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 Coprophagia
(sometimes called coprophagy, or poop-eating) is a pretty disgusting
habit that fortunately only some Mastiffs indulge in. It
seems to be "one of those things" as far as Mastiffs
go: a behavior that defies logic and scientific study, and mystifies
Mastiff trainers and veterinarians around the world. Many,
if not most, Mastiffs will eat the feces of other animals
(particularly other dogs, cats, sheep, and horses) with gusto
whenever the opportunity presents itself. It's a very common
behavior in Mastiffs, but not particularly well understood.
The simple truth is that nobody really knows why some Mastiffs
will make a beeline for a pile of poop that's lying on the grass.
It's natural for Mastiffs wanting to sniff the poop - almost
all Mastiffs will do this, since the depositor's anal glands
have left a kind of Post-It note there for other Mastiffs
to "read" and it's just as natural (seemingly) for
some Mastiffs to want to consume these little signposts.
It's just that we don't really know why they do it.
Actually eating the feces seems to be a matter of personal
preference, from Mastiff to Mastiff: some Mastiffs
derive great satisfaction from consuming poop, whereas other
Mastiffs appear to be simply more fastidious by nature.
There are several popular theories about the causes of this
strange habit: - A Mastiff that eats poop is doing so in
order to supplement his own, nutritionally-deficient diet. He
is not getting enough vitamins from the food he's given in his
own home, so he chooses to eat the poop of other animals (usually
dogs and cats) in the hope that there may be some residual nutrition
available for him to sponge up the second time around. This is
a faintly plausible theory, apart from the fact that studies
have been conducted on Mastiffs suffering from malnutrition
and well-nourished Mastiffs with a clean bill of health:
and the incidence of cophrophagia among both groups was virtually
identical.
The behavior may be derived from the carnivorous/scavenging
heritage of our Mastiffs. When carnivores make a kill, they
typically consume the entire carcass of the animal -- everything
from the actual flesh to sinews and tendons to "offal",
which includes the stomach, digestive tract, and its contents
(poop). It's been suggested by some that coprophagia is
a simple and natural extension of this instinctive behavior.
It may be related to boredom or stress. The particulars of this
theory are hazy, but essentially, bored or stressed Mastiffs
-- such as those that spend too much time on their own, those
that lead understimulated, underexercised lives, and those that
are excluded from family life and adequate human attention and
affection often succumb to strange and compulsive habits, like
pulling out their own fur, spinning in circles for hours on end,
and (theoretically, at least) poop eating. In other words, a
Mastiff will eat poop simply because there's nothing
else for him to do. Internal parasites, such as worms, may be
leaching nutrients and calories from the Mastiff's stomach
and digestive tract. Typically, a Mastiff with worms will
have a voracious appetite (even more so athan usual!) and will
consume all the food that he has access to.
In more advanced cases, an infested Mastiff will turn
to technically-edible substances (such as poop), which he would
not normally consider appetizing, to fill the gap. Improperly
housetrained Mastiffs sometimes eat their own poop in an
attempt to conceal the "crime" from their owners and
thus avoid detection. This is especially true of Mastiffs
whose owners tend to punish them for housetraining mistakes,
whether out of impatience/frustration or because they believe
that the Mastiff is somehow doing it to "spite"
them.
A Mastiff that's pooping inappropriately indoors
either has not been housetrained correctly, in which case the
accidents are not his fault; or the reason is medical in nature.
To rule the latter out, the Mastiff should be taken for a
check-up at the vet (particularly if the indoor defecation has
started suddenly and without warning).
Nursing female Mastiffs eat the poop of their puppies
as a means of keeping the den area clean, and of hiding the existence
of her pups from potential predators. It's thought by some
that one of the reasons that coprophagia is so commonplace in
puppies, especially because they're emulating the behavior
of their mother. Clearly, theories abound on the subject. Unfortunately,
most of them lack merit: the simple truth is that, although we
can guess as much as we like as to the reasons that our Mastiffs
willingly and enthusiastically ingest poop pretty much whenever
the opportunity presents itself, nobody knows with any degree
of certainty as to why they do it.
Although it's nearly impossible to "cure" a
Mastiff with a taste for poop of this socially unacceptable
habit, here is a short list of tips for coping with the behavior
and minimizing it as much as possible:
1. Clean up the poop in your own backyard as soon as the Mastiff
toilets. If he doesn't have access to it, he can't
eat it and it'll save you from dealing with the flies, the
odor, and the eventuality of someone treading in it.
2. Teach your Mastiff the "leave it" command
for those times when you want to be able to walk him off-lead.
Reliable obedience in the "leave it" makes off-lead
walks a real pleasure (and it's a lot safer for your Mastiff
too. The usefulness of "leave it" applies to things
like herbicide, snail bait, and broken glass as well as poop!).
3. You can try booby-trapping the poop in the backyard with
things like Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, but this seems like
a great deal of (rather disgusting) trouble to go to when you
could just pick the poop up.
In addition to the natural deterrent of having to repeatedly
handle specimens of Mastiff turds, reports of success from
this technique are pretty erratic in most cases, it seems that
a Mastiff bent on coprophagy isn't going to be put off
by a brief burning sensation in his mouth.
4. There are substances you can buy from pet stores and vet
clinics which, when put into the Mastiff's food (or
the food of the household pet whose poop he's eating) makes
the poop smell and taste very unappealing to Mastiffs. One
such product is called "For-Bid". You can experiment
with adding natural deterrents such as a few tablespoonfuls of
canned pumpkin or pineapple, or fresh grated zucchini --
to your Mastiff's meals. Again, anecdotal evidence suggests
that most Mastiffs will readily eat these substances, but
that their presence in poop makes it unpalatable.
For Further Information For more information on bewildering
canine behaviors -- what they are, how to recognize them,
why they happen, and what to do about them -- check out Secrets
to Dog Training. Written by an experienced Mastiff-trainer,
it's packed with useful and valuable information on training
your Mastiff and coping with problematic behaviors. No responsible
Mastiff-owner should be without a copy! |
Ultimate
House Training Guide
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