How to Discourage Copraphagia

Whether you like it or not, dogs like to eat feces.

Feces have the warmth and texture of the food that the bitch regurgitated to them when they were in a litter.  Mother dogs will eat feces in order to conceal the puppy’s presence from predators.

Adult dogs that eat feces might also be regressing as the feces may remind them of the “comfort food” that used to come from mom.  Puppies are also fond of cat feces so it might be a good idea to restrict your dog’s access to any litter boxes that might be in the house. They also enjoy rodent feces and the droppings from hamsters and rabbits.  

It is also been speculated that dog feces might actually be nutritious for a dog in some way, but so far there is no outright scientific proof that feces contain an element or mineral that a dog can’t get in his normal diet.  

Dogs that are scenters like feces because the feces represent the reward at the end of a session of sniffing. The psychological pay off for the dog is a feeling of victory.  Copraphagia is a habit that upsets people more than it does the dogs, possibly because it seems like it is something to be embarrassed about.

Perhaps the easiest way of preventing this is to keep your dog on his leash when he relieves himself and pulling him away if he tries to eat feces afterwards.   You should also discourage him from sniffing the feces.  Another tact is to present him with a treat right after he relieves himself. However this does not always work because often dogs see the feces as a more delicious option.  

You can also try removing feces before the dog can get at it. Mind you, this is more of a way of coping with the ordeal for you then a way of training your dog to not actually consume the stuff!  If the dog is still fond of feces, try teaching your dog not to touch it using the command ‘Off.’ Put your dog on leash and walk him by some feces. If he shows any interest in it, tell him, “Leave it!”

If he continues to go for it, then sharply reprimand him, and pull him away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. If he does stop, try and praise him immediately and pop a treat quickly into his mouth.  Another way to convince your dog to cut out this nasty habit would be to cut feces in half, put Tabasco sauce in it, and then put it back together again.

When your dog consumes it he should get the idea that eating feces is not always a good idea.  Putting meat tenderizer in the dog’s food is also supposed to make his own feces less tasty to himself.  It has also been suggested that eating feces might be associated with your pet taking antibiotics. If you think this is the cause of his craving, discuss it with a veterinarian.

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What To Expect From an Adopted Dog

Sometimes when you adopt a dog the dog starts acting out. Many adopted dogs act depressed when you think they would be happy to have a new home. This is not something you should take personally.  An adopted dog may be depressed for many reasons , its owner could have died or it may have been abandoned or hurt.  

Most dogs from a shelter are very mistrustful at first and may even be grieving the loss of a pet companion or human owner.   That’s why adopted dogs can seem very withdrawn.  Your first task as the owner of an adopted dog is to get him to trust you. Make friends!

This is easier said then done as most dogs are very nervous and upset to leave a shelter as it reminds them of other times in their lives when they have been through a big change. Speak in quiet tones and try to show the dog affection.  

Most dogs are understandably fearful for the first few days after adoption so give the new pet as much privacy as possible. Also avoid startling the pet in any way, as you are not sure how it will react.   As tempting as it is to introduce him to all your friends and show him off let him explore his new surroundings on his own terms.    

An adopted dog may have been trained badly or not at all in the first place so you can expect an adopted dog to have any number of behavioral problems ,  For instance a dog that was starved by a previous owner or that was running wild might develop behaviors such as growling over a food bowl when a child passes by, gulping food, begging for food, hiding food, digging holes in which to hoard food and stealing food.    Malnourished dogs may also become over protective of their territories. They can also become over protective of their chew toys and owners.

 Dogs that were deprived of food are often developmentally challenged as well and don’t have well-developed eyesight, hearing, coordination or brains.  Dogs that have been wild and have never been socialized can also be very difficult to train. This is especially true if the dog had no contact with human between the age of three and 14 weeks. They can react fearfully or aggressively to new people or experienced.

Lack of housetraining is very common among adopted dogs.   Often the previous owners may have turned the dog in simply because they couldn’t train him not to piddle indoors. Dogs who urinate inside or soil the home may have never been housetrained in which case it now becomes your job to correct the situation.    

Dogs from a pound or shelter can also display destructive behavior. These dogs usually have a history of being left alone all day and find eating the couch or tearing apart the garbage pail to be intellectually stimulating and fun. This is your cue to distract him with training exercises, which will also help bond you to your dog.

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