Dog Eating Poop or Coprophagia
Dog poop eating is a fairly disgusting habit that some dogs do. No one seems to know why dogs
do it. Many ideas or theories have been proposed. None of the theories seem to evidence any merit.
Plausible Reasons for Dogs Eating Poop Unknown
First Theory for Dog Eating Poop
In nature a puppy's mother will eat the puppy's poop to keep the area clean and to hide the
presence of her puppies from predators. The puppies are believed to start eating the poop to emulate the
actions of the mother.
Second Theory
Another theory is that the dog is trying to get access to vitamins or nutrients the dog is
lacking. Clinical studies have shown that this idea has very little or no merit. Two sets of dogs were
tested. The first set of dogs were healthy not lacking any nutrients. The second set of dogs were in
need of nutrients to fulfill their diet. Both sets of dogs showed the same incidence rate to the habit of dog
poop eating.
Third Theory
And finally, the third theory is that the dog is bored due to lack of exercise and mental
stimulation. This too, after testing the theory, did not provide a definitive answer. As these reasons
are not definitive, we will spend the remainder of this article on how to eliminate the problem.
Dog Eating Poop or Coprophagia
A Cure is Illusive
It is nearly impossible to cure a dog of this unacceptable habit. The easiest
method is the clean up the poop in your yard as soon as it is discovered. This eliminates the
possibility of the dog eating poop. It also clears the yard so no one has to deal with the eventuality
of stepping into it.
Leave It! Command
Teach your dog to "leave it" when commanded. A dog trained to leave it is safe.
Today, especially, there are chemicals such as poisons and things lying around, such as broken glass, in addition
to the poop.
Possible Solutions to Dogs Eating Poop
Some owners try to stop this action by booby trapping the poop. They will take
Tabasco sauce and pour it over the poop. The idea is that the poop will now be so distasteful that the dog
will not want to repeat the action again. The success ratio of this technique is not very high. A dog
that is determined to eat poop does not seem to be put off by the hot burning taste of Tabasco sauce.
Pet stores and veterinarians sell a few products (example the product: "Forbid") that may make
the poop smell and taste unappealing to dogs. The idea is to feed this to the animal, dog or cat, whose poop is
being eaten. The poop from these animals will no longer be appealing. This, too, has had mixed success
results. Often a dog that is determined to eat poop will not be deterred by a bad taste. The only
action that is 100% successful all the time is to clean it up before the dog has an opportunity to eat
it.
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