My dog Joker eats wierd things, why?

[jokerboy]

I have a 5yr. old Huskey/Shepperd that is a fantastic indoor dog. Joker is almost the perfect dog. The one major issue I have with him is that when I'm not looking or not at home, he sneakes into the cat box and eats the cat extrement! This is so sick, not to mention his breath. Why is he doing this and how do I break him of it. I have friends that tell me they have had dogs do this and never had any luck of stopping them.HELP!

[Logan]

Hi Jokerboy, and welcome to Pet Talk. You will find many other dog owners who suffer with the same problem! Those cat "treats" are gross, but probably enticing to our dogs because cat food is so much richer than what our dogs eat.

We have decided that a covered litter box, with the opening turned towards the wall, or a baby gate, across the door to the "litter room" is the best solution!

Logan

[kobieeli]

Hey Jokerboy, welcome!

I've never heard of a dog that didn't like "kitty krunchies"--sick, but true! The neighborhood cats poop in the redwood bark we have for ground covering in the front yard, and our two dogs love to grab it before we can shriek at them to drop it. Nasty stuff...

[pepper636]

I used to have two dogs (now at the Bridge) who loved to eat my cat's poop. They had litter strewn all over the house. My boyfriend was at his wit's end. I went on the internet and found Purr-fect Privy, a litter containment system. http://www.pfprivy.com
It's a little expensive but I am here to tell you IT WORKS. My cat loved having her own private time back again. The dogs didn't even try anymore because they knew it was useless. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be glad to answer them for you.

[ October 31, 2001: Message edited by: pepper ]

[tatsxxx11]

Hi Jokerboy! Welcome I have a husky/shep too. And I've been where you are! Re-read Logan's post...I do ALL of those things: Covered booda box with a removal cover, TAPED to the bottom, turned toward the wall, and a baby gate. The only solution for me! She hasn't had a krunchie in months

[yorkster]

I think I have heard them called 'kitty tootsie-rolls' - maybe I heard it on Pet Talk. Anyway, my dog LUVS them too! It has helped a bit since we put the litter box in a separate room with a kitty door to get into it for the cats.
Logan- I think it was you who mentioned that cat food is much richer and tastier than dog food. It's funny timing, because last night I brought home a new bag of cat food, and Scout got into it, and now this morning when I fed her she turned her little nose up at her dog food. Well, she is NOT going to start eating cat food instead of her own food!

[ktreva52]

Well, Jokerboy, let me also welcome you to the site. I have two dogs and two cats and the dogs would love to get to the litter box, but I keep it up on a large dog crate where they can't get to it. I used to keep it on top of the dryer, but when I moved to Tennessee, the dryer didn't come with, so I had to improvise. I have also been known to put it on top of bookshelves that are high enough to keep the dogs out, but not too high for the cats to jump on and also on a desk that I wasn't using much. These are the least expensive ideas I have. The hooded Booda Box would also be of some help, as the cat(s) can slink under the hood, but the dogs have a hard time getting into it.

Yorkster, you go girl! Logan is right that cat food is much too rich for dogs as it has about 10-15% more protein than dog food. However, I do use cat treats for training as they are small with that "flavor burst" dogs love and don't add a whole lot to the diet if used judiciously.

Jokerboy, you might try raw carrots to help clean up that "kitty krunchie" breath. I know it is nasty smelling!!! Talk about "dragon breath"! Good luck and keep us posted.

[BPlovebug]

hello.......

i had a dog almost like that but ate her own feceis it was gross but unfortunattley she hung her slef EEEEKKKKKK.......we gave her soe mints once in a while and went to the vet to see what was the matter and she just wouldn't stop so when we took her outside we would wak with ehr and when she took a poop w would move her away and when she tryed to eat it we would yell and say NO!!!!! eventually it worked!!! ubt thn she hung herself if you guys want to hear that story get people to ask me to post the story