Gross but curious dog behavior

[Mark_and_Nicole]

Why do dogs eat poop? *I've heard a couple of *theories, but am still confused; a way to clean their territory, *another was (for females) a way of "nesting", keeping their territory clean. *And one more was a way of masking their own scent, to give them an advantage when hunting. *My Corgi ("cow dog" in Welsh) snacks on cow pies, but also eats deer poop. *My mix eats the Alfa's turds. Then they try to lick you as a sign of affection. * No way! *Sometimes they even roll in it! *What's up with THAT! *I love my dogs, but this is too gross!

Nicole * * *

[hillbilly_mom]

When our black lab was a puppy he would eat cow patties. ::) He would play with them and bring the dry ones to the back ramp (no steps). Then again we bring our cows in the yard to graze and maybe he thought the cows were more animals of his kind. He has since outgrown that habit, thank goodness.

But for some reason all three of our dogs will find something dead and roll in/on it. The smell is horrible. Enough where you don't want to be within 10 feet of them, even after you give them a bath. What is up with that?? I think I would rather they be sprayed by a skunk than smell them after they have had a rolling fest.

[Old_Dog]

Rolling in something rotten and eating feces are separate problems. It is usually accepted that the rolling thing is a carry over from a wild ancestor trying to cover its own odor. Eating feces can be an indication of a diet deficiency. Try switching to a better quality dog food, although once the habit has become ingrained it can be hard to break.

[Mark_and_Nicole]

What might they be lacking in their food? We feed them Alpo, and they eat whatever they can catch or graze on outside. We also have a large lot, so I'm not sure why the female is eating to clean the area. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks!

Nicole

[Northwoods_Hippie]

Found this on Wikipedia written by some Vets.

Theories on Dogs

Coprophagia is a behavior sometimes observed by dog owners. Hofmeister, Cumming, and Dhein (2001) wrote that this behavior in dogs has not been well-researched, and are currently preparing a study. In a preliminary paper, they write that there are various theories for this, although none have been proven:

To get attention from their owners.

From anxiety, stress, or having been punished for bad behaviors.

From boredom.

In an attempt to clean up in crowded conditions.

When dogs observe their owners picking up feces, and imitate this behavior (allelomimetic behavior). This is highly improbable because the behaviour has also been observed in environments where owners never picked up the dog's (or other) feces.

Because puppies taste everything and discover that feces are edible and, perhaps, tasty, especially when fed a high fat content diet.

Because dogs are, by nature, scavengers, and this is within the range of scavenger behavior.

To prevent the scent from attracting predators, especially mother dogs eating their offspring's feces.

Because the texture and temperature of fresh feces approximates that of regurgitated food, which is how canine mothers in the wild would provide solid food.

Because of the protein content of the feces (particularly cat feces), or over-feeding, leading to large concentrations of undigested matter in the feces.

Due to assorted health problems, including:
Pancreatitis Intestinal infections
Food allergies, creating mal-absorption
Because they are hungry, such as when eating routines are changed, food is withheld, or nutrients are not properly absorbed.

As a dieting technique

Another theory proposes that carnivores sometimes eat the feces of their prey in order to ingest and exude scents which camouflage their own.

Several companies produce food additives that can be added to the troublesome animal's food to make its feces taste excessively bad.

[bookwormom]

I knew some people who bred huskies and who fed them, among other things, green cowstomach, , I think it is the rumen, they got it from the slaughterhouse. the lady told me it is important for thge dogs' diet because the dogs get needed vitamins and so on from the remnants in the stomach. I figured that is the reason why my dog eats the pellets from my goats, there are still lots of nutients in the pellets. Ture, it does look gross, especially when the goat is doing her thing and the mutt is catching it right at the source.

[theresehirko]

Katie, bless her little Golden Retriever heart, finally got out of the habit of eating goose poop. (We have many geese in our area that are permanent residents on the lake). I told her NO everytime I saw her sniffing the goose poop on our daily walks. She finally stopped doing it. Have absolutely no idea why she did it. She also does a weird thing with her food dish before she will eat her dinner. I actually think she has Canine OCD. Did i mention I'm in nursing school and currently doing a Psych. rotation? It's only scary if you start to actually understand the paranoid schizophrenics you are talking to . (I'm not making fun of anybody here, I was warned about this by the preceptors.) Apparently as you get to know your patients, you can follow their train of though better and it usually scares the new students who now think they have it.

[MooseToo]

i think we get carried away in trying to analyze animal behavior - perhaps the obvious answer is they think it tastes good - and i have no wish for anyone to try to prove or disprove this - there are more commendable endeavors -

[theresehirko]

If it wasn't for the fact that I let her lick my face, then I wouldn't care what she ate, as long as it didn't make her sick. All of the literature says that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's. That is incorrect. They have different types of bacteria that work on the things that they eat. It is rare for a canine disease to transmit to a human, but I'm not sure about geese diseases.

[canuck]

You'll find it's mostly female dogs that eat feces...I think it could be an instinct thing...where the female clean their pups and eat it...monkey see monkey do situation where they see another like their mum doing it....diet deficiency...nervousness ie bored. If they are going after cat litter which is what I've seen then get one of those domed shaped boxes where there is a run for the cat inside and they turn a corner to go down into the litter...the dogs can't get their heads in there to eat it if they are large...there are also some newer boxes I've seen that are really deep idea being that the litter doesn't spill out...again dogs probably couldn't reach inside to get at it...or put a barrier where only the cats can fit through.

[bookwormom]

my dog was a male. He loved fresh goat beries. I think it has to do with nutrition. A dog will also eat human manure.

[Gwynyvyr]

If your dog is eating it's own feces (or that of other dogs you have) try these tactics:
1: Increase vegetables and grains in their diet.(Steamed green beans and broccoli, some fresh grated carrot or some leftover rice...just add it to their regular food and mix well. NO gravies, sauces or butter!!)
2: Try to get them to munch on pineapple (fresh, canned or dried). It gives their poop a very nasty taste and can discourage the habit.
3: Add some fresh minced garlic (about a teaspoon for a 30 to 50 pound dog) every other day.If it makes the dog sick, then cut back the amount to half. Garlic may also cause them to expel worms, so you may see this in their feces.
4: If your pooch wanders the yard freely, confine it to one section of the yard OR spend a weekend training your dog to defecate in one specific area and praising it and rewarding it with treats when it does. This distracts it from poop eating and gives you a specific area to clean up. And clean up scrupulously! If there is no poop to eat, your dog will get out of the habit.
5: Get your dog toys and such so it is less bored. The best toys are reward toys that you can hide treats in and the dog has to play with the toy to get at the treat.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

What might they be lacking in their food? We feed them Alpo, and they eat whatever they can catch or graze on outside. We also have a large lot, so I'm not sure why the female is eating to clean the area. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks!
Nicole
Trace minerals. Most dog foods lack trace minerals. It is the same reason humans suffer from pica. For dogs Solace makes a good trace mineral drop solution, but any brand will help the problem.

Female dogs eat poo when the babies are small to keep the den clean and help them hide from possible predators, but that isn't done all the time, just in puppyhood.

[Naughty_Pines]

I heard many years ago that dogs eat poop because they need charcoal. I don't know if it is true or not and I don't recall who I heard it from. Either way, it seems yuchy ( sp? )

[leera]

**HINT*** ALL dogs will eat cow pies,road apples,and any other feces from grazers.......something about it appeals to them.....

[MooseToo]

I heard many years ago that dogs eat poop because they need charcoal. I don't know if it is true or not and I don't recall who I heard it from. Either way, it seems yuchy ( sp? )

i dunno - seen them eat the poop but never charcoal -

[MooseToo]

Several companies produce food additives that can be added to the troublesome animal's food to make its feces taste excessively bad.

i'll just bet those companies have to come across with a pretty hefty salary for their personnel in product quality assurance -

[momma_to_seven_chi]

They say you can feed the dog pineapple juice to make it's poo taste bad.

But that doesn't solve the underlying pica problem. The dog needs a trace mineral of some sort. Get some vitamin drops and give it or get a good brand a trace minerals to solve the issue. Here is the one I use. I buy it from the chiropractor's office for $25. It's for animal use.
https://www.securedcontent.net/dynamite/products_multi_09.html

[okiedokie]

I have a friend who mentioned this problem with one of her dogs and I had one that ate poo also. She said she heard if you sprinkle unseasoned meat tenderizer on their dog food and it would stop the behavior. We both tried it and it worked! I have no idea why, but it did.

[canuck]

One of my pups got into the cold coals from the stove and would chew on them not sure why...hope she doesn\'t continue this year.