My dog used to eat her poop when she was younger now she and one of my other dogs eats cat poo. The other day after one of my other dogs poop she tried to eat it. Why does she do that?
Some vets theorize that this could be due to some kind of a mineral deficiency. Noone really knows for sure. I once had a Pomeranian who had an anxiety disorder and would do this all the time. Some dogs do it as a result of a psychological problem or due to anxiety. Female dogs seem to be more prone to it than males. How to stop it? Some suggest putting meat tenderizer on their food. There are also other things you can get from the vet , powders or pills, to put in their food that supposedly makes them less likely to continue eating their excrement. Ask the vet for help to get him to stop it. Or do some research online and see what has helped other people.
The mother dog eats her pups poop to keep the litter box clean. The pups learn this behaviour from her. It is called Coprophagia. Sometimes dogs will eat others poop because they are hungry or nutrient deficient.. but this less common than habit. The majority of coprophagic dogs eat poop as a result of what they learned when they were puppies... and they get worse as they get older. If not stopped when they are young, they will often eat any poop they find as they get older (as yours has)... A really good article on this subject can be found at
- Since coprophagic dogs are often hungry dogs, it is best to spread their food ration across 3-4 meals per day.
Fibre
- A physically full stomach gives a feeling of satiety and high fibre diets are thus superior to refined food. Accordingly, bulk the fibre content of the diet, either by feeding an existing high-fibre complete diet, or alternatively adding fibre to the existing diet. Convenient sources of fibre are bran (scalded) or vegetables such as cabbage, carrots etc.
Training
- To defaecate on command. Simply take your dog regularly and especially at times associated with defaecation (e.g. early morning and after meals) and wait until he defaecates. Say a special word "busy" or "hurry") and then reward with a treat for successful defaecation. Pick up the faeces and dispose. This will motivate him to only defaecate in your presence.
Lifestyle
- There is ample evidence that bored dogs in kennels are more likely to be, or to become, coprophagic. Accordingly, ensure there is plenty of action in your dogs life, with access to toys, frequent walks etc.
Repulsion
- A number of preparations are available for incorporation into the diet that makes the faeces taste repulsive. Some are based on amino acids such as methionine and others are iron tablets of the sort taken by women during pregnancy. For reasons not yet understood, courgettes can also stop dogs eating their own and other dogs’ faeces.
Punishment
- No amount of scolding seems to break the habit, the dog only waiting until the owner is absent before eating faeces. Punishment must be remote and seemingly related to the faeces rather than the owner (e.g. a rattle can) which can be an effective discouragement for sensitive dogs. For the more determined dog, a conditioned - aversion technique is to make the dog ill after consuming faeces.
They actually do it for a smart purpose, to all who say "Dogs arent very smart"
If a dog feels like they didnt get enough nutrition from their food, they will attempt to eat their dog poop for more nutrition, specifically fiber.
They can feel this way if they ate their food too fast or their wasnt enough food. Try feeding more, or handfeeding it to them, to give them more to eat or help them eat slower.
Also, some dog foods cause a dog's poop to taste the same as the food.
Sometimes the food they eat their body doesn't need all of the nutrition in it so it so on the 'other side' it would become appealing to them and as if they were eating dog food. They had to give my neighbors Mastiff some like 'nasty pills' to make their little dog not like the big dogs poo anymore. It was weird. but yeah.
dont let the dog eat cat poop is really bad for it! NO JOKE it'll get a disease i cant remember now and get symptoms related to lockjaw.... and dye soon while drooling soo much
Comments
Dogs LOVE to eat cat poo. There is speculation that it may be for nutritional value. Just keep the litterbox out of reach. It isn't healthy.
Some vets theorize that this could be due to some kind of a mineral deficiency. Noone really knows for sure. I once had a Pomeranian who had an anxiety disorder and would do this all the time. Some dogs do it as a result of a psychological problem or due to anxiety. Female dogs seem to be more prone to it than males. How to stop it? Some suggest putting meat tenderizer on their food. There are also other things you can get from the vet , powders or pills, to put in their food that supposedly makes them less likely to continue eating their excrement. Ask the vet for help to get him to stop it. Or do some research online and see what has helped other people.
The mother dog eats her pups poop to keep the litter box clean. The pups learn this behaviour from her. It is called Coprophagia. Sometimes dogs will eat others poop because they are hungry or nutrient deficient.. but this less common than habit. The majority of coprophagic dogs eat poop as a result of what they learned when they were puppies... and they get worse as they get older. If not stopped when they are young, they will often eat any poop they find as they get older (as yours has)... A really good article on this subject can be found at
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_PoopE...
Resolutions:
Meal Frequency
- Since coprophagic dogs are often hungry dogs, it is best to spread their food ration across 3-4 meals per day.
Fibre
- A physically full stomach gives a feeling of satiety and high fibre diets are thus superior to refined food. Accordingly, bulk the fibre content of the diet, either by feeding an existing high-fibre complete diet, or alternatively adding fibre to the existing diet. Convenient sources of fibre are bran (scalded) or vegetables such as cabbage, carrots etc.
Training
- To defaecate on command. Simply take your dog regularly and especially at times associated with defaecation (e.g. early morning and after meals) and wait until he defaecates. Say a special word "busy" or "hurry") and then reward with a treat for successful defaecation. Pick up the faeces and dispose. This will motivate him to only defaecate in your presence.
Lifestyle
- There is ample evidence that bored dogs in kennels are more likely to be, or to become, coprophagic. Accordingly, ensure there is plenty of action in your dogs life, with access to toys, frequent walks etc.
Repulsion
- A number of preparations are available for incorporation into the diet that makes the faeces taste repulsive. Some are based on amino acids such as methionine and others are iron tablets of the sort taken by women during pregnancy. For reasons not yet understood, courgettes can also stop dogs eating their own and other dogs’ faeces.
Punishment
- No amount of scolding seems to break the habit, the dog only waiting until the owner is absent before eating faeces. Punishment must be remote and seemingly related to the faeces rather than the owner (e.g. a rattle can) which can be an effective discouragement for sensitive dogs. For the more determined dog, a conditioned - aversion technique is to make the dog ill after consuming faeces.
Dogs dont eat poop b/c they are dumb or gross.
They actually do it for a smart purpose, to all who say "Dogs arent very smart"
If a dog feels like they didnt get enough nutrition from their food, they will attempt to eat their dog poop for more nutrition, specifically fiber.
They can feel this way if they ate their food too fast or their wasnt enough food. Try feeding more, or handfeeding it to them, to give them more to eat or help them eat slower.
Also, some dog foods cause a dog's poop to taste the same as the food.
I hope this helps.
Sometimes the food they eat their body doesn't need all of the nutrition in it so it so on the 'other side' it would become appealing to them and as if they were eating dog food. They had to give my neighbors Mastiff some like 'nasty pills' to make their little dog not like the big dogs poo anymore. It was weird. but yeah.
dont let the dog eat cat poop is really bad for it! NO JOKE it'll get a disease i cant remember now and get symptoms related to lockjaw.... and dye soon while drooling soo much
Because they are not getting enough nutrition and trying to get more out of the poop.
what i want to know is how they eat poop and then scientists say that dogs have the cleanest mouthes. is that their secret? jk
Because dogs aren't that intelligent.
Get a cat.
hey thats great you dont have to do poop patrol