The Official FC Pets & Animals thread

Dogs are naturally coprophiles. They are interested in feces and like to smell it. Some of them like to eat it and some like to roll in it. It's a natural dog behaviour. I don't think it's unnatural at all.

pakalolo said:

Dogs are naturally coprophiles. They are interested in feces and like to smell it. Some of them like to eat it and some like to roll in it. It's a natural dog behaviour. I don't think it's unnatural at all.

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Been doing a lot of research overnight, and i found a lot supporting this statement.

Turns out this is a much more common problem than I'd have thought. Dogs only become averse to feces as they get older, unless their dam taught them to avoid it when young, and i know Cyrus was taken away from his dam and placed with his sire too soon.
And there is a solid reason for it. Canids are some of the only mammals that do bird-like predigestion and regurgitation for their young in the wild, producing a pap that looks and smells a lot like feces. They are programmed to see it as positive in the first few months of life. We have not successfully bred that out universally yet.


Found some decent advice as well. Trying a couple of things - doubling dog-walker visits for a couple of weeks, controlling his feeding timing even more tightly, interactive toy in the crate rather than just chew toys.

arf777 said:

Been doing a lot of research overnight, and i found a lot supporting this statement.

Turns out this is a much more common problem than I'd have thought. Dogs only become averse to feces as they get older, unless their dam taught them to avoid it when young, and i know Cyrus was taken away from his dam and placed with his sire too soon.
And there is a solid reason for it. Canids are some of the only mammals that do bird-like predigestion and regurgitation for their young in the wild, producing a pap that looks and smells a lot like feces. They are programmed to see it as positive in the first few months of life. We have not successfully bred that out universally yet.


Found some decent advice as well. Trying a couple of things - doubling dog-walker visits for a couple of weeks, controlling his feeding timing even more tightly, interactive toy in the crate rather than just chew toys.

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You have a lot more courage than me, using the Googles to search for that kind of info.

arf777 said:

Back for more advice re the puppy. In the past 24 hours, he has shit inside right after being walked, pissed in his crate, then shat in his crate, where I found him apparently happily lying in his own shit and piss only a couple of hours after my dog walker had walked him. I have never had a puppy sit in their own crap before. When they'd gone in their crate, my previous guys had then sat as far away from it in the crate as possible. Not Cyrus. Hell, he shat in his own food dish.

I am starting to be very concerned. Even my dog walker, who found him in his own urine today, was troubled by how unbothered by it the pup was and how resistant he was to relieving himself while on his walk.

Is this normal for some puppies, and I have just gotten lucky before? I have never seen it before, but this is only the 4th puppy I've had to housebreak. But in a human, not being bothered by their own excrement can be a sign of a serious neurological problem. Has me very worried. Not to mention frustrated.

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Hi, i need a bit more info.
1-how old is he?
2-Where did he come from?
3-how often is he fed?
4-how long is he in the crate?

He's a 3 month, 3 week old OEBD, came from a breeder. The breeder had done nighttime crating, but had a fenced yard and a doggy door, so the pup had been used to going out whenever he felt the urge. I live in an apartment, no yard of my own, no pet door. He is fed twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, with multiple walks before crating; and he's been in the crate less than 4 hours each time this has happened. Interestingly, he has never done it while crated at night, which is often for 7 or 8 hours.

I'm starting to think some of it is protest to being crated and at home by himself (other than the cat). Because of my handicap, I work from home two or three days a week, and he isn't crated much at all those days, unless I have errands to run. When I am in my office, I have a dog walker come in the middle of the day. But it hasn't been very often, between the snow storms we had the 1st two weeks I had him, and my health the following week, i have been home more than normal. So this past week is the first time he's spent a decent amount of time in the crate during the day.

I have gotten him a hide-a-treat type toy, which I've been told can help. His crate is not too big for him - he's big, even for an OEBD his age - but tried to get a divider for it anyway. Looks like I need to order it online if I need it. I have used the same crate on two other OEBDs, from younger ages, and it was not too big for them.

It sounds like it "might" be his way of protesting being in the crate during the day.

The other problem is some dogs like to be smelly. Are you using a scented shampoo on him after he rolls in feces? What smells good to us if often very offensive to dogs , if you are using something scented , use unscented. If this continues, it might be time for a behaviorist.

The other thing to consider is attention seeking behavior . He's in the crate , you're doing something other than playing with him, if he rolls in feces or urine, he know's you'll take him out and clean him.

Is there any way to section off a place in the house that's safe for him to stay other than the crate?

He's still very young, he may just grow out of it. He's not fully toilet trained yet.

I

VaporsVaporizer said:

It sounds like it "might" be his way of protesting being in the crate during the day.

The other problem is some dogs like to be smelly. Are you using a scented shampoo on him after he rolls in feces? What smells good to us if often very offensive to dogs , if you are using something scented , use unscented. If this continues, it might be time for a behaviorist.

The other thing to consider is attention seeking behavior . He's in the crate , you're doing something other than playing with him, if he rolls in feces or urine, he know's you'll take him out and clean him.

Is there any way to section off a place in the house that's safe for him to stay other than the crate?

He's still very young, he may just grow out of it. He's not fully toilet trained yet.

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I have such horrific asthma, I never use anything scented. I use unscented baby wipes, plus a hypoallergenic bath bar, to bathe him.

I'm hoping he'll grow out of it. It does seem to be in part attention seeking - he peed on the floor today while I was talking to a neighbor and we were both ignoring the puppy.

I'm also trying to play with him more before crating, though when my breathing and pain are bad it can be hard. But getting him tired does seem to make a difference.

Been thinking about using my kitchen instead. My bathroom has too many nooks and crannies, but my kitchen is like a hallway with only one entrance. Unfortuantey there is no kitchen door, and it's Really hard to find a baby gate that'll keep a 30 lb OEBD in. Playing with using the crate as a door. He isn't strong enough to move it yet - though he will be in a few weeks.

arf777 said:

I



I have such horrific asthma, I never use anything scented. I use unscented baby wipes, plus a hypoallergenic bath bar, to bathe him.

I'm hoping he'll grow out of it. It does seem to be in part attention seeking - he peed on the floor today while I was talking to a neighbor and we were both ignoring the puppy.

I'm also trying to play with him more before crating, though when my breathing and pain are bad it can be hard. But getting him tired does seem to make a difference.

Been thinking about using my kitchen instead. My bathroom has too many nooks and crannies, but my kitchen is like a hallway with only one entrance. Unfortuantey there is no kitchen door, and it's Really hard to find a baby gate that'll keep a 30 lb OEBD in. Playing with using the crate as a door. He isn't strong enough to move it yet - though he will be in a few weeks.

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Everything in my house is unscented too

Puppies pee a lot, their bladders aren't fully developed at his age and they just can't hold it for that long.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/house-training-your-puppy

Try some of the changes you mentioned if possible and see if that makes a difference.

Try to figure out how long after he eats he need to poop/pee. See if you can find a pattern that will help with house training. Tired puppies do less damage

Dandelion Owl


Transformer Cat

My Daniel . . .

Gotta chime in with pics of my favorite little kitty in the whole world, my little Leah. I saved her from being dropped off at a shelter, and kept the name she had been given... to avoid confusion? lol

a cool pic with glowing eyes:



her favorite lounging spot... the bathroom sink... :



She is so adorable when she cuddles with me, such a lover:



and last but not least, her favorite passtime... playing in bags... any will do :




I love cats keep up the cool pics

There is an entire book of these pics of dogs shaking their heads. Bunch on a website too.







More at http://carlidavidsonphotography.com/SHAKE-BOOK/thumbs/

Pussy!

"every dog is a wolf"


"I wuz raised indoors..."

I am still smitten with my kitten . . .

Two Cottontop tamarins carried by their father.

Well here you guys have my cat, such a treat to ride in the car with her constantly screaming in my ear...
She's a bit of an a-hole, but wouldn't change anything about her

Duck-billed protective muzzle for dogs.....

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A dog walked up to a lemonade stand...

...and he said to the man running the stand...