So you have seen it!?!
Your dog eating dog poop and then you were shocked seeing that behavior. You went numb, you started to think :
Why dogs eat dog poop?
How in the world could my dog be eating its own feces?
Well, Welcome to the club! 5 years ago on one summer morning I found my cute Pomerian doing the same and believe me… I was shocked out my senses. It was unwatchable, I simply thought it was … Disgusting!
I began to ponder about this ‘weird’ behavior of my dog and started to research on the possible factors that caused my dog to resort to such an act.
After having gone through numerous accounts on such incidents from fellow dog owners and some research reports, I realized something very important – The dog eating dog poop is not unusual, not abnormal, nor is it even a disease, it simply is a very natural habit!!
One thing we must all understand that the act is not at all disgusting for the dog!
There are a few things we need to know so as to understand why dogs eat dog poop:
The Original Scavengers
Along with being one among the most domesticated animals, Dogs were also the original scavengers for humans.
They have it in them to ‘clean’ up any mess around them including dog poop!
Scavenging became their ‘occupation’ simply by the virtue the dogs being domesticated and in the process living with the humans.
Hunger and Nutrient Requirements
Dogs eating dog poop isn’t unnatural; in fact it’s quite the opposite! It may seem disgusting for us humans but more or less poop is one form of ‘food’ for a dog.
It especially is so, under certain circumstances where the dog is not fed properly and when there is no sufficient amount of nutrients available for the dog from its daily diet.
Behavioral Adaptations explaining why dogs eat dog poop
Some dogs develop this habit due to behavioral circumstances to which they are a subject to during their offspring stage (when they were pups).
Puppies ‘learn’ to eat dog poop from various life experiences ranging from watching their mother do the same to being confined in solitude for longer than desired periods of time to seeking the attention of the dog owner.
Medical Conditions
Some dogs resort to eating dog poop due to certain medical related problems like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, Intestinal Lymphosarcoma etc.
These are malabsorption syndromes, wherein a dog suffers from improper digestion or absorption of the diet the dog intakes. Malabsorption typically results in diarrhea, altered appetite, and weight loss.
The dogs would then try to take in nutrients they cannot absorb during the normal digestion process, through the consumption of its own feces. That can explain why dogs eat dog poop.
Stop your dog habit:
Now we have a better understanding of why dogs eat dog poop even though it may seem disgusting for us.
If you wish to know more about the same and prevent this behavior in your dog(s) – Click Here