My friend Katherine has a very cute Beagle and it has been with her since 2 years. One day I get a call from Katherine, she sounded a bit shocked but was more confused: she wanted to know why dogs eat their own poop.
That particular morning she found her Beagle eating her own poop in the garden area and Katherine was obviously shocked to see that happen.
She did not know what to do and who to ask for advice and then she recollected me having the same kind of problem with my Pomerian, and called me.
We talked for more than 1 hour; half of that time went in convincing Katherine that she need not be worried and confused. It took me some time to first convince her that the habit of a dog eating his/her poop is anything but unusual; from the dog’s perspective.
And also that there are a good number of remedies which if implemented should help her dog get rid of the poop eating habit.
If you too want to know why dogs eat their own poop?
There are many reasons why dogs eat their own poop (or that of other animals), here 3 of them:
#1 History explaining why dogs eat their own poop
Some few thousand years ago humans had began to embrace a civilized life, they began to stay connected, formed groups and lived together, they even began to share things and tasks.
It was around that time that the Dogs became part of the ‘Human’s civilized group’. Dogs were the first domesticated animals and to this day retain the position as the most loyal of all the animals man has ever had. Dogs are also known to be the man’s companion and ‘watchmen’.
The food for the dogs during the time they were being domesticated by men consisted of anything and everything that was waste for humans. It consisted of the litter that the humans left behind and threw as dump.
It was in such a situation that dogs began to cultivate the habit of eating anything around the human camps and that included the feces of humans too!
In short it’s very natural for a dog to eat his poop.
#2 Hunger and Diet
Sometimes it so may happen that dog owners forget to feed our dogs on time and this over a period of time could lead our dogs to cultivate the habit of eating anything that is lying around.
Do you remember the dog that puts his head into the trash bin to search for food?
To our disgust or disappointment our dogs could start to eat their own poop or that of the other domesticated animals living around our area of residence.
Nutrition requirement is very important for the dog and believe it or not the dogs do find some nutrients in their poop and even in the poop of other domesticated animals.
#3 Behavioral Learning
Some dogs cultivate the habit of eating poop from their mothers while they are young. When the young pups relieve (poop) themselves in the kennel, the mother dog eats the feces of the pups for two reasons:
- One as part of the ‘cleanliness’ process
- Two, to ward of danger from the other animals around (the animals are attracted by the smell of the poop)
The pups observe this behavioral pattern of the mother dog and later develop the habit of eating their own poop.
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I believe you are now clearer on why dogs eat their own poop and the history behind the behavior. If You do wish to know more on this, Please Click Here