Lisa Desatnik
Stopping Your Dog From Eating Poop
Please visit my pet behavior blog at http://www.SoMuchPETential.com/blog.
(Note: this is a past Hyde Park Living column)
A friend told me the other day her dog had adopted a very, well, unpleasant interest…or unpleasant to her anyway. He loves rolling in dog ‘poop’. Why on earth would any animal find eating dog poop something fun to do? And how can you put this horrible behavior to rest?
This actually is a common enough problem that if you look online, there are many websites and articles devoted to just this topic.
So, why would any animal eat poop? Well, let’s think about what we know about behavior. Behavior happens because it serves a purpose for the animal – to achieve something positive or reinforcing (from the perspective of the animal doing the behavior), or to move away from something negative. Given a choice animals tend to do things that are the most rewarding to them. And when a behavior has positive consequences, it is going to continue…even strengthen.
We may never truly know what our dog is thinking when he eats poop but we can hypothesize several positive consequences – sensory feedback (yes, a dog may actually like the taste of dog poop especially when he is hungry) or social feedback (maybe after eating dog poop, his favorite human becomes very animated in running away from him as an example), or it could be that he has some nutritional deficiency.
Punishing our dog for this behavior WILL NOT teach our dog what TO DO instead of the problem behavior and will not teach us how to find positive solutions; but it may create aggression, apathy, escape/avoidance behaviors or generalized fear. When we look at modifying a pet behavior using the most positive, least intrusive way we look at what we can do to change the environment so as to set our pets up for success. We do that by either changing the consequences to the behavior or changing the setting event (antecedent) for the behavior.
I spoke with Donna Hill, a Canadian dog trainer who uses only positive reinforcement strategies to train assistance dogs, about this recently.
Let’s look at both. We’ll start with the situation of your dog in your own yard. From a behavior analysis perspective, these are some potential scenarios: Possible antecedents – dog has access to poop, dog smells/sees poop. Behavior – dog eats poop. Possible positive consequences – tasty meal (I’ll never understand), reaction from human.
One way to manage the behavior is simply not giving your dog access to the poop in the first place. This would require you to always be watchful of your dog and either removing the poop right away (or removing your dog) or teaching your dog a strong drop it or leave it behavior. This isn’t always practical because many people have fenced yards and want to leave their dog outside unsupervised. Donna had this problem and learned that apples make poop taste bad. She eliminated her problem by simply adding a little apple to her dog’s diet, and thus making the consequence of eating poop no longer a pleasant experience. That solved her situation.
You also should make sure this nasty behavior is not due to a health issue. It’s always a good idea to have your dog examined by your vet to make sure the underlying cause is not a medical one.
If your dog is eating poop outside your yard, antecedent change is probably the simplest solution by simply not giving your dog access. Having your dog on a leash when outside your yard will not allow him to wander off and find that tasty treat. Teaching the ‘drop it’ or ‘leave it’ behavior will also allow you to call your dog off his drive toward the treat. Remember though that any new behavior should be taught in an environment with minimal distractions first (NOT when your dog is highly charged).
For some tips on teaching your dog the ‘drop it‘ cue, please see my blog post.
4 Paws for Ability Trains Service Dogs And BFFs For Kids
I’d like to introduce you to Evan Moss and Mindy. At 8, Evan is the brown-haired, bright-eyed who likes to run, play electronic games, laugh, and 
write. Mindy is the blond, curly-haired golden doodle who was born into this world to spread love…and save a life.
In 11 days time at 4 Paws for Ability, they became BFFs (best friends forever) sharing a common purpose of ensuring that one little boy with a golden heart can ultimately grow into a caring, accomplished adult.
Let me explain.
Evan was born with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) which causes tumors to grow within his vital organs – mostly in his brain, eyes, heart, skin, kidneys and lungs. His first seizure came when he was just a few weeks old. Not long after, doctors needed to remove a tumor from his brain.
Now Evan has night time seizures about 10 days, happening mostly while he sleeps. Most of the time medical attention is necessary. I’m sure you can imagine the stress that has given his parents, and insomnia many nights.
Now they all have relief knowing Evan now has a four-legged friend who can recognize the signs of seizures and make sure he is safe.
Mindy is a 4 Paws for Ability Dog
Located in Xenia, Ohio, 4 Paws for Ability is a wonderful nonprofit organization that provides service dogs to children with a variety of disabilities and to veterans from recent conflicts who have lost use of their limbs or hearing during combat.
Their high success rate of raising dogs for service work is attributable to many factors including that the majority of animals in the program are bred at their facility. 4 Paws also trains with positive reinforcement strategies. I love that they have partnerships with a number of area correctional facilities where inmates earn the privilege to do something positive by way of being a trainer.
Evan, the top selling author
One of the requirements of 4 Paws with its applicants is that they submit a drawing or essay. Evan wrote a book.
What came next was something no one predicted. The media caught wind of what Evan had done. Feature stories led to long lines wherever Evan held book signings. His book, “My Seizure Dog” sold about 4,000 copies, was the No. 1 best seller on Amazon.com’s ‘Kids Health’ section, and was featured on Amazon’s homepage. Now there is even a Kindle version.
But the best part was, Evan raised the entire $13,000 cost of having a new BFF and a new lease on life.
To read the full story on Evan and others who have benefited from 4 Paws for Ability, please visit their blog.
Photo credit: Jessica Noll, community/media relations director for 4 Paws for Ability.
Beechwood Elementary School Students are Important
Beechwood Elementary School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky reminded students on Kentucky Kids Day that they are all important
This is how Beechwood Elementary School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky reminded students on Kentucky Kids Day that they are all important…by rolling out the red carpet! Even the Fort Mitchell Fire Department’s life squad and parents were involved, acting as paparazzi when the students arrived.
TEDxCincinnati Brings Inspiration To Cincinnati
I am on the leadership team of TEDxCincinnati – independently licensed by TED to bring thought-provoking ideas to life with engaging speakers and performers. (If you haven’t heard about TED, I encourage you to visit www.ted.com.) TED Talks can be riveting, courageous, inspirational and world changing. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
Our October 4 TEDxCincinnati “Every Citizen a Diplomat” event is all about stirring the conversation, sparking the spark, moving people to action. It’s all about The POWER of ONE when it comes to being a global influencer. Before the start of the regional Sister Cities conference, we are inviting people in Cincinnati to join us and hear from those who are working to celebrate cultural diversity.
Below is a guest editorial about my involvement with TEDxCincinnati. I first wrote it for my enewsletter and then submitted to the Community Press. (By the way, if you’d like to read more of my thoughts, I encourage you to subscribe to my enewsletter.)
Guest Column
The greatest benefit for me to working with groups like TEDxCincinnati is the inspiration that is passed along by people who are truly passionate about affecting change.
For the past several weeks I’ve been part of the TEDxCincinnati leadership team, working to bring people together for an Oct. 4 “Every Citizen a Diplomat.”
Sponsored by Cincinnati USA Sister Cities and Sister Cities International, TEDxCincinnati will bring thought provoking ideas to life at the National Undergound Railroad Freedom Center with speakers and performers. They’ll share personal stories and talk about the power within each of us to bridge cultural understanding and cooperation, and to build and strengthen relationships in our own communities, our country and around the world.
Our ultimate goal? We want to spark energy, conversation and action. We want to build on Greater Cincinnati’s momentum that we’ve already demonstrated this summer of embracing diverse cultures with openness and appreciation.
When Bob Herring, principal of Nativity School in Pleasant Ridge, told me he believes that in order to move forward, we must begin with the kids in elementary school I could hear his conviction in his voice. He has facilitated 42 student exchanges with 24 school in 18 countries since joining the School in 1984; and the School has been involved with the international ‘Friendship Project’ much longer. Right now actually his school is hosting students from Hungary.
“If we could bring the young people of the world together, they could form those friendships and relationships that would lead to a future we all want. They would learn that stereotypes that they held about other nations and cultures, other traditions and languages were really not true,” he had told the St. Anthony Messenger.
I learned this firsthand when, as an 11-year-old, I was involved with Children’s International Summer Village. It really didn’t seem to matter when I didn’t use the same words to communicate with others from countries I had only seen on a map. The language of smiles and laughter, tears and hugs, hopes and dreams…those are universal.
When people of different cultures, races, religions, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds come together with openness and cooperation it is a beautiful thing. When all of us not just accept but appreciate how diversity strengthens us and strengthens our community, then we all benefit.
I invite you to join us. It is going to be a powerful night. To register, please visit www.TEDxCincinnati.com.
Lisa Desatnik’s guest column for Community Press
TEDxCincinnati Presenters
Bob Herring, principal of Nativity School, who since 1984 has facilitated 42 student exchanges with 24 schools in 18 countries
Carlos Reyes, board member of Sister Cities International and president/CEO of Young Americans for Diplomatic Leadership
Jenny M. Buccos, who through ProjectExplorer.org has directed/produced 375 short films viewed by millions of students in 40 countries, is a 2012 White House Champion of Change, and is a 2010 recipient of a National Award for Citizen Diplomacy
David Le, owner of Findlay Market’s popular Pho Lang Thang Vietnamese restaurant, whose Vietnamese parents inspired him to become a successful businessman and advocate for Asian Americans
Michael Cioffi, partner at the international law firm of Blank Rome LLP, who is included in the 2012 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” and is also the founder of Monteverdi, a collection of 12 buildings in a Tuscany medieval village that hosts guests from around the world.
And also performing at the event will be Bi-Okoto Dance & Drum Theatre and the Young Professionals’ Choral Collective of Cincinnati.
Learn About Downtown Cincinnati’s Dog Park, Fido Field
Please visit my pet blog, My Sidekick and Me, to learn how one man’s determination made it possible for downtown Cincinnati to have Fido Field play area for dogs…and their humans. Please click here.
