too bright Likes ice cubes though. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/7 "2011-06-08T04:34:57Z")
My dog loves ice cubes, too. For his treats, I give him a frozen raw beef rib which he works on for hours. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/8 "2011-06-08T05:00:56Z")
I knew a guy who had a great dane who loved to eat ice. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/9 "2011-06-08T05:12:07Z")
At my house, I call them ice cookies. My dogs LOVE ice cookies! Especially little Papillon Bunny,she will happily chase ice cookies all over the kitchen floor. Last winter, she made me laugh by bringing in an icicle theat was about 6" long, and she proceeded to chew on it like a rawhide. So yeah… dogs + ice = normal. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/10 "2011-06-08T05:54:55Z")
Yeah, my black lab loves ice cubes too. He likes to bob for them in his water bowl and then take them into the living room to munch on. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/11 "2011-06-08T07:31:04Z")
My golden come running to the kitchen when she hears me cracking out ice. And she never chews on anything else except her bones. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/12 "2011-06-08T09:09:11Z")
Mine loves ice, too. It’s awesome - it’s like the cheapest treat ever, yet he thinks it’s a wonderful, valuable gift! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/13 "2011-06-08T09:55:34Z")
I’m glad to hear my dog isn’t weird. These replies are fun too! ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/14 "2011-06-08T09:56:22Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > I have a dog who likes ice, but whether it’s “normal” or not I’ll leave that to more educated people than I to decide. This! ^^ ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/15 "2011-06-08T10:16:54Z")
My dog isn’t a fan, but it is common enough. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/16 "2011-06-08T13:11:35Z")
I gave my dog an ice cube once. She buried it :\ ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/17 "2011-06-08T13:21:22Z")
Mojo used to chew rocks and the vet suggested ice cubes as a less tooth damaging alternative for him. It worked like a charm and now both dogs come running as soon as they hear the ice maker. Unfortunately the icemaker is currently stuck on the crushed setting so every time I get ice for myself I need to open the freezer and grab a couple cubes for the dogs from the holding container. Kind of defeats the purpose of the ice maker but I can’t resist the eyes 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/18 "2011-06-08T13:21:29Z")
My dogs love it when we drop ice cubes, it generally involves a game of “chase the slippery thing under the nearest large object”. Then they look at me all pathetically. We used to put ice in the water bowl on hot days, but that just means that they paw at the cubes until the whole damn bowl is empty! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/19 "2011-06-08T16:28:02Z")
We had a shepherd/collie mix 30ish years back, and he _loved_ ice cubes. My parents once had a party, where they had a big tub of drinks in ice on the patio. That dog thought he’d died and gone to heaven :). ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707/20 "2011-06-08T16:31:03Z")
Yes, several of my dogs love cubes. The Golden is there the minute the freezer door is opened. The previous Golden Girls loved to have the water dish filled with ice so they could go bobbing for cubes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-dog-to-chew-ice/584707.md?page=2)