Cure your Poop Eating Dog
Is your Pooch Eating his Poop?
Many will describe dogs eating their poop (aka coprophagy) as natural behavior but it's still a disgusting habit with possible health implications for you or your pet.
Worms or disease can be spread when dogs eat the feces of other dogs. Feces of other dogs or animals may also contain fly larvae, fungus, or intestinal parasites. Also consider that many people let their dogs lick them on the face! Or even their children! And who wants to get a face full of poopy dog breath! As with most dog behavioral problems, the sooner you curb your dogs bad habit, the better. The longer you allow this filthy practice to continue, the harder it is to put a stop to it.
Why Do Dogs Eat Their Poop?
There are several theories on the reasons dogs eat their feces. It is thought
that some of the main reasons are:
*Bitches with a new litter of puppies may eat puppy droppings to keep the
area clean. In the wild this can hide the presence of her
puppies from predator animals. Puppies may see their mother doing this and
copy the behaviour.
*Dogs may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, or other medical condition
which can prompt eating of feces, or they may simply
like the taste or eat it out of boredom, believe it or not.
*Your dogs food may be too high in calories or low in fiber, affecting
digestion. Try feeding a dog food higher in fiber.
*If a puppy is punished for pooping in the house, he might be eating the
'evidence'.
*Overfeeding may cause your pup to eat his feces because he hasn't
digested all the food properly. Therefore the poo still smells
and possibly tastes the same as his dinner.
How can I Stop My Dog from Eating Poop?
There are certain methods you can use to stop dog coprophagia. Keep basics in mind such as getting your dogs wormed regularly, having their vaccinations up to date, and feeding them a well balanced- nutritious meal.
*Your dog may just be hungry. Try feeding twice a day - keep it to the same total amount though.
*Use a pet product specially designed for this common problem.
*Keep the dogs living area clean of poop.
*Teach your dog the "off" training command. This is a basic obedience
command, which your dog should respect if you have
established yourself as the alpha dog..
*Add a little Pineapple, Pumpkin, or Spinach to your dogs meal. Apparently
these things taste horrible in the poop. Alternatively, you
can try putting a repellant substance like hot pepper or tabasco sauce
directly onto the feces to make it unpleasant to eat.
*Use the "negative association" training method though the use of a
prong or choke collar. Any time your dog starts to eat
feces say No! and immediately give the lead a sharp tug. This
provides a correction to your dog, and will establish that trying
to eat poop is not a pleasant experience! You have to be consistent using
this method, it must be applied every time not just some
of the time.
One last bit of good news is that some dogs eventually grow out of this
habit .
