Why does my dog eat his poop?

Denise Vir

Lately I've been punishing my dog for pooping on the carpet and he gets really scared. I set some pee pads for dogs on the floor for him to poop on but he avoids it. So in the night I see two poops in different spots and in the morning they're either moved on the pee pad (and it wasn't there when I saw it) or they're gone. So I'm guessing he does that because he's scared I'm going to get mad at him. I think he eats his own poop. Is it normal? How serious is it? Help!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

8. Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. If you punish your dog for pooping, he might eat it to stop you from getting angry.

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.

10. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, they'll eat poop as an experiment. They don't know better.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 a wonderful opportunity for your dog to interact with you, although it is because of negative attention.

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.

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.

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.

My dog has a busted leg. What do I do?

Jesler

My dog hurt his leg and can't walk. I've thought about taking him to the vet but my parents can't because i'm leaving for vacation in a week. In that time, my dog is supposed to go to a Kennel. But he's not allowed to go if he has recently been to a vet. (the Kennel wants to make sure my dog doesn't catch anything from the vet that spreads to the other animals).

My parents have already thought about putting him down because he can't walk outside to pee or pooh, and can't move. He's hurt his leg before but it got better. I'm afraid it's much worse now. Someone please help, I don't want to have my dog put down :'(
i can't really take him to the vet because we can't move him out of the house into the car.
and he tries biting us when we go near his leg :(
and when my dog hurt his leg before, we did take him to the vet and they told us it costs $1500 for surgery to repair his leg. and then addition 6 weeks for recovery. and i'm also going to a wedding in mexico within a month that cannot be halted :( and i live in city with not many options for pet care
not gunna lie this is worst situation ever. it's not that my parents are neglecting my dog. we want to take him the vet but, but we seriously cannot move him without hurting him. and we cant really cancel the vacation because we already paid for everything and it's for my brother's soccer tournament (men's league). and there is no way i can put my dog down! he's not even that old!! :'(
my dog is 8 years old. i grew up with him when i was a small kid. the thought of putting him down does not go right with me. he's not even suffering as bad as you think. He whines to go outside, but becomes happy when i'm with him petting him. thanks for your help everyone. i'll talk to my parents tomorrow morning(it's 1:48am) and tell them about the possible options you've all given me
omg people i'm not making excuses. i have one vacation to my bro's soccer trip, and another in august for my sister's wedding. and for fuck sakes my dog hurt his leg yesterday at like 5pm! we gave him some pain killers so he's fine for now! i'm going to talk to my parents when they wake up.

Answer
Either take him to the vet, or put the poor dog out of it's misery

You can't take him to the vet because YOU need to go on vacation? Selfish much? Unless it's your wedding, then you don't need to be there. Cancel the vacation and get the dog the care it needs, or take it in to be euthanized before you head off to have fun.

If you don't have a muzzle in the house, find a belt or long piece of material... wrap it around the dog's muzzle to create a make shift muzzle so it can't bite you (you can google makeshift dog muzzle... pick the dog up and TAKE IT TO THE VET. The boarding kennel isn't going to allow a dog with a serious injury either, so that's just a stupid reason not to take it to get care.

Not getting a dog the care it needs when injured is a FELONY animal abuse. So either have the dog killed, or get it care. $1500 is not that much for surgery for a dog.

EDIT: MUZZLE THE DOG AND TAKE IT TO A VET. You said in one message you can't go because of a wedding in Mexico, now it's your brother's soccer thing... so if you broke your leg, would you rather your parents just left you on the floor in pain, or would you want to see a doctor and get a cast... YOU ARE CAUSING THE DOG MORE PAIN BY LETTING SUFFER THAN YOU WOULD MOVING IT TO GET IT TO A VET.

He's not suffering? He can't move or walk, but you think that's okay... Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself to make yourself feel better about leaving a dog in pain...

The thought of putting him down doesn't sit right with you, but leaving him to suffer with what I'm assuming is torn ligaments... that's fine?

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Could anyone help me with plans for building a dog house?

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lil joker

I have a rottweiler puppy, and i was looking forward to building a dog house. I would like some help with any detailed plans to accommodate a rottweiler at it's adult size. Does not have to be anything to special just something to get the dog by the weather of South Texas.

Answer
This kennel will accommodate a large dog but is still suitable for smaller dogs.
The kennel is constructed out of 1x6 stock (treated lumber) for the floor and roof, 2x2 stock for the framing, 2x2 stock (treated lumber) for the under floor skids and one sheet of 48" x 96" x 3/8" thick exterior type plywood from which the walls are cut.

Note 1. About pressure treated lumber
Do not use treated lumber on any parts the dog may chew. Pressure treated lumber (PT) contains preservatives that can be toxic to your dog.
In this project we have opted to use pressure treated lumber for the roof, floor and skids, as it is unlikely the dog will chew these parts. The walls and inside framing are of untreated lumber, as these are the parts a dog is most likely to gnaw.
If you have any reservations and/or a dog that chews everything in sight, then use untreated lumber for the entire kennel. However if you opt to do this, remember that all untreated lumber exposed to the weather (excepting lumber that has a natural resistance to rot or decay) must be well sealed and painted to prevent moisture uptake and prolong the life of the lumber.

Note 2. The plywood
Exterior plywood has a waterproof, phenolic or melamine glue line, referred to as WBP - water boil proof.
If the exterior plywood is neither pressure treated nor made from a durable rot-resistant wood, then the plywood will also need to be sealed and painted to prevent moisture uptake and prolong its life.

Note 3. Painting
Untreated lumber should be painted using Wood Primer, Enamel Undercoat and Super Gloss Enamel. When dried the paint would be non-toxic to dogs chewing, but any damage taking the paint system back to bare wood would eventually allow water and increase the danger that the lumber may eventually begin to rot.

Construction details


Cutting list......
ITEM No.MATERIAL / SIZEAMOUNT AND LENGTHDESCRIPTION
(1) 2x2 treated stock3 @ 48"Under floor skids
(2)1x6 treated stock8 @ 31-1/4"floor
(3)2x2 stock4 @ 31-1/4"Top and bottom plates for front and rear wall frames.
(4)2x2 stock8 @ 14"front and rear wall frame studs
(5)2x2 stock2 @ 44"Side wall top plates
(6)&(8)1 sheet 48" x 96" x 3/8" thick exterior type plywood.cutting dimensions as per pattern belowwall cladding
(7)2x2 stock6 @ 22" (long point) with 45deg angle cut each endRafters. see cutting dimensions in diagram below
(9)1x6 treated stock10 @ 60"Roofing boards
Step one
Pre-cut all the skids, flooring, plates, studs and rafters to the lengths as stated above and cut the plywood wall panels from the plywood sheet to the pattern as shown on the diagram below.


Step two
Fix the 8 floorboards (#2) to the three under floor skids (#1) with 3" galvanized nails. Ensure the finished floor dimensions are 31-1/4" x 48". The three under floor skids should be evenly spaced with two each side and one in the middle.

Step three
Nail the front and rear frames comprising of top and bottom plates (#3) and studs (#4) together. Overall frame dimensions of both front and rear frame should be 18" high and 31-1/4" wide. Ensure the placement of the intermediate studs allow enough of a gap (12") for the doorway. See diagrams for reference. Stand and fix the front and rear frames in place at each end of the floor.

Step four
Fix the 2 sidewall top plates (#5) in place. See diagrams for reference.

Step five
Fix the wall panels (#6,#8) to the frames using 2" galvanized flathead nails.


Step six
Fix the rafters (#7) in place.

Step seven Fix the 10 roofing boards (#9) (5 each side) to the rafters beginning with the lowest board. The roof boards are 60" long and the kennel is 48" long, therefore the roof boards should overhang each end of the kennel by 6". The first roofing board should overhang the sidewalls by 1" to 2". Fix the rest of the roofing boards in place checking that all overlaps are even.

how do you get your dog to stop jumping over our back yard fence?

brianna m

My dog can jump really high. if you leave her alone she will jump on the backyard brick wall and jump in to the street. we lock here but she chews throw the collar! i need help

Answer
My dog can jump really high too but he better not be jumping over your back yard fence... where do you live (smiles)

Maybe you will have to place an electric fence up... She is dog that needs a kennel run - for her own safety and for your peace of mind... make sure it is built with concrete flooring and very strong wired kennel materials... Our one dog chewed a big hole right thru the chain linked fence when he was still young...

good luck
H.O.T. Dog
Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's
Member U.S.A- MSSV - A.W.D.F

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I want to build a small, cheap, and relatively Earth-friendly home...?

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trey

do you know the best way for me to do this? I don't have much knowledge or experience in terms of building... I am used to being in the office more than construction...

I would appreciate any non-judgemental input!
If the environment impacts the effectiveness or suitability, I live in temperate Southeast U.S.

Answer
Hi Trey,
First, get out of the office and look. Check out every building site, every home, even every barn or garage.
Check out the areas that you might like to build. Which suburb, which state? What are the necessities of the building. Is it freezing cold for 9 months of the year, or is it in the middle of the desert with 50 deg C days and 2 deg C nights?
Start making lists of what you require in a small home. 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. List all of your requirements. Also keep a check on what you actually like. From designs and floorplans to building materials, to wall and window styles. EVERYTHING!!!
How much maintenance do you want to do in the future? Minimal maintenance is usually brick whereas mudbrick or strawbale require a reasonable amount of maintenance to keep them up to scratch.
If you want to owner build, start getting some experience. Every time you see someone building ANYTHING ask if you can help. This will also allow you to evaluate your skills that would help you decide if you can or actually want to build it yourself.
Go to your local library and borrow every book you can on architecture, building, self-sufficency, environmentally friendly building.
As you read more and evaluate your own skills you may well find your tastes change.
Surf the net. There is an absolutly incredible amount of info there. More than enough to get you started. If you live in an area (I am in Australia and there isnt anywhere the building code doesnt cover) where your building code doesnt need to be followed or you dont need approval there is enough info on the net to get you started and well and truly finished.
If you want to use recycled materials, find somewhere to start storing them. Be really critical of what you buy. There really isnt any point in collecting 30 beautiful doors if you only need 3.
Build something small. Start with a dog kennel - give it away if you dont have a dog. If you enjoy it great, if you hate it and dont finish then maybe owner building isnt for you.
I should clarify that here, owner building doesnt have to mean doing everything yourself. You can still contract out all of the work, it just means that you are not paying for someone else to organise the work being done.
Check out some of the kit home web sites. There is some fantastic small homes available. You dont have to order one, but its great to be able to see what the floor plan actually looks like in reality. There is some big difference in what is called small.
Given you lack of experience in building I would imagine the task is daunting, but there is a load of help out there, there is also many places that offer hands on training. Many books and websites offer a wealth of practical information. Much is written in basic terms.
Check out secondhand book shops, you may find some really helpful stuff.
Start saving money. You will need it in bucketloads. Small homes dont have to cost a lot, but they still cost.
Dont let your inexperience put you off. There is no reason why enthusiasm, ingenuity and self belief can not see you thru.
Good Luck
Jo

New German Shepherd owner, what can I expect?

Metallichi

I've recently acquired a beautiful female, 10 months old, but she needs work. I've read that I need to be very stern with my girl because of the nature of her breed. I've been walking her and slowly trying to get her to not chase my 2 old cats. She has free reign in the backyard, lots of toys, but she needs to learn to settle down in the house.
What should I expect from her in the next year or so?

Answer
10 months is not the ideal age for a newbie to take on a pup - that is traditionally when under-trained pooches perform in much the same obnoxious ways as do rebellious human teenagers. If she & you ARE under-trained you might get a week before she starts testing out your "boundaries" - both territory boundaries and behaviour boundaries.
But if she has been well-bred and well-reared and YOU do your bit re sensible & consistent training you should have 11 to 14 happy, fun-filled years ahead of you.

I am, of course, assuming that you have been sensible enough to get your bit.ch from a breeder who uses only hip-&-elbow certificated stock and is confident enough to supply a printed & signed Guarantee stating what he/she will do if any of the genetic "unthinkables" happens. If not, all bets are off, and you will have to keep you fingers crossed..


Your phrasing "I need to be very stern with my girl" indicates that you are either a poor reader or you have been reading the WRONG material.
The genuine herding breeds (Border Collies, GSDs, Heading Dogs, Huntaways, Kelpies, Malinois) have been developed to WANT to please their human, and so are the easiest to train of all breeds. The next easiest-to-train category is the bird dogs.
Although I was an obedience instructor in my early days, I do very little formal training nowadays - my pups mimic their elders, and so for "household" type training I just reinforce them when they guess right, reprimand them when they guess wrong. As I said - GSDs are easy to train.

What you should be doing right now is using a light happy voice to praise your bit.ch every time she does something right. Two reinforcers always being more effective than one, whenever she is close enough you also reward her - the obvious rewards are a pat, a chest rub or ear-base massage or croup rub, a game, a tiny tidbit (sliver of cheese, peanut, sliver of hard-baked liver, etc).
When she does something that is absolutely forbidden, reprimand her - the deepest sternest growl you can manage. Suitable reinforcers for that are stamping your foot on the floor or "snapping" her lead or throwing something light to hit her - I emphasise the LIGHT - a balled up sock is fine, as the intention isn't to hurt her, just to startle her and make her think that you have an amazing retractable/extendible arm that can reach her where-ever she happens to be. Time your growl to start just as you stamp or as the object hits her or the lead "snaps".
The lead "snap" is easy to show, difficult to describe. I operate with a straight-link slip chain (aptly nicknamed a "choke chain", because Sod's Law explains that if it is left on an unsupervised pooch the trailing ring WILL catch on something and the chain WILL choke that pooch) and a flat leather or nylon leash. I choose a chain with links open enough for me to put the tongue of the horse-clip through so that I can, when appropriate, lock the slip-chain to whichever size I need and it cannot then tighten to choke nor loosen to slide off - important if I tether a pooch outside a shop.
To produce a "snap" you must first ensure that the lead goes totally slack; then you either use the lead to flick the chain or you pull suddenly so that the chain tightens and pulls the pooch off-balance. With a dog that pulls you need to coordinate your arm to produce that slackness - slowly haul the dog back so that there is very little lead between you and it, and your lead hand is close to your chest; then punch your hand into the direction the dog is going - the result is instant slack, albeit not for very long; but long enough to then "snap" it.

Now go visit every training class within driving range (if you need contacts, ring your Animal Control Officers; local vets probably know of some training groups; if you strike out on both sources, contact your country's Kennel Club) then book yourself into the club that has happy dogs and happy handlers. Although training is basically common sense, common sense is nowhere near as common as it should be, and so being in a club means that you get advice on your use of "the voices", your body language, your timing, your use of rewards & reprimands.

I suggest you also join a couple of the 300+ YahooGroups devoted to discussing various aspects of the GSD. When a group's name attracts your attention, click on its name to go to its Home Page. Once there:
⢠read its "mission statement" to see whether they are likely to discuss what you want to talk about (some groups let you look through their messages; others are more secretive), and
⢠scroll down to the Monthly Activity "calendar" to see how much "traffic" they tend to produce - you want neither a group that is "dead" nor one producing so much that you can't cope with the flood into your Mailbox.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
"In GSDs" as of 1967

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