Gross dog question?

Question

Ok does anyone know why a dog has to eat another animals poop? (sorry i know it is gross) we have cats that always come in our yard, and stray dogs, and my dog always has to go in freak out mode to get to there droppings, WHY???

I do try to pick up before he gets out...I do not let him eat it because i know he can get sick (well I was pretty sure) but he really really wants it. He is on a good food, comes from vet.

Answer 1

because he is a male dog and he thinks that the lawn is his territory that is the main reason of why he does it i know it seems gross but that's why male dogs leave there scents because its there territory and other animals should not come into his territory this is just an instinct of a dog

Answer 2

Some dogs can't resist a tasty morsel of feces. These dogs will eat their own excrement or
that of another dog. Some prefer horse feces, others cat feces. Frozen feces are popular in
the winter time. Why do dogs do this?

In the past it was believed that feces eating, also known as coprophagia, was caused by
either poor diet or poor health. However, this theory is not supported by current research.
"Behavioral research has discounted the idea that it is a dietary deficiency or a pancreatic
enzyme deficiency," says Dr. Jo Ann Eurell, a veterinarian and animal behavior specialist at
the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. "Dogs are historically scavengers,
and this is believed to be a scavenger behavior.

"It is important for dog owners to know that this behavior is normal for a mother dog with
pups," adds Dr. Eurell. Newborn pups must learn to urinate and defecate. The mother
teaches the pups by licking their bottoms. The pups respond to this "tickle" by urinating and
defecating. The mother then consumes the pups' excrement, which serves two protective
purposes: it keeps the den area clean and it removes smells that could attract a predator.
Some pups learn this behavior from their mothers and will stimulate themselves and
consume their own feces. Most pups stop by the time they are weaned.

It is more difficult to understand why adult dogs eat feces. Some dogs will learn this
behavior from other dogs. In some cases, eating feces may be an attention-seeking
behavior. For some dogs it is possibly due to anxiety or boredom. Most often the
motivation for eating feces is just not known.

Owners find this habit in their pet disgusting -- particularly when the consumed feces are
thrown up all over the new carpet. In addition to being socially unacceptable, eating feces
exposes the dog to parasites and diseases. So, what is a dog owner to do?

"Eating feces is a problem that is easier to prevent than to cure," says Dr. Eurell. "Don't
allow the opportunity to arise. Keep the dog's yard clean by disposing of feces promptly.
Move the cat box out of the dog's reach. If cleaning the outdoor area is not feasible, then
keep the dog on a leash or use a muzzle when outside."

There are some "cures" that have been used with limited success. Punishment generally only
works in the early stages, before the behavior becomes habitual. Feeding the dog MSG,
garlic, or pumpkin is believed to give feces a bad taste, making it less attractive to the dog.
Other products can be applied to the feces directly; however, dogs are very perceptive and
can probably distinguish between tainted and untainted feces.

The best solution is to supervise the dog and not let it develop the habit. If you would like
further information about this behavior, contact your local veterinarian.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer 3

It is simple--the poop tastes good to your dog. This is gross, I know, but it is true. Unfortunately, this is a great way for your dog to get parasites. I would have a fecal test run at the vet hospital, and have your dog treated for parasites if they are found. Additionally, if you can clean up the yard before you let your dogs out, that will cut back on the amount of poop there to be consumed. Another trick you might try is putting tabasco or lemon juce on the poop. Usually one or two times that a dog gets a mouthful of something like tabasco is enough to break a bad habit. Refresher courses might be needed occasionally. If your dog eats his own poop, or the poop of another animal that you feed, there are things ou can add to the food to make the...um...."end product" distasteful, but it doesn't sound like that's the case here. Good luck!

Answer 4

Actually this is pretty common in puppies. Since you said the dog eats food from the vet I am assuming that it is high quality dog food. This is good... and bad. Good because it provides your dog with a healthy meal.. bad... because your dog doesn't fully digest the food... meaning that when he poops there are still nutrients in the poop and that is usually why the dog will eat it.

Check with your vet about getting a powder called For-Bid. It's a powder that you sprinkle on the food during feeding and it makes the poop taste very nasty and is a good deterent.

Also, when your dog is eating it DO NOT give the dog attention. This may be what the dog is looking for to. "Hey if I do they my owner will pay attention to me" type of thing.

My puppy, a 7 mo old Norwegian Elkhound, was fond of eating her ppop and about 3 weeks on this For-Bid powder and she stopped doing it.

Answer 5

It is not fully understood why dogs do this. It is a problem though that can cause sickness and worms in your dog. Talk to your vet. Also there is an over the counter pill called Deter. Which stops them from eating the poop. You should talk to your vet first and find out if there is any thing else you might be able to do.

Answer 6

It is normal, Gross, but normal. There are a lot of schools of thought on it, too. Some think it comes from when they were pack animals. In order to sneak up on their prey they would roll in the dung or eat it to conceal their own smell. They also think that because a dog has superior sense of smell, they can get a lot of information from sniffing, licking and tasting. AND THEY SAY THAT A DOGS MOUTH IS CLEANER THAN A HUMAN'S.

Answer 7

Not all dogs do that, but there are medicines that you can give your dog, most come looking like dog treats, that are purposely made for making your dog not want to eat poop. They wont like the taste any longer.
I think I heard that some dogs do the poop-eating because their body craves some sort of nutrient.

Doctors Foster & Smith have "meds" for that. I put the link in my source.

Answer 8

Dogs like to eat cat poop because cats don't digest their food all the way and it is kind of like eating cat food. Thats what I have heard before anyway.

Answer 9

As nasty as it is, it is very common for dogs to eat cat poo and I have no idea why that is unless it has a "yummy" odor because of the food cat's eat??? ewww! lol... but if they eat dog poo or even their own it is usually a sign they are lacking something in their diet. You may want to try switching to a higher quality food and see if that stops the problem.

Answer 10

I know, it's gross! My dog is like that too and so are many others. To them it's Yummy Treats. I don't even try to understand anymore, I just do my best to keep him away from the poop. I once had a housemate who's dog would walk around the house with a cat poo hanging between his lips like a cigar. Then he'd bring it up to her bed to eat it. And you thought you had it bad! (thankfully, he never went to my bed with them!)

Answer 11

hi i think it is because of a lack of something you can by a powder from the vet to put in there food to make it taste nasty to them lol my moms dogs had the same problem he would go to her cats litter box and eat all the crap out of there it was so gross