Why Does My Dog Do That?
Best friend got you baffled? The Purina PetCare team have the answers, with selected Star Questions winning a free bonio prize and an answer from leading authority on animal behaviour, Peter Neville. Click on each question to reveal the answer.
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Your Questions. Expert Answers.
Don't panic, this habit (called coprophagia) is exhibited by many dogs. There are numerous theories as to why dogs do this, though none is conclusive. Some experts think dogs may eat faeces to top up their vitamin intake! Others have suggested that it's an expression of fear or anxiety, or that it's an attempt to cover up their mistakes for fear of punishment. Some young dogs may learn this behaviour from watching their mothers - bitches eat the faeces of their pups to keep the nest area clean.
There are several possible solutions:
- The Pineapple Method. Put small chunks of fresh pineapple in your dog's food (note - large pieces will induce vomiting). This gives faeces a bitter taste.
- The Courgette Method. Cook some courgettes until soft in a little olive oil. A batch can be made and stored in the fridge. With each meal, give 1-2tsp to small dogs and up to 1 tablespoon for large dogs.
- Bait faecal material with a foul-tasting substance. But be prepared - your dog may develop a liking for this!
- Restrict access to faecal material. Clean up after your dog.
- Reward good behaviour with a tasty treat. bonio, of course!
- Provide a wide variety of chew toys and increase quality time with your dog.
- Increase the number of feeds (not the amount of food) during the day, so your dog doesn't seek food elsewhere.
Barking is normal for dogs, but it can be distressing for owners and neighbours.When dogs bark, they're protecting their territory and sending out a warning to other members of the 'pack' that there may be an intruder. Shouting at your pooch will do no good - he'll probably think you're joining in! Giving barking dogs any attention, whether by feeding, patting or trying to calm them will be seen as a reward for being noisy.
The answer, bizzarely, is to teach your dog to bark on command! This will give you more control as it enables you to teach a 'quiet' command as well.
Stimulating your dog to bark and pairing it with a 'speak' command can do this. Many repetitions will allow the dog to associate barking with the command. As the barking begins to subside, give the dog a 'quiet' command. As soon as your dog is quiet you can then give a reward. (bonio is perfect)!
In some cases it may be necessary to show your dog the treat to stop the barking. The treat is then taken away, the command reissued and the treat given. Silence is golden, crunchy and bonio - shaped!
For further advice on this subject, contact the Purina PetCare Team.
This is a sign of submissive behaviour. Submissive urination is most often seen in young dogs, particularly females, but usually ceases as the puppy gains confidence in a stable human family.The key to treating submissive urination is to keep greetings brief and calm. Excited entrances and exits may worsen the problem. The following should also help:
- Avoid direct eye contact when greeting your dog - they can find it threatening!
- Try not to pat your dog on the head during greeting. Patting can trigger submissive patterns as it is a subtle form of asserting 'dominance' over a dog, however well-meant.
- Crouch or kneel when you greet your dog so that you present a less intimidating figure.
- Let your dog approach you rather than moving towards your dog. This will be less menacing and will allow your dog to greet you at its own pace.
- Punishment is not advisable. It will only aggravate the problem and make your dog more anxious and more likely to urinate submissively.
