Poop Eaters

When I adopted Miko, he had a variety of weird quirks. The most distasteful of which was coprophagia. He ate his own poop! It was disgusting and very upsetting for me. Luckily, he wasn't very friendly to start, so he never tried to kiss me after committing the crime. Unfortunately, my other dog was extremely friendly and had taken to french kissing. She could easily and quickly catch you off guard and get you in the kisser. It was too my horror, when one day, I caught her copying Miko and making a light snack of her own turd! Something had to be done!

It is a very common problem and hard to treat, since it is hard to understand. First you must figure out why the dog is doing it, then make it difficult for them to repeat the pattern. Miko ate poop because he was from an abusive situation. He was forced to live in his own excrement; so for him it was a matter of house cleaning. He also was starving to death and most likely got some nutrition from recycling his own waste. I realized that Holly, my other dog was simply copying him. Allelomimetic behavior is common in dogs and is how learn from their pack. "Monkey see-monkey doo-doo!". Holly had simply watched Miko and decided it was something fun to do. UGGG!

To tackle the problem, I decided to get the dogs on a really high quality food, so that they wouldn't be lacking any nutrients. This was not so easy because I had actually switched to a lower quality food than I had Holly on because Miko couldn't stomach the protein and fat in her formula. I wanted them on the same food, so no jealousy would develop and Miko got terrible gas and the scoots from rich dog food. I mixed the quality food with the lesser quality food to start the switch over. After a week or so, I had them on the better quality food and the problem got worse. I guess they liked the taste of their higher quality turds even better than the lesser fortified ones. I just couldn't win!

The second plan of attack was to clean up their poops before they could engage in the deed. I always kept an eye on them in the backyard and cleaned up after them regularly, but I was now going to have to follow them around until they eliminated and pick it up immediately. This is the easiest way to put an end to the problem. Nevertheless, there were times when I was just not fast enough. At this point, I was getting pretty frustrated! The key is not to make a big deal of it, don't make it into a game of chase or some kind of attention seeking activity. I would just make a loud noise like a clap or physically interrupt the behavior with an "off" or "leave it" command. No yelling, no chasing, no punishment, just an interrupter and clean up the mess. After a few weeks, the coprophagia was less frequent.

Eventually, both dogs realized it was not allowed and gave up the practice. It was a long time before I could leave them unattended in the backyard, but six months later the problem is nearly extinct. I don't doubt they eat the odd bit and given the chance would eat cat turds (this is common because cats have a higher level of protein in their waste. They are carnivorous, where as dogs are omnivorous and therefor there is more nutritional value in the poop.) I just keep a close eye on them and keep the yard clean at all times. I did spray them with the hose a couple times to get the point across, which was very effective. This method works on my dogs because they are big and a blast from the hose interrupts them, doesn't harm them in any way. However, I caution using any form of punishment, regardless of how inadvertent. Firstly, because it doesn't work, only makes the dog afraid of you (or the hose) and also because the dog is behaving this way for a reason. You can't fix a problem until you get to its source. Ultimately, he finds eating poop quite satisfying, only you have a problem with it. You can't punish a dog for being a dog!

Here are some reasons why dogs practice Coprophagia:

"Coprophagia is the ingestion of poop that is neither accidental nor incidental. It is deliberate and habitual."


Why Dogs Eat Poop: 20 common reasons

1. Your dog might just be hungry. If your dog doesn't have access to food, he might eat poop.

(Try feeding him a bit more.)

2. Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper. This is most likely if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when he's chained up or otherwise restricted. He's taking care of his space. He needs to have an alternative to eliminating where he lives or where he is restricted to. This means taking him to a designated place to do his business.

(Once a dog begins soiling his crate, you need to work with a professional to retrain him. Time to work on re-house training.)

3. If your dog likes to carry poop, and then eat it, it could be genetics. Some dogs have instincts to carry stuff in their mouths.

(Make sure he has toys to carry, providing alternatives. Also, clean up the poop, so he can't pick it up!)

4. Your dog might be eating poop because of parasites or worms. They can suck nutrients out of your dog, driving him to eat poop. It might also leave him extra hungry because of the lack of proper fuel.

(A visit to the vet is always recommended to rule out any health problems. Especially if this is new behavior)

5. Your dog might be eating cat poop or other animal poop to get key nutrients and minerals not available in his own food.

(Time to try a higher quality food).

6. Some dogs will simply eat poop to pass the time. Dogs will eat poop because they are bored or lonely, a sign of neglect.

(Provide alternatives, give the dog kongs or things to do and play with. It's likely the yard or area needs to be kept poop free.)

7. Your dog might eat poop because he's anxious, nervous or otherwise upset. Stress will drive animals to do odd things.

(Find out what is stressing the dog and keep a journal of the factors that might be effecting him. Then you can make changes.)

8. Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. Punish your dog for pooping and he might eat it to avoid it.

(As I mentioned above, don't punish your dog! It almost always results in some kind of negative alternative behavior).

9. If your dog has puppies, she might eat puppy poop. This is an instinct to hide the poop from predators. Poop is evidence. Getting ride of it keeps her puppies safe. This is natural and instinctive behavior.

(Keep the whelping area clean and also clean up after the pups.)

10. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, they'll eat poop as an experiment.

(Just stop them by interrupting the behavior and remove the novelty.)

11. If your dog watches you pick up poop, he might learn to do the same. This is called allelomimetic behavior. Your dog observes you and learns from you, by putting the poop in his mouth you put poop in a bag.

(More often though, the dog is copying other dogs, not humans. Again keep the yard clean.)

12. Your dog might see others dogs eating poop. From this, they learn to eat poop too.

(Keep the yard and areas clean! They can't eat it if you pick it up right away.)

13. Many dogs simply like the taste of poop. This obviously doesn't make sense to dog owners but that's irrelevant. Some dog like to eat it and that's that. It's warm, moist, and very much like what your dog was given as a very young puppy.

(There are non-toxic products to spray on the poop that discourages re-ingesting it. Again, pick it up so they can't eat it.)


14. If your dog food lacks key nutrients, he might eat poop. Your dog is trying to get "food" with nutrients any way possible, even from his own poop.

(Again try new food or a vitamin for dogs.)

15. Sometimes dog poop seems like dog food. This can happen when dog food is low quality and includes materials that are easily passed and not absorbed by your dog. When the dog poops, it seems to be very much like the food he just consumed!

(Change the food and see, but usually the habit is formed and you need to pick it up before he can eat it.)

16. In some cases, dogs will eat poop if they are given too much food. This is especially true if your dog's diet is high in fat.

(One sign of this is excessive gas. Food can be too high quality, especially if the dog is accustomed to less expensive brands.)

17. Some dogs will eat poop to gain attention. Many dog owners get very upset when their dog eats poop, which means the dog gets attention. This is an opportunity for your dog to interact with you, regardless that it is because of negative attention.

(Don't make it a game. Just calmly interrupt the behavior, gently but physically move the dog aside and clean up the poop!)

18. It is possible that some dogs will eat the poop of other, more dominant dogs. Your dog might be more submissive than other dogs, resulting in strange poop eating behavior. This seems to occur more in households with multiple dogs where dominance and submission is a factor. Obviously this doesn't explain much about dogs eating cat poop or other animal poop.

(This is tricky. In a multiple dog home, it is hard to keep up with the doggie doo. Again, clean it up as quickly as possible.)

19. It is possible that your dog wants to eat more than one time per day. If you only feed your dog once per day, and your dog eats poop, it could be an indication they want to eat more frequently.

(This is an easy fix, but still to stop the habit, keep a close eye on the dog and keep the yard clean).

20. In some cases, your dog will eat poop by accident. Dogs are curious and will try to eat almost anything, including poop. Dogs explore the world through taste and smell, much more than humans.

(Don't punish your dog for being a dog.)

There are lots of alternatives to punishment. "Leave it" and and "off" commands only work if you are present when they engage in the action. You absolutely can't teach your dog not to do something you didn't witness. Rubbing a dog's nose in it's poop is basically telling the dog that you WANT him to eat it! It might work because the dog associates the punishment with the poop, but it is destroying the bond you have with your dog and most likely will lead to some other manifestation of real problem.

Miko's World

As things progressed with Holly (my two year old lab-pitt-shepherd mix) her fear aggression got worse. I was now doing all the right things: clicker training, four hours of exercise per day, a new diet plan, obedience and agility training. Subsequently, her behavior improved. I was able to train her to do lots of default behaviors, as well as perform basic obedience and a variety of tricks. I was not however able to train her to react properly with other dogs. Sadly, she loved to play, but was unable to socialize at dog parks because she didn't know how to "speak dog". It occurred to me that I should get Holly a little buddy. I knew based on her reactions to other dogs, it needed to be male, as well as young, so there would be less perceived threat involved. I started surfing the rescue websites looking for another pitt-bull cross. I really wanted to save another dog and I felt strongly that a dog having the common play style of the bully breed would make for a good match. After much deliberation, I came up with two good choices, both male Staffordshire crosses under one year old. I contacted both agencies and set up a meeting time. Luckily, one of the dogs was in foster care and I was able to take Holly to meet him and arrange for a hike. This first dog was named Miko. He had been flown up from the States and was recovering from an abusive situation.

Miko was from Louisiana, a junk yard dog with an uncertain history. He had been seized along with his brother from a run down lot, starving, beaten and living in his own excrement. He was partially blind, retina detached in his left eye and had spent several months in the care of a veterinarian recovering from mange and infections. I knew instinctively that he was the one for Holly! She too had come from a neglectful situation, half starving and improperly socialized. She had an uncertain history, recovered from what seemed to be car hit, a huge scar running down her right hip. They were both end of the line cases and definitely from the wrong side of the tracks! Ultimately, I did want to help another local dog rescue. However," animals know no boarders" and with the housing crisis worsening in the US, many healthy dogs were being surrendered and their shelters were all overcrowded. There was not much hope for a damaged dog like Miko getting adopted when perfectly normal well adjusted pets were being euthanized due to lack of funds and space. I decided to take a chance on this little guy, then only 45 lbs...with wobbly hips and bad balance and no depth perception. I arranged to have the dogs meet in hopes my instinct was correct.

(Note: he is now 65lbs and physically sound, save blind in one eye, which has little if not no effect on him).

Getting a second dog is tricky and should be thought through very carefully. It can often lead to unforeseen problems, which I have found out the hard way. In retrospect I should have chosen a stable nervous system to compliment the first. When choosing a companion for Fido, it is always preferred to get one with a "stable nervous system". If you want to rescue an animal, it pays to have the assistance of a trained professional to help choose the right dog and integrate the new pet into the home. If possible you should have the two dogs meet on neutral territory. Introductions are best off leash through a fence for the fist time. First impressions are very important when dealing with dogs. They make lasting generalizations based on their initial experiences and the first time your two dogs interact, it should be a one hundred percent positive interaction. I cannot stress the importance of the walk. A good walk together can form a bond between two dogs that will leave them both with a positive association, possibly even a pack association.

So, we met and it was love at first sight...for the dogs at least. The two dogs became friends immediately. Miko was terrified of humans, but fearless in the face of Holly. He was so playful and fun loving, not to mention completely non-threatening. We went for a half dozen walks with his foster mom, before deciding to take him for a trial weekend. She had had Miko for three months at that point. When he arrived in Canada, he was a mess...still suffering from mange, ribs showing and terrified of all human contact. He had come a long way in a short time, but had a long way to go. He was not that friendly with me and was showing signs of aggression toward people. His foster mom had shown him that women could be trusted and that people were kind, but he was still unable to handle contact with men. (We speculate that the damage done to his eye was inflicted by a man, possibly multiple kicks to the head). His fear of men seemed to be an automatic response system, probably developed out of survival during his very early development. Junk yard dogs are often abused to make them mean. They are also starved of affection and food to make them more reactive to intruders. Miko was going to need a lot of special care and very carefully thought out socialization.

Miko had very complex issues that were seeded in the imprinting stage of his development. (This refers to the first four months of an animals life, where it gathers information that creates the framework which it uses to interpret things for the rest of its life). Since his foster mom had very little experience with rescue dogs and felt that he needed to graduate to the next level of rehabilitation, his stay with her was coming to an end. He now needed guidance, so that his fear of people, especially men, would not turn into human aggression. I felt that with my experience with fear aggression, I was up for the task. So, after our trial weekend...I applied to adopt him. Of course I had no idea what I was getting into. Six months later, I now have one dog that is afraid of other dogs, as well as one who is afraid of humans. It makes things tricky, while Holly pulls toward humans, Miko pulls toward dogs. When I am out walking them, they often launch into a frenzy of barking and sometime transfer their fear onto each other, snarling and fighting amongst themselves. It can be scary if you don't understand the dynamics, or are an innocent bystander.

The easiest way to deal with fear and anxiety is to treat the dog every time you see trigger, before the dog sees it. I like using a clicker (or use a verbal marker) each time I see a human or a dog. This teaches both dogs that both situations are good ones, creating a positive association. Also, the focus becomes on the treat (or ideally me) rather than the source of the fear or aggression. I practice prevention, never setting my dogs up to fail and protecting them, by properly confining them to non-threatening situations, as well as muzzling them when necessary. I work them in low stress situations, building up their confidence by training them what to do, through positive interactions, not through force! In my experience, the only way to rehabilitate a damaged dog is through positive re-enforcement and by replacing all their fears with love. I am willing to try anything to get Miko and Holly to a place where they can live without fear. That is what this blog is about. My dogs are loving pets, but hardly friendly fidos. They are constantly being socialized and trained. They are a lot of hard work. This is how I came to the decision to get my professional pet dog training license. I plan to eventually help dogs and people like myself deal with the challenges of undoing the damages of abuse.

Below is some information I gathered from various websites on anxiety and bite prevention...check it out!

Ode to Shadow

When I got Holly, my lab-shepherd / pitt-bull mix, it was only two weeks after Shadow had been struck by a car and died instantly. Shadow was a beautiful little border collie, pitt mix, with a sweet white skunk line down the middle of her snout and oreo cookie like markings on all her paws. I love that dog so much! She saved me during a period of tiredness, sadness and work related stress. When she ran out of a gated dog park and in front of a car, I lost my best friend and I was lost. I couldn't live without a dog and so I returned to the local dog shelter and found Holly. Although, we had always had rescue dogs growing up; Shadow was the first dog I adopted as an adult. She will always have a special place in my heart.

I had met Shadow while volunteering at the SPCA on my weekends and hiatus from work. She was three years old and came from a reservation in northern BC. She was high strung and noisy, often barking herself mute. I walked her often and fell in love with her sweet disposition. Tragically, no-one wanted to take this dog on, as she suffered from separation anxiety, one of the hardest things to treat from a training stand point. It is easier to teach a dog to DO something, harder to teach them NOT TO DO something! As I said no-one wanted this dog and so she remained at the SPCA for three months. She had come from another shelter, totaling her entire time in a rescue environment to five months. From a psychological stand point, this is too long for a healthy nervous system, let alone one that was fragile like Shadow's.

One day I came to walk my favorite girl...and she was gone. I was happy that someone had finally made the commitment to take her on, but crestfallen to know I'd never see her again. I asked around to see if anyone knew where and who she'd gone to and was told she hadn't in fact been adopted. Shadow had been sent to another shelter. One that was better suited to dogs with her issues. They specialized in pitt-bulls and had bigger runs, so she'd be less stressed. I phoned the other SPCA location and told the desk clerk that I wanted to adopt her and that I was on my way. When I got there, she was so happy to see me that the kennel attendant told the desk clerk to push through the adoption. Usually you have to wait a week to have an assessment. I wasn't even ready to take her home. Sadly, I left her there another four days while I dog proofed my house and took care of getting everything in order to have a dog in my life. I came back each day to walk her and on the Friday took her home.

Luckily, this was during a period when I was on hiatus from my sixteen hour a day job. I could stay home with this dog, who when left alone would bark herself mute. I hired a trainer, Sarah from Rocket Dog (link to the right), to help me with her separation anxiety. It was a hard and long road, littered with noise complaints and very little social life. I couldn't leave her in the apartment and I couldn't take her everywhere with me. This dog couldn't be tied up any where, not even for a minute, before the howling and barking ensued. I got started right away, crating her, rewarding her with freedom when she stopped barking. I began with leaving her for a few seconds, eventually working up to minutes and finally four hours at a time. I would tie her up to a bench and walk around a bush, only to appear moments later to the howling and barking of this anxious pup. In the beginning, I couldn't even motion toward tying the leash to a pole or bench without her completely freaking out. It took three months of full time training to teach her that I would always come back and that she could even relax on the couch while I was out, instead of lying by the door awaiting my return. It was a long journey and I couldn't have done it as quickly if I hadn't been home full time. When I returned to work, I often took her with me. I also had help from friends who would take her when I couldn't have her with me on the job.

Seven months down the road, Shadow had become a reasonably calm pet. She could easily handle half days on her own. I had hired and excellent dog walker who took her for a few hours when I was at work and couldn't take her. We frequented patios, where she could lay outside, within sight and remain relatively quiet. We had completed basic training and beginners agility together. Shadow was fulfilling her potential and I was so happy I'd believed in her. She'd even place second at a "Bully Buddies" picnic for amateur Rally obedience. She'd come so far, but sadly, she never did get the idea of boundaries. She would often take off and running as soon as she was unleashed. She was a reservation dog, not one who had been taught about traffic or property lines. The world was her playground, so I couldn't let her play in any unfenced areas or anywhere near traffic. Sadly, one day, at dusk, we were at a dog park and she bolted through an open gate. Someone had forgotten to close it and in the dark, I had missed it. She ran straight out into the street and was killed instantly. I remember the look on her face, so happy as she took off toward my parents house...she died smiling. I was so grateful that it was quick and that she didn't suffer.

So this is my ode to Shadow...I miss you my girl.

PS: Please people close the gates when you leave the dog park!

Anxiety

Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure:

Please remember: It is a GOOD THING that a dog shows you that he is anxious or uncomfortable, rather than going straight to a bite. Never punish a dog for showing that he wants to be left alone by growling, leaving the situation or demonstrating more subtle signs. If you punish a dog for growling or breaking a stay to get way from a situation you might suppress the warning or avoidance behavior and he might just bite without warning first the next time. The dog still feels exactly the same way about the thing that is bothering him, but now he has no way to show it and no way out of the situation.

Be glad if your dog gives a warning to person that make it anxious and take steps to modify the behavior of the individuals, condition the dog to enjoy the interaction and create safe spaces for both dog and human.

Signs of Anxiety:
These signs indicate that your dog is uncomfortable with the current situation and there is a need for intervention to prevent pushing the dog to the point of biting, and to make sure your canine friend is happy and not feeling anxious.


One Paw Raised:
This is very cute but the dog is not happy and does not want to be petted or bothered.


Half Moon Eye:
The dog just wants to be left alone. Watch for this one when kids are mauling the dog. This is a common expression in dogs that being hugged. If you see the half moon eye when the people approach the dog or are interacting with the dog, it's time to intervene and give them all something else to do.


Displacement Behaviors:
Displacement behaviors are normal behaviors displayed out of context. They indicate conflict and anxiety. The dog wants to do something, but he is suppressing the urge to do it. He displaces the suppressed behavior with something else such as a lick or a yawn. For example, you are getting ready to go out and the dog hopes to go too. He is not sure what will happen next. He wants to jump on you or run out the door, but instead he yawns. The uncertainty of the situation causes conflict for the dog and the displacement behaviors are a manifestation of that conflict.

Some examples of displacement behaviors include:
yawning when not tired
licking chops without the presence of food
sudden scratching when not itchy
sudden biting at paws or other body part
sudden sniffing the ground or other object
wet dog shake when not wet or dirty

These are all things that dogs do anyway. It is important to look at the context to determine whether the dog is feeling anxious. For example: if it is bedtime and the dog gets up, stretches, yawns and goes to her bed, then that yawn was not a displacement behavior. If the kids are hugging the dog or lying on him and he yawns or starts licking at them over and over then this is displacement. He wants to get up and leave or even to bite, but he displaces that with yawning or licking them or himself. In this context the licking or yawning behavior tells you that the dog is uncomfortable with whatever the kids are doing and it is time for you to intervene. You must then either prevent the kids from doing this in the future or use positive training techniques to teach the dog to enjoy (not just tolerate) these actions from the kids.

Avoidance Behaviors:
Sometimes dogs are more overt when they feel anxious and want to remove themselves from a situation. Please don't force a dog to stay in situation in which he feels anxious, especially if children are the source of his anxiety. Here are some examples:

the dog gets up and leaves an uncomfortable situation (he may bite rather than leaving one of these days)
turning head away
hiding behind person or object
barking and retreating
the dog rolls over on back in submissive way (please don't hurt me!)

Other Body Language Signs of Anxiety:
tail between legs
tail low and only the end is wagging
tail between legs and wagging
tail down or straight for curly-tailed dog (husky, malamute, pug, chow chow, spitz-type dogs etc.)
ears sideways for erect eared dog
ears back and very rapid panting
dog goes into another room away from you and urinates or defecates

Note: All dogs should have a safe place, such as a crate or mat that they can go to when they want to be left alone.