Neighborhood in one apartment of a dog and a cat can be quite peaceful, but it can turn into a lot of problems. Many owners are wondering why a dog eats feline excrement. Let's try to understand the reasons for this strange behavior.
Why do dogs eat excrement?
Dogs often eat not only feline excrement, but also the excrement of other animals, and even their own. This phenomenon is called "coprophagy" and is considered more likely normal behavior for an animal in the wild than its absence. However, the fact that the dog eats its own or other people's feces can signal to the owner and that the animal lacks any vitamins and minerals, and he tries to compensate for this deficiency in such a way that is not too pleasant.
It is cat feces that can attract a dog because they contain a sufficiently large amount of protein, which is practically absent from canine feed. It must be remembered that the excess of proteins is harmful to the dog, and it is necessary to wean the pet from the bad habit.
Also, this behavior in the animal can form as a reaction to your actions: if you scold a puppy for piles left in the house, he can decide that it is necessary to destroy the "traces of crime" in order to avoid punishment.
How to disaccustom a dog is excrement?
Before weaning the dog from eating excrement, show it to the veterinarian and make sure that it does not have any intestinal diseases, as well as parasites (eg, worms). Consult about how and what you feed the dog: it may not have enough vitamins and the problem to be solved after they are introduced into the diet. Start feeding your dog more often, so that it is full by the time you walk.
If after this the dog continues to eat feces, use negative reinforcement: take it on the leash and stop all attempts to reach for someone else's feces. You can try to distract your pet with some game or focus his attention on some team.