CANINE COPROPHAGIA
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?
“Why on earth do dogs sometimes engage in the
disgusting practice of gobbling up their own, or other
dog's mess and how do I cure it?”
Dog owners all over the world are, sadly, all too familiar with this nasty
canine trait that appears to manifest in some dogs at various times.
Poop eating in dogs is unpleasant and not at all healthy.
In this special report we've solicited the opinions of three dog
specialists who have their own take on why dogs eat poop.
They outline their theories and best practices for curing the nasty habit.
As with all canine behavior modification and anything related to the
health of your pet, you should always seek the professional opinion of
pet care professionals before acting on specific treatment plans for your
dog.
Our guide is designed to help you understand some of the causes,
motives and various correction methods deployed by others.
Dogs, like people, are all individuals and there is never a one size fits all
approach to dog training or canine health treatment. It is, however, very
helpful for dog owners to learn and understand more about any given
topic so they can better understand the problems, causes and
treatments available before deciding on what action is best to take with
regard to their dog.
Rena Murray writes about a wide variety of dog training issues and
below is her take on the nasty subject of poop eating in dogs.
Have a problem with your dog eating poop? Okay, let's cut to the chase.
Watching dogs eat poop is disgusting. So is the thought of the bacteria that
spread to everything they lick after doing that!
Some people do not realize that feces contain ecoli, which is deadly bacteria.
So think about what happens after dogs eat poop. What do they do with their
contaminated tongues and mouths? Lick you?
What if your dog steals food and licks your counter or plate? These places are
now contaminated. If they are not properly cleaned, you may eat from them
and get ecoli in your system.
Wonder why dogs eat poop?
There are many reasons for which dogs eat their poop. One is that their
mother eats the feces of the pups until they are old enough to come out of the
den. If she did not do this, predators would locate and kill the pups in no time.
Dogs also eat it because they were left alone too much, and perhaps all they
had to eat on for entertainment was their poop. This is one reason why you
really need to be sure the breeder from whom you purchase takes good care
of the pups. Puppies develop very bad habits very quickly, and have to be
supervised at all times. It's easy for them to adapt to your routine, but it's also
easy for them to create their own.
Poor nutrition is yet another reason for this disgusting habit. Put your dog on
an all-natural food, so he does not feel the need to increase his nutrients by
eating poop.
So what else can you do to stop dog eating poop?
Now that you have some understanding of the problem and the health risks,
here are three of the better alternative ways to cure the problem:
1. Feed your dog fresh pineapple (not canned). He will love the fruit, but his
poop will taste really bad to him once he eats that.
2. Claim the space if he tries to eat his poop. To "claim," you straighten
yourself up like a proud soldier, shoulders and head up, eye contact on the
pup the entire time throughout this exercise. Stand between him and the spot,
with feet spread halfway between the military "At ease" and "Atten-hut!"
Remember, hold the eye contact. When the puppy lies down and turns away
(or walks away), you may walk away from the spot, because he has now
surrendered the area to you.
3. Clean up the dog poop each time he goes.
There is another solution to stop dog eating poop. It's not a favorite of mine,
because if your timing is off, you could make your dog afraid to go poop. So
ALWAYS let him finish before doing this. If he turns around to eat his poop,
squeeze something loud (like a bike horn). Dogs hate that noise! It will make
him afraid to go near the mess.
For some dogs, a squirt of water works well. But, you have to be very careful
that you only use it in serious correction times, or the dog may really come to
like it. My friend messed that up, and her dog stands with his mouth open
when she gets the water gun.
As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat!
So evaluate your pup against these reasons why dogs eat poop and try the
suggested remedies. One of them is sure to work for you to stop dog eating
poop.
On Canine Poop Eating, Chris Smith is a dog behavior author whose
theory on why dogs will occasionally eat their own mess is outlined
below.
Although dogs eating their poop is probably a natural behavior it's still a
disgusting habit to have!
When you're out enjoying a walk with your dog it's not a good look if he's got a
face full of poop.
Apart from being an embarrassment to you, it could be damaging your dog
also. Diseases and worms can be passed on when dogs eat the feces of
other dogs.
And what about your dog's breath!
As is the case with all dog behavioral problems, the sooner you stop your dog
eating poop the better. If you allow this filthy habit to establish itself, it can be
difficult to put a stop to it.
Why Do Dogs Eat Their Poop?
There are many theories as to why dogs eat their poop (feces). It is thought
that dogs perform coprophagy for two main reasons:
It could purely be a behavioral problem.
It could mean that your dog has an underlying medical problem.
Some Specific Reasons Dogs Eat Their Poop
Bitches with a young litter of puppies often eat the puppies droppings to keep
the area clean. Also in the wild this act by the mother could hide the presence
of her puppies from predators.
Your puppy may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency and believes eating
poop will be nutritious to him.
A puppy may begin to eat feces as a result of watching his owner clean up
his poop. He just copies his owners behavior.
If a puppy is punished for eliminating (pooping) in the house he may eat his
poop to hide the evidence in future. He may associate the punishment with
any time he poops, rather than just when he poops inside the house.
It simply tastes good - I know it sounds disgusting but this may well be the
reason most dogs eat their poop.
Could be the result of anxiety or boredom.
Could be that your dog is cleaning up his area. This should be you the
owner's job.
Some dogs have been know to start eating their poop when on antibiotics.
If you are over feeding your dog he could eat his feces because he hasn't
digested all the food properly. Therefore his feces still smell and probably
taste the same as his dinner.
There are lots of proven methods you can employ to stop dog coprophagia.
One thing to keep in mind is to always have your dogs vaccinations up to
date, and worming must be done regularly.
Feed a well balanced and nutritious meal.
Try feeding twice a day - keep it to the same amount though. Your dog may
just be hungry.
Always keep the dogs living area clean from feces.
Teach him the "off" command. This is a basic obedience training command,
if you have established yourself as the alpha dog your dog will respect this
command almost immediately.
Add a bit of Pineapple, Spinach or Pumkin to your dogs meal. Not sure why
but apparently these things taste horrible in the poop.
You will find a few products in your Pet Store that address this common
problem. Forbid and Deter are a couple that I have known to produce good
results with poop eaters.
Use the power of "negative association" through the use of a choke or
prong collar. Every time your dog goes to eat any feces say No! and
immediately give the lead a short sharp tug. This provides a correction to your
dog, he will soon establish that trying to eat poop is not a pleasant
experience!
It is crucial that you are consistent using this method, it has to be applied
every time not just some of the time.
As soon as you see your dog eliminate provide a distraction to him. You can
run away from the area or maybe just call him over to you and offer him a
treat.
Some owners have found that by putting a foul tasting substance like tabasco
sauce or cayenne pepper directly onto the feces will be enough to break the
dogs habit. I'm not convinced by this one but it may be worth a try.
Of course if there is an underlying medical problem which is contributing to
your dogs poop eating problem, then none of the above methods will be
effective. In such cases you should get your Vet to give him a thorough
examination.
One last thing - the good news is that most dogs grow out of this habit
eventually.
Emy Atijera is an advocate and a volunteer of "Healthy Pets Make
People Happy", an organization of more than 750 dedicated community
members who come from all walks of life to donate thousands of hours
of their time in helping thousands of animals in different areas of the
Philippines. This is her take on the thorny issue of poop eating in dogs.
Coprophagia (sometimes called coprophagy, or poop-eating) is a pretty
disgusting habit that fortunately only some dogs indulge in. It seems to be
"one of those things" as far as dogs go: a behavior that defies logic and
scientific study, and mystifies dog trainers and veterinarians around the world.
Many, if not most, dogs will eat the feces of other animals (particularly other
dogs, cats, sheep, and horses) with gusto whenever the opportunity presents
itself. It's a very common behavior in dogs, but not particularly well
understood.
The simple truth is that nobody really knows why some dogs will make a
beeline for a pile of poop that's lying on the grass. It's natural for dogs to want
to sniff the poop - almost all dogs will do this, since the depositor's anal glands
have left a kind of Post-It note there for other dogs to "read" - and it's just as
natural (seemingly) for some dogs to want to consume these little signposts.
It's just that we don't really know why they do it. Actually eating the feces
seems to be a matter of personal preference, from dog to dog: some dogs
derive great satisfaction from consuming poop, whereas other dogs appear to
be simply more fastidious by nature.
There are several popular theories about the causes of this strange habit:
- A dog that eats poop is doing so in order to supplement his own,
nutritionally-deficient diet. He is not getting enough vitamins from the food he's
given in his own home, so he chooses to eat the poop of other animals
(usually dogs and cats) in the hope that there may be some residual nutrition
available for him to sponge up the second time around. This is a faintly
plausible theory, apart from the fact that studies have been conducted on
dogs suffering from malnutrition and well-nourished dogs with a clean bill of
health: and the incidence of cophrophagia among both groups was virtually
identical.
- The behavior may be derived from the carnivorous/scavenging heritage of
our dogs. When carnivores make a kill, they typically consume the entire
carcass of the animal - everything from the actual flesh to sinews and tendons
to "offal", which includes the stomach, digestive tract, and its contents (poop).
It's been suggested by some that coprophagia is a simple and natural
extension of this instinctive behavior.
- It may be related to boredom or stress. The particulars of this theory are
hazy, but essentially, bored or stressed dogs - such as those that spend too
much time on their own, those that lead understimulated, underexercised
lives, and those that are excluded from family life and adequate human
attention and affection - often succumb to strange and compulsive habits, like
pulling out their own fur, spinning in circles for hours on end, and
(theoretically, at least) poop eating. In other words, a dog will eat poop simply
because there's nothing else for him to do.
- Internal parasites, such as worms, may be leaching nutrients and calories
from the dog's stomach and digestive tract. Typically, a dog with worms will
have a voracious appetite (even more so than usual!) and will consume all the
food that he has access to. In more advanced cases, an infested dog will turn
to technically-edible substances (such as poop), which he would not normally
consider appetizing, to fill the gap.
- Improperly house trained dogs sometimes eat their own poop in an attempt
to conceal the "crime" from their owners and thus avoid detection. This is
especially true of dogs whose owners tend to punish them for house training
mistakes, whether out of impatience/frustration or because they believe that
the dog is somehow doing it to "spite" them. A dog that's pooping
inappropriately indoors either has not been house trained correctly, in which
case the accidents are not his fault; or the reason is medical in nature. To rule
the latter out, the dog should be taken for a check-up at the vet (particularly if
the indoor defecation has started suddenly and without warning).
- Nursing female dogs eat the poop of their puppies as a means of keeping
the den area clean, and of hiding the existence of her pups from potential
predators. It's thought by some that one of the reasons that coprophagia is so
commonplace in puppies, especially, is because they're emulating the
behavior of their mother.
Clearly, theories abound on the subject. Unfortunately, most of them lack
merit: the simple truth is that, although we can guess as much as we like as to
the reasons that our dogs willingly and enthusiastically ingest poop pretty
much whenever the opportunity presents itself, nobody knows with any
degree of certainty as to why they do it.
Although it's nearly impossible to "cure" a dog with a taste for poop of this
socially unacceptable habit, here is a short list of tips for coping with the
behavior and minimizing it as much as possible:
- Clean up the poop in your own backyard as soon as the dog toilets. If he
doesn't have access to it, he can't eat it - and it'll save you from dealing with
the flies, the odor, and the eventuality of someone treading in it.
- Teach your dog the "leave it" command for those times when you want to be
able to walk him off-lead. Reliable obedience in the "leave it" makes off-lead
walks a real pleasure (and it's a lot safer for your dog, too - the usefulness of
"leave it" applies to things like herbicide, snail bait, and broken glass as well
as poop!).
- You can try booby-trapping the poop in the backyard with things like
Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, but this seems like a great deal of (rather
disgusting) trouble to go to when you could just pick the poop up. In addition
to the natural deterrent of having to repeatedly handle specimens of dog
turds, reports of success from this technique are pretty erratic - in most cases,
it seems that a dog bent on coprophagy isn't going to be put off by a brief
burning sensation in his mouth.
- There are substances you can buy from pet stores and vet clinics which,
when put into the dog's food (or the food of the household pet whose poop
he's eating) makes the poop smell and taste very unappealing to dogs. One
such product is called "For-Bid".
- You can experiment with adding natural deterrents - such as a few
tablespoonfuls of canned pumpkin or pineapple, or fresh grated zucchini - to
your dog's meals. Again, anecdotal evidence suggests that most dogs will
readily eat these substances, but that their presence in poop makes it
unpalatable.
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Further Resources & Useful Links
•
www.dogteeth.co.uk (canine oral health)
•
www.dogallergies.org.uk (skin advice)
•
www.dogtips.co (general canine tips)
•
www.hypoallergenicdogfood.co.uk
•
www.dognutrition.org.uk
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