dog thinks litterbox is a LUNCHBOX

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Freedom! self reliance : One Thread

Can anyone tell me what would cause a dog to eat cat crap from the litterbox? It drives me insane,not to mention how badly the dogs breath reaks! I jokingly wish he would eat his OWN crap,since it's such big piles in the yard to pick up...he doesn't eat the other dogs crap...just from litterboxes...so how can I break him of it,other than knocking him in the head,which isn't working????

-- Lisa in Mich (funnyfarm1995@hotmail.com), March 02, 2004

Answers

is the dog a Lab? I was todl that ALL LABS do that,, my mothers dog did it while staying here for awhile,,besides shutting it out of the litter box,, wasnt any way to keep it out,, knocking its head almost off didnt help either,, I thought about electric shock therapy,, but didint get the chance.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), March 04, 2004.

Yes,oddly enough it's a black lab! That's too strange. Hmmmm....

-- Lisa in Mich (funnyfarm1995@hotmail.com), March 04, 2004.

Coprohagia is the technical term for an animal that eats feces. This has been studied in dogs by several people with no definitive answer for "why" being found. Although popular theory is that dog's like to get into the cat box because the food the cat's are eating are very rich and different from what the dog usually eats. I had a dog that we lovingly nicked named "Crap-tin Crunch" because she was in the cat box so much she was always walking around with bits of litter stuck to her lips (yuck!!) :) Violence and "knocking him in the head" are definitely NOT the way to fix the problem! They sell at most pet stores stuff that can help. i.e. There is a product sold that is supposed to help with this habit -- Forbid. It doesn't work in all cases though. Just go look and see what you can find. Ask someone who works there to help you. Also a great resource is a good vet. Next time you take your dog in for his regular check up ask the vet what can help. Or if you want a sooner answer call them ove the phone and explain the problem and I sure they could give you information that would start you in the right direction. Good Luck! :)

-- Zarwina (spliff4u@hotmail.com), April 11, 2004.

Thanks for the info. I will try the new pet store that came to town just recently. I questioned our vet about it and he said it's common and possibly that cat food has more fat in it so it appeals to dogs,but really didn't offer any suggestions for curing the problem. It's really gross when they eat out of the litterbox and slobber on someone...haha Gotta find an answer somehow, as I like the stupid dog otherwise.haha He's got such a funny "personality". Anyway,thanks for responding and I will check some pet stores and see what I can figure out.I have seen stuff for when they eat their OWN feces,but not for others,oddly enough.Glad to know something is available.

-- Lisa in Mich (funnyfarm1995@hotmail.com), April 11, 2004.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ