let's talk about: poop eating...
On average I used to see about 300 dogs each week. Between my daycare, group training classes, puppy playgroups and private lessons. That’s a lot of dogs. That’s also a lot of poop! My guess is that about 15-20% of dogs eat poop. Rabbit poop, other dog’s poop, their own poop, frozen poop, cat poop – They love it! We on the other hand, do not (personally, one of my dogs likes to eat frozen poop - poopsicles!) If your dog falls into one of these categories don’t worry, you are not alone!
The behavior is known medically as Coprophagia. There are many ideas on the underlying issues of this behavior, here are the most common:
If your dog is allowed to go outside alone, he is going to be tempted and there will be no one there to show him otherwise. Go outside with your dog. When he looks at, goes toward, or smells the feces say a command like “Leave It” and help him move on by luring him the other way. When he starts understanding your command you can start rewarding him for doing well by taking treats outside with you. When you can catch your dog being good, treat him right away! If he looks at the poop but doesn’t go near it tell him how good he is and give him a treat! At that point you can start becoming further and further away from your dog (start with baby steps – only a couple feet at a time!).
When dogs are left outside with no supervision, they often tend to make their own decisions – and they are not usually the decisions we would like! Barking, digging, eating poop…
Tail Wags and fresh breath!
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
The behavior is known medically as Coprophagia. There are many ideas on the underlying issues of this behavior, here are the most common:
- They can smell the food in the feces.
- They are bored or anxious.
- Dogs are curious and put things in their mouths. They use their sense of taste and smell much more than we do.
- They learn from watching other dogs do it.
- They learn from watching people pick it up and put it in bags.
- If you punish your dog for going to the bathroom inside they may be trying to hide the evidence (even if they are outside).
- They may be on a low-quality food and it may be lacking key nutrients that they need.
- If your dog has puppies, she might eat puppy poop. This is an instinct to hide the poop from predators and keep her puppies safe.
- Add two to four tablespoons of canned pumpkin to the food bowl each day. Pumpkin apparently tastes good in food, but repugnant when expelled in excrement.
- Add a spoon (teaspoon or tablespoon depending on the dog's size) of canned pineapple, or pineapple juice to your dog's food.
- There are remedies on the market that claim to help stop, such as DETER and SEP. Just like with the above, if you have multiple dogs, you will need to apply this to everyone’s food.
- Teach your dog a “Leave It” command and be sure to be consistent.
If your dog is allowed to go outside alone, he is going to be tempted and there will be no one there to show him otherwise. Go outside with your dog. When he looks at, goes toward, or smells the feces say a command like “Leave It” and help him move on by luring him the other way. When he starts understanding your command you can start rewarding him for doing well by taking treats outside with you. When you can catch your dog being good, treat him right away! If he looks at the poop but doesn’t go near it tell him how good he is and give him a treat! At that point you can start becoming further and further away from your dog (start with baby steps – only a couple feet at a time!).
When dogs are left outside with no supervision, they often tend to make their own decisions – and they are not usually the decisions we would like! Barking, digging, eating poop…
Tail Wags and fresh breath!
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
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