Lil Back Bracer

Why Does My Dog... Roll in Poop? Eat Poop? Kick Grass After Pooping?

By vetstreet.com

By Dr. Patty Khuly
Why Does My Dog... Roll in Poop?

Just because a dog has 25 times as many olfactory receptors as a human doesn't mean he has a superior idea of what smells good.

Pungent as they are, animal feces - especially those of wild mammals like raccoons, badgers and bears - clearly offer dogs a scent sensation they relish.

Our dogs probably can't fathom why we scream when they come home smelling like, well, poop, but there may be some biological rationale for the disgusting tendency.

It has been suggested that dogs may be predisposed to this behavior in order to mask their own scent, so they can throw predators off their trail and prey off their game.

Here's another thought: Maybe he's rolling in it to prove to you, his beloved, how impressive he can smell when he really works at it.

Why Does My Dog... Eat Poop?

Dog eats poop. Pet owner gags. Dog eats poop again. Pet owner runs screaming from the room.

Yes, it's disgusting. Yes, it's potentially unhealthy. And, yes, it's fairly common in the animal world.

A pup will eat his own poop for a number of reasons:

• He thinks it smells and tastes good. (Dogs are notoriously poor arbiters of taste.)
• He's hungry.
• He may be missing key nutrients in his diet or suffer malabsorption.
• He likes to keep his territory or bedding clean.
• He has fun playing with it. (This is especially true for dogs that are mouthy.)
• He's bored.
• He knows that removing the evidence means no punishment for inappropriate elimination.
• He knows that fewer predators will give him grief if there is no physical evidence of his having been around.

There may be other reasons for routine coprophagy, as the condition is known. It can be hard to figure out why a dog chooses to eat poop, but if the problem persists, ask your veterinarian about a remedy for this habit. What veterinarians do know is that it is normal behavior for a wide variety of species - even if humans are revolted by the very idea.

Why Does My Dog... Kick Grass After Pooping?

Is your yard a hole-filled mess because your dog does the poopy dance every time she goes?

This may be annoying to those of us who cherish the sight of a well-tended lawn, but it's a normal behavior.

In the wild, canines such as wolves, dingoes and foxes may kick the ground after elimination for sanitary reasons. They are simply covering up the mess. But the behavior is also a way to mark territory. All dogs have glands in their feet that secrete pheromones, and a couple of backward scratches into the earth releases those chemicals.

But if you're mad that your dog is destroying your grass, there is a solution. Take her for a walk around the block twice a day instead.