The puppy eats cat food. The dog eats cat excrement. Reasons for dogs to eat poop

“A cat is full of mystery, like an animal.

A dog is simple and naive, like a person.”

Karel Capek

A dog is man's most faithful, devoted friend. It is pleasant to walk along the alleys of the park, play, or jog with your four-legged pet. How much joy such communication brings! But sometimes dogs not only delight the owner, but also surprise him with unusual preferences. Some dogs willingly eat feces found on the street.

There is no limit to the owner's indignation! Everyone at home (including children) cuddles and cuddles with their beloved pet. What's happening? Why does a dog eat poop? What does this mean for an adult, a child and the dog itself?

Dangerous habit

The habit of eating feces is called “coprophagia” (“copros” means “feces” in Greek, and “phagia” means “to eat”). It has been noticed that coprophagia is more common in females and castrated males - they eat their own and other people’s excrement more often than other dogs.

According to statistics, 90% of domestic dogs occasionally eat feces, and 15% suffer from a bad habit regularly.

Addiction requires mandatory behavioral adjustment. But, before raising a tailed “gourmet”, you should find out the origins of this behavior. Why does a dog eat poop? What reasons lead to this?

Causes of bad habit

Dog handlers were unable to identify the exact culprits of canine coprophagy. But, after observing the tailed pets for a long time, we came to the conclusion: in most cases, the culprits of the addiction were factors of three main groups.

Natural causes

It is natural for a female dog to eat poop poop. For a dog mom, keeping the den clean is the most important thing. Looking at the mother, the puppies eagerly eat feces. Such childhood habits are normal in dogs up to 3 months of age.

In children, eating feces is associated with the development and maturation of the intestines. In this case, excrement helps form normal microflora and improve digestion (feces contain bacteria that promote the development of the gastrointestinal tract). With age, a bad habit goes away, but it can develop into an unpleasant habit.

Eating feces by adult dogs originates from instinctive habits. The ancestors of dogs - coyotes, wolves ate their own feces. For what? Feces helped the dog's ancestors not to die of hunger in bad years and threw enemies and hunters off the scent. Domesticated dogs are forced to eat feces by an instinctive sense of danger or lack of food.

This is interesting. Sniffing dog feces is not abnormal or behavioral behavior for dogs. What does this mean? The dog recognizes by the smell of excrement how long ago its brother passed here, whether it is a female or a male. Is the bitch in heat, is she ready for mating or is she already pregnant. The dog even understands the emotions of his fellow dog by the smell of dog feces.

Behavior problems

Are you raising your dog too strictly? Do you devote enough time to your pet? The dog, sad for the attention and care of its owner, begins to actively attract attention to itself. Heavy artillery is used - eating feces or placing “fragrant” heaps in the apartment.

The pet is so lacking in attention that he will perceive even punishment as care. Another version of events is also possible - the dog excitedly grabs feces and runs away from the indignant owner, perceiving this as a funny game. And the owner, rushing after him and swearing, unwittingly reinforces bad behavior.

There are some obedient dogs. To such an extent that, watching how a conscious owner carefully puts excrement into a bag, they themselves become saturated with consciousness. A well-mannered dog will not allow the owner to bother and they themselves begin to “clean up” the feces by eating them.

The owner himself sometimes provokes the development of addictions in the pet. By scolding a puppy and catching him eating feces, the owner on a subconscious level perpetuates fear in the dog. The pet establishes a clear relationship between a pile of feces and the subsequent scolding of its beloved owner.

Therefore, the dog, immensely adoring the owner, eats his own and other people’s excrement so that the owner does not swear and the dog does not experience stress once again.

This behavior is more often observed in miniature dogs, which often left piles in the house and missed the tray.

A bad habit can come from childhood. If a dog lived in a competitive environment as a puppy in a large community, he had to fight for food, taking food from his brothers. In the future, such a dog feverishly eats feces, equating it to food. This is the nature of a dog's character.

In this case, the blame falls on inept breeders who do not know the rules for housing and feeding pets. This happens more often in miniature dogs (breeders of small breeds are mostly non-professionals). Small dogs are easier and cheaper to breed than large breeds.

Let's pay attention to health

Wild relatives of dogs and cats must regularly eat cow feces to improve digestion (horse excrement, human and cat feces are also used). Feces contain a lot of useful enzymes that help digest heavy foods well, improving intestinal motility.

The following deficiencies in the dog’s diet contribute to the development of the problem:

Review your pet's diet and supplement the menu with the necessary micro- and macroelements, minerals and vitamins. Special nutritional supplements are sold in pet stores and veterinary pharmacies. Or switch your tailed pet to industrial (dry) food. It already contains all the necessary supplements for the healthy development of the dog.

Attention! The dog should be transferred from a natural diet to a dry diet gradually over 1-1.5 weeks. Use only Premium or Super Premium food.

Pathological health conditions of the tailed pet (this includes gastrointestinal diseases and disorders of the functioning of the pancreas) also contribute to the development of a bad habit. In this case, the food that enters the stomach is not completely digested and the dog does not feel full - in order to get enough food, it eats feces.

What to do? Go to the vet. The doctor will conduct the necessary tests, studies, make a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.

What should the owner do?

How to wean your faithful pet from a nasty addiction? A bad habit requires mandatory correction. How to deal with coprophagia? To bring a pet to reason, the owner needs to act on two fronts:

1. Identify and eliminate the cause:

1. Review your dog's diet.
2. Give your four-legged friend more attention and care.
3. Get involved in dog training and proper upbringing.
4. If there are health problems, treat your pet immediately (give the tablets prescribed by the veterinarian on time and carry out all prescribed procedures).

2. Stop punishment! Coprophagia must be eliminated using non-violent methods (it is useless to fight the instinct). There is a better way to get rid of a bad habit. If your dog is about to eat another portion of feces during a walk, proceed according to plan:

1. Call your dog over.
2. When the dog comes up, reward him with a treat.
3. Switch your pet's attention to another entertainment (ball, stick, game, jogging).

Don't forget to take your dog's treats and favorite toys with you on walks. And don’t let the dog do his own thing, don’t leave him unattended! You will always have time to sit with your friends on the bench. And when walking with your pet, devote time to him.

Train your pet daily and teach it to perform the commands “Fu”, “Come to me”, “Sit”. Use a muzzle at first (when you let your dog go for a walk on his own, without a leash).

The most important thing for a dog is to feel the love and care of its owner. Positive emotions and reinforcement of training in the form of treats, games and attention from the owner will work much better than shouting, threats and severe punishments. By giving love, you will receive obedience in return!

Coprophagy is the phenomenon of eating feces - your own, human, cat, etc. According to statistics, up to 16% of dogs suffer from this deviation, eating excrement constantly, and up to 80%, doing this from time to time. At the same time, castrated bitches and males are more susceptible to this gesture. There is only one breed of dog in the world that extremely rarely does this - the dwarf poodle (males of this species almost never do this). Everyone else is at risk because of everything harmful that can enter a dog's body through feces.

A dog's habit of sniffing and not eating all the feces is not something bad or abnormal. The animal determines by the smell and heat emanating from the excrement how long ago its brother passed here and distinguishes whether it was a male or a female. If the dog is a bitch, then by the smell of feces the dog determines whether she is in heat (whether she should instinctively pursue her) or whether she is already pregnant.

Reasons for dogs eating feces

Imitation

For a month, the bitch eats the excrement of her puppies. Gradually, with the introduction of complementary foods, the shape and composition of feces changes, and the bitch stops eating it, sometimes eating separate piles. Puppies can simply imitate their mother. If this behavior is not stopped in puppies, they will continue to eat their own feces as adults.

Curiosity

This cause of coprophagia is suitable for small puppies who pull everything into their mouths, including feces. In this way, they learn about the world around them.

Dietary disorders

Instinctively, wild dogs, to improve their own gastric digestion, eat manure, which contains special enzymes and beneficial bacteria that help break down heavy foods and improve digestion. Domestic dogs eat cat feces, human feces or bird droppings purely on instinct. In the city there is no manure, so the pet is literally looking for an alternative.

Coprophagia due to poor nutrition may occur due to:

• preferential feeding of cereals;
• feeding only meat;
• feeding fatty foods, too salty or bones;
• cheap ready-made feed;
• overfeeding and bloating;
• unbalanced diet;
• an excess of treats that are not suitable for dogs (for example, confectionery);
• irrational mixing of raw food products with ready-made ones.

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract

The animal is not able to say that something hurts or that there is some discomfort. Often the symptoms of the disease appear only when the disease has developed and has already caused serious harm to the body. Chronic pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract are accompanied by flatulence, problems with emptying the rectum, feelings of heaviness and other uncomfortable sensations. This also includes problems in the functioning of the pancreas and various types of infections. By eating feces, the dog is trying to help itself. That is, if you notice the act of ingesting any feces, you should first consult a veterinarian.

Hunger

In extreme hunger, an animal will eat absolutely anything that even remotely resembles something that can be eaten.

Lack of attention from the owner

Sometimes, when eating his own or someone else's feces, a domestic friend does not think about punishment, he waits for a reaction from the owner. Swearing is often perceived by a pet as additional attention. This opinion is very controversial, but some animal psychologists argue that this may well be the case.

Jealousy and Insecurity

Animals perceive feces as a kind of territory marker. Very often, when there are mustachioed pets in the house, the dog begins to eat the feces of the cat in the house, literally freeing its territory from foreign odors and fecal marks.

What should an owner do to prevent feces from being eaten?

Before you begin to correct the situation, it is recommended to consult a veterinarian. It is quite possible that coprophagia is provoked by internal health disorders, and not by a banal habit. It is necessary to take blood and urine biochemistry tests, conduct a stool test for the quality of food digestion and helminths, and do an ultrasound. Only in the absence of internal diseases or infections can you begin the process of weaning your dog from the habit of eating its own feces.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Review the diet and consult a veterinarian to determine whether feeding is carried out correctly. Start feeding beef tripe (unrefined, black) - it contains a lot of enzymes that are necessary for your dog's digestion and help digest fiber. Purchase vitamin-mineral complexes that must contain B vitamins and sulfur. Introduce meat and bone meal into the diet, and replace dry food with premium or super premium food.
2. While walking, give your pet maximum attention: games, training, repeating commands, running, hugging or talking. Try any of the suggested options every time you notice that your dog is about to eat the feces he finds. Lightly pull the leash and say “fu”, without a leash - loudly shout “fu”, approach him and distract him. But you shouldn’t hug an animal or allow it to come close to your face if you haven’t managed to stop the unpleasant moment of absorbing excrement!
3. If you notice that the puppies have begun to eat their own stool, you need to monitor their emptying for some time and immediately clean up after them in order to eliminate the temptation to try the stool out of curiosity or to repeat after their mother.
4. In parallel with behavior correction, it is imperative to visit a specialist and check the pet’s health status and undergo the proposed tests. If abnormalities are detected, treatment should be carried out as soon as possible.
5. It is not recommended to shout and punish your pet for eating feces - this will not help solve the problem, but can significantly ruin your relationship with him. Shouting and punishment can lead the situation to a dead end when the animal does it while hiding. It is important to develop the habit of not doing this, rather than trying to force it.
6. To develop the habit of not eating your own feces, after defecating outside, call your pet to you and give him any treat. Try to do this every time your dog goes to the toilet. After a week and a half, replace the treat with hugs and sudden play with your favorite toy. All this will distract the pet from the unpleasant action.
7. You can seek help from an experienced dog handler so that he can teach the dog not to pick up anything on the street at all.
8. During treatment or a change in diet, it may be necessary to put a muzzle on the dog while walking so that the inability to eat feces becomes automatic.
9. Give your pet, if possible, more time if you suspect that eating the feces you find is a gesture to attract attention.

Question answer

If a dog eats poop, is it missing something?

Often, a pet begins to eat feces when it lacks nutrients from the food given by its owners. It is necessary to review the dog’s diet, consult with a specialist and make adjustments to it. While the dog is being transferred to a new diet, eating feces will have to be stopped (for example, by wearing a muzzle while walking).

Eating cat feces - is it normal?

The smell of any feces is recognized by animals as markings of territory. Dogs can easily eat the feces of a cat who lives in the same house with them because of jealousy. Thus, the territory is cleared of the “presence of a competitor.” At the level of animal psychology, such a gesture is quite natural.

Should you scold your dog if it eats its own poop at home?

You can’t immediately start scolding your dog for starting to eat feces. If such behavior is noticed, contact a veterinarian, ruling out internal diseases, and then just start weaning off such behavior.

Dog eats baby's poop from potty

The appearance of a child in a family can provoke feelings of jealousy in a pet. By eating baby feces, the animal clears the territory of someone else's smell, leaving ownership of the territory for itself. In this case, malnutrition, lack of nutrients or internal diseases must be excluded. Try to clean up the potty after your child in a timely manner to avoid temptation for your pet and to prevent a single gesture from becoming a habit.

How to stop a dog from eating excrement?

(V. Gritsenko, S. Guryeva “A Dog’s Life in Questions and Answers”)

Oddly enough, but coprophagia (eating feces) is considered a natural element of behavior for dogs. Thus, the normal behavior of a bitch involves eating the feces of her cubs. The absence of this is considered pathology. By the way, this is why bitches more often suffer from this behavior. A puppy can learn to eat feces by imitating its mother. Some animal psychologists also believe that feces can remind a young dog of the first solid food he ate: warm, semi-solid, semi-digested. His mother regurgitated something similar to him upon returning from hunting. Coprophagia can also be a consequence of a dog’s lack of digestive enzymes, as well as low-quality food.

Probably for the same reasons, and more often from a lack of protein, B vitamins, vitamin K and minerals in the diet, and perhaps other substances not yet very well known to us, our dogs, like all predators, often eat feces other animals, or even your own. In case of nutritional deficiency, this makes sense, especially since, for example, the feces of farm animals contain from 10 to 20% protein (protein), 5% fat, 40% fiber, 35% soluble carbohydrates, from 35 to 55% body weight microorganisms. So before you punish your dog for these actions, think again about how well you are feeding him. The factor of learning in the development of coprophagy cannot be excluded. So, if you punish a puppy when returning home for making piles on the floor, he may understand that eliminating traces of the crime helps get rid of the punishment.

Thus, coprophagia is a complex problem, and it needs to be solved comprehensively. First, take your dog to the veterinarian. Rule out diseases that may be accompanied by this phenomenon. Check for worms, they also do not contribute to the absorption of food. Change your dog's feeding schedule. Feed her more often. Try including wholemeal brown bread, sauerkraut, animal kidneys, mineral supplements, B vitamins, and multivitamins. Uneviscerated fish often helps. The intestinal contents of fish replace to some extent the intestinal contents of mammals. Sometimes particularly naturalistic owners offer their dogs horse litter, which can be purchased at the city hippodrome. Increase the amount of protein in your diet.

If we talk about educational therapy, then, having noticed this behavior of the dog, start walking it on a leash. And remember, problems associated with changes in metabolism are corrected very slowly. If necessary, muzzle your dog.

Try changing your dog's ideas about going for a walk. Keep her occupied with games, physical exercises and training exercises. Don't give her any idle time.

Occupy the dog's mouth with a toy and strictly prohibit letting it out.

Provoke situations, i.e. find post-food piles and use the method of indicative inhibition - do everything to surprise the dog.

Use the negative reinforcement method. Without a dog, go along the route and thickly sprinkle the poop you find with red pepper, pour sauce or vinegar on it, place a couple of mousetraps on the approaches, but disguise them. If you are walking your dog on a leash, put on a thin choke and sharply pull the dog away from the piles, preventing any attempts to come into contact with them. You can use any preliminary command. But after this, be sure to praise the dog vigorously. To correct this behavior, it is a good idea to recommend an ultrasonic or electric shock collar.

If your dog eats his own poop, among other things, try to immediately attract his attention to you with a treat or toy. Or, after defecation, immediately restrain the dog with some command. Then approach her, praise her, and entice her away. If the dog<любит>immediately after she defecates, run away from her, of course attracting her attention to this event.

In this case, foreign dog experts recommend adding substances to the dog’s food that make the taste of feces unpleasant for the dog. For example, monosodium glutamate or pancreatic enzymes. They even invented a special remedy to combat coprophagia.<Форбид> (), it is also fed to the dog. It is believed that dogs do not eat feces with a liquid consistency. And this can be achieved with the help of laxatives.

If your dog is after your cat's poop, the first thing to do is place the litter box somewhere that the cat can easily get to but the dog can't get into. For example, behind a closet. Or place the cat's litter box in the toilet room, the door of which is kept on a chain, open so that the cat can pass through, but the dog cannot. Modify the cat tray into a box of a comfortable height for the cat and a small opening. Take courage and sprinkle the cat waste thickly with red pepper or something extremely bitter and unpleasant for the dog.

When a pet eats excrement, it is unpleasant for the owner. After all, he lives in a family, often licks all family members, sometimes even his face. Therefore, imagining that he had previously eaten poop creates an unpleasant feeling. This article will help you find out why dogs eat feces and how to stop them from doing so.

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What is coprophagia?

Coprophagia, the eating of excrement, is one of the main problems faced by dog ​​owners. Eating the feces of other animals, especially herbivores, is a common phenomenon in the animal kingdom.

There are different types of coprophagia:

• autocoprophagy – eating one’s own feces;
• intraspecific coprophagy - eating the feces of relatives;
• interspecific coprophagy - a dog eating the feces of other animals, for example, cats, deer, rabbits, etc.

This behavior is not considered abnormal, just undesirable.

Many dog ​​owners, seeing their pet grabbing excrement, begin to scream and run to him so that he stops eating, which is not worth doing. The pet, instead of stopping, on the contrary, tries to eat what it found as quickly as possible. Dogs perceive eating feces as a reward.

When the owner tries to punish the dog, it may not understand the reason for the punishment and may become afraid. Therefore, before dealing with this phenomenon, you need to find out why it does this, and then apply appropriate measures.

The dangers of eating poop for your pet

Organisms such as Toxoplasma may be present in cat poop. In dogs, these organisms can cause a variety of problems, affecting the central nervous system and muscle tissue. If feces have been lying in the ground for a long time, fly larvae can be deposited in them, and infection with pathogenic bacteria and fungi is possible. It is better to avoid such sources of infection. If possible, feces should be removed from the yard as quickly as possible.

Diseases such as hepatitis and parvovirus infection can be transmitted through feces. Vaccinated animals have a much lower risk of disease.

Causes

Feces eating is a more common behavior in bitches and puppies. In females, these are more sanitary and hygienic measures than a manner of behavior. Thus, she keeps the habitat clean. In addition, a natural instinct is triggered: by eating feces, the female destroys the smell, which can attract predators.

A puppy, observing a female eating his feces or a human cleaning up his poop, may similarly eat his own feces to earn rewards. Also, in a puppy, the consumption of feces may be associated with the formation of the intestines. This behavior goes away as the puppy grows up, unless it becomes a habit.

Feces contain many unprocessed nutrients, minerals and vitamins. A lack of them in the diet can cause pets to eat poop. In this case, their diet should be reconsidered. Malnutrition and diet food can make you want to fill your stomach with something to feel full. A possible reason for eating feces may be very fatty foods: the four-legged friend’s body may not be able to process such food.

By consuming feces, pets sometimes want to attract the attention of their owners in this way, without receiving it in everyday life. The dog may eat the excrement of the dominant animals in the house.

Ways to correct unwanted behavior in dogs

In addition, the veterinarian will be able to correctly adjust your pet’s diet, find out what is missing, and create a new diet so that it contains all the necessary nutrients and minerals. If the cause of coprophagia is a disease, then you must first cure the animal and then wean it off the bad habit that has appeared.

Various behavioral strategies can be used to stop your pet from eating feces, even if the reason is health-related.

The most effective ways can be identified:

1. Eliminate the opportunity for the dog to eat feces. If there are other animals, then clean the yard from feces before walking the pet, and take it out for a walk only on a leash. A muzzle can be used for these purposes.
2. If the owner sees that the pet is about to eat its feces, you need to switch its attention, for example, to a toy, give it a treat, or involve it in some kind of game. The same strategy should be followed if the reason for eating feces is to attract the attention of the owner. You need to try to pay more attention to your furry pet, not only on walks, but also at home.
3. From an early age, a puppy needs to be taught obedience, taught to understand prohibitive commands: “fu”, “no”, “leave it”. In this case, you need to walk with him on a short leash. If you see that the puppy is about to eat feces, you should sharply pull the leash and say a prohibiting command. As soon as he moves away from the group that interested him, the pet should be rewarded with a treat or praised. Such exercises should be done as often as possible so that the puppy learns the lesson. But in the future you need to pay attention and keep an eye on the dog during walks.
4. You can treat the feces with pepper, mustard, horseradish, or any drugs that will make the feces less attractive to your pet and discourage the desire to eat it.

When weaning your pet from a bad habit, you need to show patience and love; you cannot punish him, shout at him, or poke his muzzle in the feces. This will only complicate the relationship with him; the owner may lose mutual understanding with his furry friend. The next time, having found its own feces, the dog can, on the contrary, eat it as quickly as possible so that the owner does not notice and scold him.

To prevent coprophagia, you need to make sure that the dog eats properly, remove worms on time, pay as much attention to the pet as possible, and monitor its health.

Video "Why do dogs eat feces"

This video explains why dogs eat their own poop and the poop of other animals.

Some dog breeders who like to walk with their pet in a park, alley or dog walking area sometimes notice how their pet begins to eat excrement. Many people are disgusted by this picture, and owners try to drive the dog away from bowel movements. But you just have to turn away - and the animal returns to its occupation. From this article you will learn what reasons push your pet to such actions, and how to wean him from a bad habit.

The phenomenon of coprophagia

The consumption of inedible objects and things is an indicator of a perverted appetite. Such perversions include eating feces, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s your own or someone else’s. This deviation from the norm is called coprophagia in the scientific community.

By studying this behavior in animals, scientists came to the conclusion that this could be caused by a number of different reasons and diseases. One of these reasons is the lack of any micro- or macroelements in the animal’s body.

Eating their own excrement in the animal kingdom may be due to problems with digestion. When passing through the intestines, some high-molecular substances, such as hemicellulose, are also poorly absorbed. This behavior is often found in mice, chinchillas, hares, and even in some young herbivorous mammals during the transition from lactation to natural food.

In dogs, females most often resort to eating excrement. And this is considered normal behavior, especially if the feces of the cubs are eaten. The reason for this behavior of animals may also be low-calorie food with a lack of vitamins B and K in combination with a low protein content.

Did you know? In 2015, the Manure Museum was opened in Italy. It is primarily dedicated to the topic of rational waste recycling.

The harm of eating excrement

Reasons for appearance

Analyzing the behavior of dogs showing a tendency towards coprophagia, scientists and dog experts have identified a number of reasons that can lead to this deviation. All reasons can be divided into three main groups: natural, problems in the animal’s behavior and the need for additional attention from the owner.

Imitation

This behavior is often found in puppies, as they try to imitate their mother. In the first month after the birth of the offspring, the female often eats the feces of her cubs. This behavior is due to natural factors, because the smell of babies' feces can attract predators. At the end of the feeding period, the problem usually goes away on its own.

Puppies strive to imitate their mother in everything and believe that such behavior is the norm. However, if this is not stopped in a timely manner, then eating excrement will become a habit, from which it will be difficult to wean the animal.

Curiosity

This trait is more often inherent in young dogs and puppies, because due to their curiosity they want to explore the world. And they do this, like all children, “by the tooth,” so to speak, so it is necessary to ensure that knowledge of the world around them does not develop into a bad habit.

Did you know? Eco-friendly paper is produced in ThailandPOOPOOPAPERfrom excrement, and feces of elephants, cows, moose, donkeys and horses are used as raw materials. By the way, the products are not cheap - for a standard package of 50 sheets you will have to pay about 16 dollars.

Dietary disorders

Eating feces may be a sign of an animal's poor diet. In this way, the pet tries to get the necessary nutrients that it did not receive with food. The reasons for this behavior may be the following deviations from a balanced menu:

• high content of cereals in the diet;
• the diet consists only of meat;
• mixed feeding with prepared and natural products;
• presence of salty and fatty foods in the diet;
• feeding with cheap feed;
• excessive overfeeding;
• incorrectly selected treats or their excess.

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract

Diseases of the digestive system can also cause coprophagia. In this case, it is necessary to schedule an emergency visit to a doctor who can make an accurate diagnosis. You may need to do an ultrasound on your dog to diagnose the problem.

Important! Gastrointestinal diseases can also be caused by worms, so it is necessary to regularly carry out deworming and vaccination.

Hunger

When a pet feels hungry, it can eat anything, even inedible objects and things, so you need to analyze the nutritional value and balance of its diet and the frequency of feedings. However, it is important to remember that after the first year of life, a dog only needs to eat twice a day.

Lack of attention from the owner

If a dog does not receive enough attention from its owner, it begins to bark frequently, play pranks, and in some cases, while walking, sniffs other people’s feces and eats them. In this way, the animal tries to attract the attention of its owner, because often the owner reacts, noticing this behavior, communicates with the dog, tries to wean the pet, that is, shows at least some attention, which is so necessary for the dog.

Jealousy and Insecurity

If there are other dogs in the house, then the tailed one may become jealous of its brother and thus try to attract the attention of the owner. However, this behavior may be the result of your pet's insecurity. After all, if we consider the behavior of animals in nature, it is worth noting that most often feces are a kind of territory markers.

As a result, the dog, eating waste, removes other people's marks and clears the territory of competitors. In this way, the animal tries to show its superiority and regain confidence..

Why does a dog eat cat poop?

It is important to understand what started this: Perhaps the cat’s litter box was previously located in a different place where it was difficult for the dog to get into, or perhaps the cat previously intimidated the dog, did not allow it near its “property,” and now has become more docile.

Veterinarians recommend having an open tray to clearly monitor the need to replace its contents, and placing it in a place inaccessible to the dog. Alternatively, the toilet can be installed on a raised surface, or, if the dog is large, the door can be fixed in such a position that only the cat can pass through.

Sometimes the tray is covered with two boxes of different sizes, they are placed with open parts in opposite directions, creating a kind of mini-maze that will not be difficult for a cat to pass, although a small and nimble dog is also quite capable of overcoming such an obstacle.

How to stop your pet from eating feces: procedure

Having determined the possible causes of coprophagia, you can take the necessary actions to eliminate this problem.

• First you need to eliminate any possibility of eating your own or other people's excrement. Keep the house or enclosure where the dog is kept clean, regularly remove all waste products.
• In your absence, provide your pet with enough toys and food. In this case, the animal will have something to occupy itself with so as not to remember the addiction.

• Do not punish an animal for defecating in the appropriate place, as this is ineffective. You should not poke the animal into its “heaps”. Such actions can cause loss of smell. In addition, the dog will try to get rid of possible punishment and may begin to eat its feces.
• If the animal was caught, so to speak, “in the act,” a loud clap or a loud prohibiting command can be effective, and you can also throw some object towards the animal, but not at it itself. These actions will scare the pet and make it distracted from eating. Now that the dog’s attention has switched to you, you can call him to you and order him to carry out some command. After which, do not forget to praise the animal.

• Try to pay more attention to the dog both at home and while walking. Keep it occupied without leaving time or opportunity to switch your attention to feces.
• Teach your pet different commands, in particular the “fu” command. Repeat previously learned commands regularly; this will not only keep the animal occupied, but will also make it more obedient.

• When you achieve certain successes, do not forget to praise your pet.
• Use a muzzle when walking. When purchasing, it is better to give preference to those models that will not allow you to lift any object from the ground.

• Don't forget about nutrition. If the animal has natural food in its diet, then it is worth introducing beef tripe, vitamins or nutritional supplements into the diet. You can also use meat and bone meal. When consuming a dry diet, you should choose premium or super-premium food.

Important! More drastic methods may be used to combat coprophagia, such as the use of red pepper or a remote-controlled aerosol collar. However, such methods are not very humane and can adversely affect the health of the animal.

Prevention

To prevent coprophagia, cynologists recommend introducing feed additives into the diet, for example, 8in1 Excel Deter. This drug has proven its effectiveness in practice: in 95-98 cases out of 100, the additive allows you to wean a dog from the habit of eating feces, which means that such a remedy will be able to prevent such unpleasant behavior. Veterinarians recommend using 1 tablet for every 4.5 kg of pet’s weight, the course of treatment is 2 weeks. However, before purchasing the drug, it would be useful to consult a specialist.

If you notice your dog has a habit of eating its own or other people's feces, pay attention, first of all, to its diet - a balanced menu often solves this problem. Also, pay enough attention to your pet and its health, and a happy and healthy dog ​​that feels the love and care of its owner will not be affected by such troubles.