When I adopted Miko, he had a variety of weird quirks. The most distasteful of which was coprophagia. He ate his own poop! It was disgusting and very upsetting for me. Luckily, he wasnt very friendly to start, so he never tried to kiss me after committing the crime. Unfortunately, my other dog was extremely friendly and had taken to french kissing. She could easily and quickly catch you off guard and get you in the kisser. It was too my horror, when one day, I caught her copying Miko and making a light snack of her own turd! Something had to be done!
It is a very common problem and hard to treat, since it is hard to understand. First you must figure out why the dog is doing it, then make it difficult for them to repeat the pattern. Miko ate poop because he was from an abusive situation. He was forced to live in his own excrement; so for him it was a matter of house cleaning. He also was starving to death and most likely got some nutrition from recycling his own waste. I realized that Holly, my other dog was simply copying him. Allelomimetic behavior is common in dogs and is how learn from their pack. "Monkey see-monkey doo-doo!". Holly had simply watched Miko and decided it was something fun to do. UGGG!
To tackle the problem, I decided to get the dogs on a really high quality food, so that they wouldnt be lacking any nutrients. This was not so easy because I had actually switched to a lower quality food than I had Holly on because Miko couldnt stomach the protein and fat in her formula. I wanted them on the same food, so no jealousy would develop and Miko got terrible gas and the scoots from rich dog food. I mixed the quality food with the lesser quality food to start the switch over. After a week or so, I had them on the better quality food and the problem got worse. I guess they liked the taste of their higher quality turds even better than the lesser fortified ones. I just couldnt win!
The second plan of attack was to clean up their poops before they could engage in the deed. I always kept an eye on them in the backyard and cleaned up after them regularly, but I was now going to have to follow them around until they eliminated and pick it up immediately. This is the easiest way to put an end to the problem. Nevertheless, there were times when I was just not fast enough. At this point, I was getting pretty frustrated! The key is not to make a big deal of it, dont make it into a game of chase or some kind of attention seeking activity. I would just make a loud noise like a clap or physically interrupt the behavior with an "off" or "leave it" command. No yelling, no chasing, no punishment, just an interrupter and clean up the mess. After a few weeks, the coprophagia was less frequent.
Eventually, both dogs realized it was not allowed and gave up the practice. It was a long time before I could leave them unattended in the backyard, but six months later the problem is nearly extinct. I dont doubt they eat the odd bit and given the chance would eat cat turds (this is common because cats have a higher level of protein in their waste. They are carnivorous, where as dogs are omnivorous and therefor there is more nutritional value in the poop.) I just keep a close eye on them and keep the yard clean at all times. I did spray them with the hose a couple times to get the point across, which was very effective. This method works on my dogs because they are big and a blast from the hose interrupts them, doesnt harm them in any way. However, I caution using any form of punishment, regardless of how inadvertent. Firstly, because it doesnt work, only makes the dog afraid of you (or the hose) and also because the dog is behaving this way for a reason. You cant fix a problem until you get to its source. Ultimately, he finds eating poop quite satisfying, only you have a problem with it. You cant punish a dog for being a dog!
Here are some reasons why dogs practice Coprophagia:
"Coprophagia is the ingestion of poop that is neither accidental nor incidental. It is deliberate and habitual."
Why Dogs Eat Poop: 20 common reasons
1. Your dog might just be hungry. If your dog doesnt have access to food, he might eat poop.
(Try feeding him a bit more.)
2. Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper. This is most likely if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when hes chained up or otherwise restricted. Hes taking care of his space. He needs to have an alternative to eliminating where he lives or where he is restricted to. This means taking him to a designated place to do his business.
(Once a dog begins soiling his crate, you need to work with a professional to retrain him. Time to work on re-house training.)
3. If your dog likes to carry poop, and then eat it, it could be genetics. Some dogs have instincts to carry stuff in their mouths.
(Make sure he has toys to carry, providing alternatives. Also, clean up the poop, so he cant pick it up!)
4. Your dog might be eating poop because of parasites or worms. They can suck nutrients out of your dog, driving him to eat poop. It might also leave him extra hungry because of the lack of proper fuel.
(A visit to the vet is always recommended to rule out any health problems. Especially if this is new behavior)
5. Your dog might be eating cat poop or other animal poop to get key nutrients and minerals not available in his own food.
(Time to try a higher quality food).
6. Some dogs will simply eat poop to pass the time. Dogs will eat poop because they are bored or lonely, a sign of neglect.
(Provide alternatives, give the dog kongs or things to do and play with. Its likely the yard or area needs to be kept poop free.)
7. Your dog might eat poop because hes anxious, nervous or otherwise upset. Stress will drive animals to do odd things.
(Find out what is stressing the dog and keep a journal of the factors that might be effecting him. Then you can make changes.)
8. Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. Punish your dog for pooping and he might eat it to avoid it.
(As I mentioned above, dont punish your dog! It almost always results in some kind of negative alternative behavior).
9. If your dog has puppies, she might eat puppy poop. This is an instinct to hide the poop from predators. Poop is evidence. Getting ride of it keeps her puppies safe. This is natural and instinctive behavior.
(Keep the whelping area clean and also clean up after the pups.)
10. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, theyll eat poop as an experiment.
(Just stop them by interrupting the behavior and remove the novelty.)
11. If your dog watches you pick up poop, he might learn to do the same. This is called allelomimetic behavior. Your dog observes you and learns from you, by putting the poop in his mouth you put poop in a bag.
(More often though, the dog is copying other dogs, not humans. Again keep the yard clean.)
12. Your dog might see others dogs eating poop. From this, they learn to eat poop too.
(Keep the yard and areas clean! They cant eat it if you pick it up right away.)
13. Many dogs simply like the taste of poop. This obviously doesnt make sense to dog owners but thats irrelevant. Some dog like to eat it and thats that. Its warm, moist, and very much like what your dog was given as a very young puppy.
(There are non-toxic products to spray on the poop that discourages re-ingesting it. Again, pick it up so they cant eat it.)
14. If your dog food lacks key nutrients, he might eat poop. Your dog is trying to get "food" with nutrients any way possible, even from his own poop.
(Again try new food or a vitamin for dogs.)
15. Sometimes dog poop seems like dog food. This can happen when dog food is low quality and includes materials that are easily passed and not absorbed by your dog. When the dog poops, it seems to be very much like the food he just consumed!
(Change the food and see, but usually the habit is formed and you need to pick it up before he can eat it.)
16. In some cases, dogs will eat poop if they are given too much food. This is especially true if your dogs diet is high in fat.
(One sign of this is excessive gas. Food can be too high quality, especially if the dog is accustomed to less expensive brands.)
17. Some dogs will eat poop to gain attention. Many dog owners get very upset when their dog eats poop, which means the dog gets attention. This is an opportunity for your dog to interact with you, regardless that it is because of negative attention.
(Dont make it a game. Just calmly interrupt the behavior, gently but physically move the dog aside and clean up the poop!)
18. It is possible that some dogs will eat the poop of other, more dominant dogs. Your dog might be more submissive than other dogs, resulting in strange poop eating behavior. This seems to occur more in households with multiple dogs where dominance and submission is a factor. Obviously this doesnt explain much about dogs eating cat poop or other animal poop.
(This is tricky. In a multiple dog home, it is hard to keep up with the doggie doo. Again, clean it up as quickly as possible.)
19. It is possible that your dog wants to eat more than one time per day. If you only feed your dog once per day, and your dog eats poop, it could be an indication they want to eat more frequently.
(This is an easy fix, but still to stop the habit, keep a close eye on the dog and keep the yard clean).
20. In some cases, your dog will eat poop by accident. Dogs are curious and will try to eat almost anything, including poop. Dogs explore the world through taste and smell, much more than humans.
(Dont punish your dog for being a dog.)
There are lots of alternatives to punishment. "Leave it" and and "off" commands only work if you are present when they engage in the action. You absolutely cant teach your dog not to do something you didnt witness. Rubbing a dogs nose in its poop is basically telling the dog that you WANT him to eat it! It might work because the dog associates the punishment with the poop, but it is destroying the bond you have with your dog and most likely will lead to some other manifestation of real problem.
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