“They
sell different products most include monosodium glutamate. 4-Bid, Deter, are
two popular ones,” White said. “They are designed to make the stool taste bad.
It sounds silly when you have to say it that way because you’d think poop would
taste bad.
“Some
will leave out a pile of poop and put jalapenos or Tabasco on it to act as a
deterrent for that,” White added.
There
are, of course, some other tricks to help cease this poopy addiction for your
loving pooch. Should your dog be gripped by this brown menace, a good first
step is to check your dog’s diet. Often coprophagy is the result of dogs not
getting enough vitamins and minerals in its diet. Still, be careful not to
overload your dog with vitamins, which poses its own problems.
Another
reason behind coprophagy is often just plain boredom. Ever been so bored that
you’ve eaten your own poop? Well, plenty of dogs have. If your dog spends most
of its time in the house or small yard without much exercise, it will start
looking for something, anything to keep itself entertained. A regiment of walks
and play is always helpful for both owner and dog.
Other
ways to help a dog lose interest in its own feces are to occasionally feed it a
small amount of pineapple or other acidic fruit that will help change the
flavors an ambiance of its poopy to something less desirable. When walking your
dog in potentially poopy-populated areas, keep him on a leash and steer clear
of temptation. Also, if you catch your dog in the act, call it away and reward
it for saying no to poopy.
Finally,
the simplest way to help the budding Coprophagics? Keep their area clean of
temptation. Picking up poopy might be an arduous affair, but what better way to
show your dog your love than to keep his area blissfully poopy-free?
What Not to Do
Remember, rebuking or physically punishingt your dog never has positive
results, especially after the fact. Dogs just don’t remember things like that
and it can lead to aggressive or fearful behavior.