I have an American Bulldog/Rottweiler- 7 months old. My frustration is why he eats poopsicles. And – he seems to make a game of it. He knows I do not want him to do this, he seems to tease me about it. At first I scolded him, did nothing. Now I just ignore it – he does it less often but he still does it . I have decided it's just puppy and he will out grow it in time. But if I am wrong – this problem could get worse — HELP!!!!!!
Coprophagia is the technical term for "feces eating". While it has not been thoroughly researched why dogs eat their own or other animals' feces, it is not uncommon. Many of the dogs that are involved in this habit are thought to be timid or submissive, indicating a lack of maturity. No matter, this habit can be very annoying. There are several possible causes and corrections.
A dog may eat feces simply because she is hungry and has no alternative source of food. The solution is simple. Try feeding her more and get her to a veterinarian for a check-up.
A dog that is fed an inexpensive, generic dog food has to eat more of it in order to satisfy her nutrient requirements. Much of this food passes through the system undigested, leaving a stool that looks and smells much like what was originally eaten. Feeding a high quality food would solve this stool-eating problem.
Dogs that are punished for having an accident in the house may eat their own stool as a way of hiking the evidence and avoiding the punishment. Punishment for doing something as natural as eliminating makes no sense at all. The solution is to housetrain her properly.
A dog that is locked in a kennel, chained, or restricted to a small backyard may eat her own feces as a way of relieving boredom. It is something to do in a restrictive, boring world. This dog needs to be exercised and played with several times a day.
Some breeds have a great need to carry things in their mouths. Picking up feces and carrying it around is usually a sign of an under-exercised dog. This dog needs to play a lot of retrieval games.
A kennel or yard where feces are allowed to pile up may cause a dog to clean up her living space by eating her stools. Keep a dog's living area clean!
The emotional stress of being left alone or restricted to a small area for long periods of time without the companionship of the caregiver can result, for some dogs, in the eating of her own feces.
Check with your veterinarian for internal parasites, which may be leaching nutrients from your dog's system, causing an unusual appetite.
The way to eliminate this habit is to feed a complete and balanced diet, provide lots of exercise and playtime, keep the kennel or yard clean, avoid restricting her for long periods of time, and take her to your veterinarian for a health check-up. Your veterinarian may also be able to prescribe a chemical additive to her food, which will make the stools taste terrible. There are products that can be applied directly to any animal's stool, which will discourage your dog from consuming it.
Tags: RottweilerTags: Rottweiler
Coprophagia is the technical term for "feces eating". While it has not been thoroughly researched why dogs eat their own or other animals' feces, it is not uncommon. Many of the dogs that are involved in this habit are thought to be timid or submissive, indicating a lack of maturity. No matter, this habit can be very annoying. There are several possible causes and corrections.
A dog may eat feces simply because she is hungry and has no alternative source of food. The solution is simple. Try feeding her more and get her to a veterinarian for a check-up.
A dog that is fed an inexpensive, generic dog food has to eat more of it in order to satisfy her nutrient requirements. Much of this food passes through the system undigested, leaving a stool that looks and smells much like what was originally eaten. Feeding a high quality food would solve this stool-eating problem.
Dogs that are punished for having an accident in the house may eat their own stool as a way of hiking the evidence and avoiding the punishment. Punishment for doing something as natural as eliminating makes no sense at all. The solution is to housetrain her properly.
A dog that is locked in a kennel, chained, or restricted to a small backyard may eat her own feces as a way of relieving boredom. It is something to do in a restrictive, boring world. This dog needs to be exercised and played with several times a day.
Some breeds have a great need to carry things in their mouths. Picking up feces and carrying it around is usually a sign of an under-exercised dog. This dog needs to play a lot of retrieval games.
A kennel or yard where feces are allowed to pile up may cause a dog to clean up her living space by eating her stools. Keep a dog's living area clean!
The emotional stress of being left alone or restricted to a small area for long periods of time without the companionship of the caregiver can result, for some dogs, in the eating of her own feces.
Check with your veterinarian for internal parasites, which may be leaching nutrients from your dog's system, causing an unusual appetite.
The way to eliminate this habit is to feed a complete and balanced diet, provide lots of exercise and playtime, keep the kennel or yard clean, avoid restricting her for long periods of time, and take her to your veterinarian for a health check-up. Your veterinarian may also be able to prescribe a chemical additive to her food, which will make the stools taste terrible. There are products that can be applied directly to any animal's stool, which will discourage your dog from consuming it.
References :
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