Our dogs are our friends but sometimes they have weird dog ways. Why does our dog love to drink the water from the toilet? And why does he eat his own excrement? Why does he roll himself through all kinds of dirty things? Why is he nibbling on dirty underwear? Why does he scratch your cushions or seats before settling down? Often all these weird and dirty habits are remnants of prehistoric times or their time as a puppy. So it is a matter of instinct. Understanding dog manners and how to unlearn them.
Understanding and unlearning dog manners
Many people regard their dog as a human being, as equal. But they are not. They have their own canine manners and weird habits. Habits that date back to the time when they lived in the wild. Or they were taught by their mom when they were pups. You better get rid of some of these dirty habits.
Dog drinks from toilet
Why does my dog keep drinking from the toilet? Simple, the water from the toilet is clean. After all, every time you go to the toilet, you pull through. The fresh water is full of oxygen, is nice and fresh and clear. It also stays cool longer thanks to the porcelain of the toilet. So your dog prefers this water to the lukewarm, soggy water that has been in his drinking bowl all day. Is it healthy? No, not really, because toilet water often contains residues of chemicals that you used to clean your toilet. Not to mention toilet blocks. So watch out and for the safety of your dog close the toilet lid every time or close the door of the toilet or bathroom!
Dog eats feces
Causes of Coprophagy
Coprophagy or eating feces can have many causes. Below you will find the main ones.
Nesting behavior
Females lick their puppies’ poo to teach pee and poo behavior. They often eat the feces afterwards. Puppies sometimes adopt that behavior. If they are taken out of the nest too early, the bitch has not yet had the chance to unlearn this behavior. So your puppy will keep doing it until you change his mind.
Seek attention
When dogs get bored or don’t get enough attention from the owner, they can also develop this behavior. After all, Baasje thinks this is very dirty and comes running. And the dog is satisfied, because the owner is busy with him. Negative attention is also attention, the dog seems to think.
Cleanliness
When dogs are in a confined space or when their premises are not kept tidy, dogs will turn to cleaning up the mess themselves. And so they also eat the feces they encounter.
Potty training
The urge to eat poo can also arise during toilet training. After all, there are people who put their nose through the poo with their nose when it has dropped a package in the house. Usually with a lot of trouble. The puppy will then adopt the habit of quickly eating his poo, in such a way that the owner does not start shouting and ranting and that he does not have to go through it with his nose.
Eating pattern
This habit can also arise through eating habits. In other words, in dogs that are not fed enough and then try to find their nutrients elsewhere. Either in dogs that only get one meal a day or get too much at once. In that case, dogs will eat poo out of boredom or to have something to chew on.
Unlearn coprophagy
How can you stop your dog from this nasty habit? Here too, various remedies are possible.
Diversion
When you go for a walk and your dog wants to eat his poo, distract him by throwing a stick or ball. You can then clean up the poo in the meantime.
Reward
When the dog has done its business, give it a dog treat or a treat. This way you also have time to clean up the poo.
Feeding
Give the dog small amounts of dog food several times a day, so that he does not search for poo for boredom or to supplement his diet.
Make poo dirty
It often also helps if you sprinkle or sprinkle the poo with something that is harmless to the health of the dog, but tastes very bad to him. Lemon juice or pepper, for example.
Supplements
You can also add certain nutrients to the diet. Brewer’s yeast or iron tablets might help. Pineapple also seems to have an effect. Fresh pineapple is said to contain a substance that would deter dogs from eating poo. This substance is destroyed when the pineapple is heated. Canned pineapple is therefore not suitable. Giving a few small pieces of fresh pineapple every day could also be a solution.
Dog rolls through dirty things
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum. Flavors and colors are not discussed. This also applies here. What smells good to us, does not smell good to our dog and vice versa. So if your dog finds a dead bird or other mess, he will be happy to push his nose in or even better start rolling around. The survival aspect of the dog also plays a role in this. When it rolls over due to dirt, the dog no longer smells of predator and can confuse its prey in that way. Although our dogs no longer have to hunt for food themselves, their instincts still do its job.
Dog likes to sniff and nibble on dirty laundry
why the dog loves your dirty laundry so much? The answer to this is simple. The dirty laundry carries your scent. And dogs just love to surround themselves with the scent of their owner. So make a litter with dirty underwear or give it a good suck. Which then immediately satisfies their need to chew. Usually it also gives rise to a game afterwards. After all, the owner does not like this at all and will try to take the garment away. Fun! Boss wants to play! The solution to this problem is very simple: make sure that the dog cannot reach the dirty laundry. And give him a toy that he can nibble on and throw with.