Cleaning Up Their Poop

Ah yes, “coprophagy”  Although that’s not a big problem with Wintergreen’s sled dogs, it is perhaps the 2nd most common “quirky dog behavior” question that we get asked (stay tuned for the 1st in an upcoming blog).

Here’s the evolutionary explanation: Back when dogs were wild and roaming the woods instead of pulling sleds or idling around inside of tiny purses, predators could find a wolf-dog’s den by detecting the smell of poop, specifically the kind left by defenseless, tasty puppies. Puppy feces has a distinct smell because of the high milk content, making it the poop equivalent of a Dove chocolate bar. So, to clean up the evidence and keep predators away, mom would eat it. Dad figured mom was on to something and so the habit stuck for male and females dogs alike.

Other explanations for poop eating includes boredom and just general cleanliness. That might be especially true if he dog is in a confined spot, because leaving it just laying out, well that would be gross, wouldn’t it?

And finally: Herbivores such as rabbits and rodents eat their own poop because their diet of plants is hard to digest efficiently, and they have to make two passes at it to get everything out of the meal. This is equivalent
to a cow chewing its cud. Some poop contains vitamins produced by an animal’s intestinal bacteria and most poop (even yours) has a high percentage of undigested protein.  In fact, the arctic hares we observe on
Wintergreen Arctic Adventures recycle their terds three times and wildlife biologists have confirmed that the nutrient content drops to near zero by the third pass.

Perhaps “coprophagic” animals have just beaten us to the punch on this admirable exercise in simple living!

Related posts:

1. Dogs In Space & Other Fun Facts