There are many theories that circulate among veterinaryns and experts in dog training and nutrition, but no one knows for sure why some dogs eat feces from other dogs or animals.
But that the real reason is not known and it is even known that it is possible that dogs do it for different reasons, if we know how to prevent a dog from eating poop, applying simple training techniques.
Do you want to teach your dog to stop eating the feces that it finds on the ground? From Dogsis we are going to teach you everything you need to know to get it. Let’s go there !!
Index of contents
- 1 Why does my dog eat poop?
- 2 Techniques to prevent my dog from eating poop
- 3 Stimulate your dog’s smell with games
Why does my dog eat poop?
Among the most shuffled theories among professionals, there is one with enough weight that indicates that they do it on their own instinct. When a bitch gives birth to a litter of puppies, she cares for them by cleaning and licking them.
It is very common for the dog to eat the excrement of the puppies to keep the area where they live clean, it is something they do for mere hygiene. From the time dogs lived in refuges in caves like their ancestral relatives, wolves, to the present day.
Experts in the canine sector affirm that puppies observe this behavior of the mother and remember it in the future, thinking that poo is something nutritious that they can eat. However, they are wrong since their mother simply did it for hygiene.
Other dogs, however, eat feces simply because they are hungry. Dogs are digestive problems that cannot absorb nutrients well from their normal daily diet, they resort to feces to satisfy their hunger.
This is also a mistake, since the feces do not contain calories or nutrients that dogs can take advantage of, since their digestive system is not prepared for it. These are the two main reasons why your dog may be eating poop.
Techniques to prevent my dog from eating poop
The first thing you should do is teach your dog to pay attention to you, all his attention. This way when you see him coming to eat a poop, you can give him an order and prevent him from eating it easily.
Choose a new word that your dog does not know, such as “Look at me” or “Briscas”, it can be an obviously invented word. Use that word with your dog and when he looks at you, give him a prize. It must be something you really like like a piece of sausage for example.
Every time you say the word and your dog looks at you and comes to you, give him a prize and congratulate him. Practice this every day, at home and on the street, continuously. With this you will get that every time your dog hears the chosen word, he gives you absolutely his full attention.
So when you want to go for a poop, you can use the word and make your dog come to you, making him forget the poop and just want his reward, his piece of sausage. This will cost you more or less between one and two months, where you should practice daily.
Stimulate your dog’s smell with games
To prevent a dog from eating poop, we must also teach it to pay attention to ourselves, stimulate its smell. So that instead of being attracted to the feces of other animals you are attracted to real rich food.
To start this exercise you must ask your dog to sit and remain seated, while you hide pieces of sausage in your living room for example. The dog must see how you do it, so that it knows where you have hidden them.
However, you must fool your dog. Do not leave pieces of sausage in all the places where you make the gesture of leaving them with your hand, so that your dog will see you leave pieces in many places but there will only be some. You can leave them under the sofa, under a table, behind a furniture leg, between magazines, etc….
Then let your dog have fun sniffing the room and looking for the pieces of food. This will greatly stimulate your sense of smell and it will feel great to find small pieces of sausage hidden, it will be very rewarding for him and for you.
Practice this often and when a few weeks have passed, start practicing it on the street as well. You can use a tree or several trees to hide pieces of food, in some yes and in others not, while your dog watches you waiting for the order to go to look for them.
With this olfactory stimulation game and the obedience technique that we have discussed, your dog will stop eating feces in a few weeks. Just be patient and practice daily.
If you liked the article and found it useful, help us keep the web going! : Like or Share it on social media 🙂 Thank you!