BEllA \'101\ DEVELOI'~1 ENT AN D BEllA VIOHAL D1S0HDEI\S pks develop taste preferences to sOll1e extcnt, pmhably by 6 months of age. They also 1c.:arn or do not learn table manners rather quickly. If ",d eves and whining bring "people food" in,lead of a balanced diet. the behavior continues. IlL-warding begging at the table ensnres that lhl' heh;l\'ior will continue. Ir the PllPPY call ~d its {ill rr01l1 tilt, t:lhlc. tlj('I"l' is lit) dl'..,in' lo ,-'at puppy c11O\V. Puppies quickly learn to holt!
n\lt for the "people plt'ad longer rl'sist. There l"'()!Jcerneu
than are
food" because
they can
must owners arc willing to also some owners who are
that tile puppy
is not getting
enough
lu cat. It is important to evaluate the physical "\I,dition of the anilnal and its caloric intake. III Illost instances, the m('al~ are quite adeqllate. Some dugs, like SOIlle humans,
remain slender
nnd do not desire large amotlnts of food. Coprophagy, stool eating, is another complaint owners h.n'e. For young puppies, a cert;lin amount of this is normal. even if llll(.lcsir-
.ble from the own('r's perspecti\·c. Puppies "'l11monly eat the feces of older dogs and of littermates. In part, this behavior is probablv Olle
way YOllng dog ..•l'xplore
rcccJlll~'
ils validity
bl'en
has
eat's feces and are described as raiding the lillerhox. Cat feces has a high protein content and is appealing to the dog. The easiest method to stop this problem is to have the owner put the cat's litterbox somewhere that the PUpP)' reach. Taste aversion call also be useu. Punishlllent for a Ilchavior cOllsidered normal
cannot
hy
dog
tll('
Illiderstood. is another orthe ealing
1101
jo.:
Grass eatillg
problems
owners ask about, usually because it is followed by '·omiting. Carnivores consulllC matter ill their natural diets, \Volves
vegctable get it from
the digesti\'e tracts of deer, antelope, or rabbits, and cats get it from mice and rats. The unique thing about this vegetation is that it is already partiallv digested. Domestic do~s have lillie opportuility to hu.nl anu Ililist depend on Illlmans to supply their food. When vegetable matter is insufficient in the puppy's diet, it will seek out tender plants to chew. Unfortunately, carni\'ores lack the enzvme nceded to break dO\\'n the beta honds of ~ellulose to glucose a",1 then to absorbable, volatile latty acids (l3ea\'er, HJ8J). The \'egetable matter iu sul1lcicnt quantity "'ill irrilate t!H": st()IIl~I<..;h alld calise v.olllilillg.
their enVirOJllllent.
It nJav also be the \\'av adopted I)\' se\'eral species for the young to cstahlish their illtcstinal 1l1icroflora. \\"hile this explanation has long il(~cn u:-.ccl,
23
questiolled
(Crowell-Davis and Iloopt, l')1>5). The behavior is most likely to hecome a problem in puppies
A kw cooked vegetables added to a puppy's meal \\'ill help stop the problem of plaot eating without ullbalancing the diet. E.;\til1~ hl}rs(~ and cat llc feces is more related to grass eating than to cupropllagy. Since these
feces aetuallv contain digested IlI'comc
vegetable
sOllrce for to tllt'lll, Inclusio!l
mat-
that do not get enough exercise, !i\'e in a rl'lati\'cly harrell environment, or arc from toy
ter,
hreeds.
cooked \'(·gdal>ies in ti,e did helps decrease the problem, although llre\'Cnting aeeess or
PUJli:..lluH.:nt
hecause
the
Sllccess,
e\:en
is generally
1I11sI1c<.:es~J\lI,
bdl<l\'iur is sclf-rc\\"anling. One with 5c\'cral failures, increases
the Iikclihootj that the beha\'ior
will continue.
Prc\'cnting access to dog feces is the treatment is another technique or choice. Taste a\"ersioll
that can be tried.
Taste ayersioll
is useful to
eliminate
llluuth·oriellted
!J(·ha\"iors.
se\'eral
First, lIse a ruul-tasti]l~ suhstance sllch as a pepper sa\lce. Let the puppy get a guod SllId!
they
pl1pp~'
that
has
taste a"ersioll
a vegetable
access
may be necessary
stop the prohlem.
Elimination Puppies
arri"ill~
at
Punishment
the of
to complet('ly
is not successful.
Problems
gellerally
leaI'll
their
hUllle. It is the patience
new
hO\lsetrailling
after
of the suhstance "",I illllnediatel\' fill the mouth with it too. This teaches the ;;ssnciation of a particular odor and a gosh awful taste. E\erything the puppy would mouth "s a problem s\:ould then be coated with the substance, although in some cases it is necessar\' to limit
and skills of the [let O\\'l1er which will determil1e \\'hether this beha"ior is successfullv \e;,med or whether the puppy i, bal1ished froll1 the house
access
to a few
ohject
is l1louthed,
praise techniqlle of g()ill~ outside witll the dog to a specific area and tlH'll ll'iillg lavish pr;lisc when it eliminates, Three things arc "llluSts"
items.
Now
a little
when
ta\te
a coateo
n":1l1ind<; tile
pup!'v of the had oxperience. Coating the object without the preliminary lesson is usually not successful. Feces
eating
can
take
011
two
other
forms
for
a puppy. Some develop a taste for the resident
or falllily
altogether.
llollsetraining
is ,Jllost
cas-
ih' started around8 weeks, when stahle learning begins. It is most easily accomplished usillg the
for successful housetraining-patience,
cOl1nne-
ment, and schedules. Patience means giving the puppy a fair chance. In some installccs a
few davs is "ery adequate
68
for the puppy,
per-