Eating animal feces by your canine could be one of the more disgusting actions you can witness. At least they have always been for me. It’s known as coprophagia. And, contrary to generally held beliefs, it is not usually due to dietary insufficiency. Neither is it often a symptom of illness. So, the good news – is it might be your fault. The bad information is – fault, not, you have to do whatever you can to reduce this habit, or you will never know if they won’t have real bathroom breath the next time your pup gives you a lick. Plus, while a health issue will not cause it, it may adequately cause a health issue. Like the anxiété of internal parasites.
However, the habit is likely behavioral, it will still be wise to eliminate just about any possibility of a health or diet problem. So, the first tactic should be a visit to your vet. If your vet pinpoints a dietary deficiency, you aren’t in luck. Once you alter his diet, the habit needs to disappear. But, if your doggie gets a clean invoice of health, your path ahead is a little more complicated. No longer despair. There are ways to nip this kind of habit in the bud. However, it would be helpful to determine precisely why your dog is doing it. Therefore, why do dogs have the propensity to partake in this stomach-churning pursuit? I ran across a lot of theories in my study on this topic.
The following motives will require Preventive Measures, which are defined below:
They like it, as common as that
Your dog’s ancestors were scavengers, which is also the ultimate scavenging task.
If your dog was in some sort of litter for an extended time, he may find the behavior from his mother (mother dogs often consume the pup’s excrement to maintain the “den” clean and less odorous, which would attract potential predators in the wild)
Your dog might have picked up the habit later in life mimicking other dogs
It may be a good attention-seeking habit
Suppose your canine is exhibiting coprophagia because of any of the following reasons. In that case, you first have to treat the underlying cause, after which employ one or more of the Preventive steps:
It could be a reaction to anxiety (cure the anxiety – refer to my article Dog Training — Curing Separation Anxiety within your New Older Dog Along with Desensitization and Crate Training)
Maybe it’s done just out of boredom (you have to exercise your dog more, as well as play and bond along with him more — you will benefit as well)
Might simply be hungry (gasp! ), so make sure your dog’s meals portions are appropriate for their size and breed (check with your veterinarian for proper feeding portions)
If your dog is often boxed up for long periods, he may have discovered it necessary to clean up right after accidents, and it has become a good acquired taste (if your way of life prevents you from shortening your own dog’s crate time, provide very serious consideration to “puppy day care”)
Preventive Measures
If coprophagia has become an embedded habit, you are better off focusing on preventive measures rather than a cure. The reason why? Because it is obvious your dog loves it. And, getting a canine to stop doing something these people enjoy is a real uphill fight. The obvious solution – penalties – has proven effective in the early phases of your dog’s face-consuming habit. Therefore, we rescue dog owners could forget about punishment techniques.
Yet another approach that also has exhibited limited success is to allow the dog’s feces a bad preference. (How one can make the preference less desirable as opposed to natural taste is above me). I’ve read during my sources that feeding your pup monosodium glutamate (MSG) or maybe pumpkin can make your dog’s excrement have a “bad” preference (compared to what? ). Another approach is adding awful-tasting substances directly to the feces, like Tabasco gravy. But, sources say that pups can easily distinguish between taking care of feces and untreated poop. They will simply move on to the excrement of other dogs or wildlife. Be forewarned that we haven’t tried most of these “cures,” so I can’t endorse these people. I am simply providing you with the many treatments I have found in printed sources. Who knows, one may function as a charm for you.
One supposedly effective preventive measure is exposing distractions to your dog’s entire world. Especially if your dog is doing it out of boredom or to seek out attention. Simply make your dog’s life more interesting and varied. Place lots of your dog’s favorite toys throughout the house and yard. Make certain he gets plenty of discussion time with other dogs. Obtain him outside more often below your supervision. This improved stimulation will minimize dullness and get your dog interested in alternative activities besides that nasty 1.
The most sensible method of avoidance is simply removing the temptation’s supply. Pick up excrement after every venture into the yard by your dog. Not a big deal. This will also slow the number of bacteria and vermin larvae your dog will be exposed to in his yard. And, you may have more quality time with your canine. If this isn’t feasible (though I can’t imagine such circumstances), you can muzzle your dog whenever you let him out to do their business.
Conditioning training may also help the situation. Be sure to have your pet on a leash, so you possess control on all your walks. Use a firm “No” or any other command (but become consistent) at every opportunity when your dog begins to approach excrement. Then cause thoughts – give the “come” control or use a clicker — to gain your dog’s interest. Once you have his attention, provide the “sit” command, provide compliments, and offer a treat. The idea is usually to show your dog it is considerably more rewarding to attend to you when compared with sniffing feces. Like any form of conditioning, patience and tenacity will be required.
Since coprophagia is a self-gratifying habit intended for dogs, it can be difficult to prevent. But, do not be discouraged. Try and determine the reason your dog routines this habit. Then carry out the most appropriate preventive measures described earlier mentioned. Regardless of the reason you think, be sure to first eliminate dieting or health reason by way of a visit to your vet. Keep the yard clean, don’t be around, extend your dog’s crate time, and apply health training during every wander. Keep your dog’s life stirring and active. Do this religiously, and your dog can eventually realize there are considerably more fun things to do than taking excrement. Best of luck to you.
To encourage others who may be considering bringing some sort of rescue dog – or some kind of dog or pup rapid into their home, I develop a blog — DogsRpeople2. Inside, I provide visitors useful information, wonderful testimonies about successful adoptions, solutions that will enable them to assist others, and even the chance to post pictures and a tale of their dog. I ask you to visit and sign up for the conversation. Read also: https://khelkhor.com/pets/.
