Dog Feces and Why Dogs Eat It –
Learning About Coprophagia

Coprophagia is a condition in which your Standard Poodle will eat its own feces. This is a very common condition, especially in puppies. Most all dogs do it, whether it is their own or that of another animal, such as a cat. Dogs are really fond of cat feces for one reason or another. Why is it so attractive to your dog? Well, it is very similar to what they are fed from their mother.

Through research, there has been many things found that could be the reason for Coprophagia. While there is no evidence of one specific reason, it could be the result of a combination of reasons. For example, if the dog is simply looking for your attention, he or she may act out in this way. If the dog has just been punished for some reason or has an overload of stress or anxiety, they may eat it as a way of calming themselves.

If the dog has gone to the bathroom in your home before and was punished, they may eat it as an attempt to hide their mess, so they do not become punished again. Other reasons may be boredom, cleanliness, curiosity, protection from other predators, health problems, and hunger. At the same time, while we find it disgusting, it could result in some added health issues in your pet, such as worms and diseases. Whatever the reason, there are many steps you can take to stop the actions and prevent them in the future.

The following are some steps you can take to prevent coprophagia in your Standard Poodle.

Health

Keeping your dog up to date on all of their vaccination can help prevent the spread of disease to and from another dog, while you take efforts to stop them from eating feces. You should also make sure that you visit the vet for regular worming as well. This keeps the dog healthy and helps prevent some diseases that could lead to coprophagia.

Find out if your dog has any medical conditions that may be contributing to this action. If so, taking care of the medical problems could prevent him or her from eating feces of any type.

Meals

It is important that you feed your dog a nutritious and well balanced meal. If you find that your dog is hungry almost constantly, you might want to feed them twice daily. In some cases, if they are hungry they will turn to eating feces. Therefore, if you feed them twice a day, maybe dividing up the regular amount into two, you may prevent coprophagia.

You also might want to put some additives into the meal, such as pumpkin, spinach, or pineapple. If these are evident in the feces it will prevent any dog from eating it, simply because it seems to make it taste bad to the dog.

Cleanliness

Making sure, if your dog does have an accident in the house, or if you take him or her out into the yard, that you clean up the area after they go to the bathroom. By making sure the area is clean of all feces, you can prevent it from being an issue.

Command and Control

Teaching certain commands or associating coprophagia with negatives may help you as well. Commands such as "off", if taught properly, will help you in getting the dog away from the it to begin with. Prong or choke collars may work well also, if you use them as training. The goal is to make the action of eating feces negative, so they will associate an action with their action.

Pet Products

Your local pet store may have some solutions for you as well. There are several products that can help prevent coprophagia, such as Deter or Forbid. You might want to check into these and give them a try, to see if you have any success with these as well.

Knowing what coprophagia is allows you to better control it within your own Standard Poodle. We hope these tips have provided you with the necessary tools to stop the act.

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