How to Stop Your Vizsla Dog Eating Poop?

Caring for a dog can be complicated in many ways. All breeds of dogs have different characteristics as well as unique grooming requirements. However, there are common problems that all canines can suffer, such as obesity, diseases, behavior problems, etc. 

One of the most common problems that canines can have is coprophagia. Coprophagia is the voluntary action of ingesting feces. That may seem like a strange habit, but the truth is that many dogs tend to eat feces for certain reasons. 

Vizslas are beautiful dogs that are characterized by their hunting skills. They are friendly and loving animals to members of their human family, strangers, and other animals. These dogs are considered excellent pets for families. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have problems. Like any different breed of dog, Vizslas also feel the urge to eat their feces or that of another animal. 

It is essential to know how to prevent your Vizsla dog from eating feces as it is not only harmful to its health but also represents an unpleasant situation for people. Before that, we must know why our Vizsla eats feces. 

Why Does Our Vizsla Eat Feces and How to Avoid It? 

There are many reasons for this. We must emphasize that the only normal situation about coprophagia is when a Vizsla mother ingests its cubs’ feces. It does this intending to keep the environment where it raises its puppies clean. Any other situation where your Vizsla consumes feces can pose a problem, and it is essential to treat it as quickly as possible. 

Lack of Nutrients 

One of the most common causes for which Vizslas, and any other breed, ingest feces is a lack of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) or enzymes. Nutritional deficiencies can be due to a poor quality diet, poorly balanced food, intestinal parasites, and liver or digestive diseases such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). When a dog feels it is losing energy and nutrients, it instinctively ingests its own feces or that of other animals to compensate for the loss of nutrients and enzymes. 

As we have said, the absence of nutrients can also be due to diseases, so it is vital to detect them quickly and provide our Vizsla with the appropriate medication. Take your Vizsla to the vet to be checked, and the cause of the nutrient deficiency is determined. He or she will be able to determine, through some tests and diagnoses, if this situation is caused by a poor diet or by a disease. 

Intestinal parasites are also a common cause as they absorb all the nutrients from the food your Vizsla is eating. Our dog will need to eat feces to compensate for the loss of nutrients. Generally, this problem requires antibiotic treatment. The vet will order tablets to be placed in your Vizsla’s food every three months in order to eliminate parasites. 

Emotional State 

The personality or emotional state of a Vizsla can also be a cause of coprophagia. We know that Vizslas are animals that need to be together with their owners for much of the day because they hate loneliness. If you leave your dog alone for a long time, it will start to feel sad and anxious, which can be bad for its health and emotional state. This situation is very common in most dogs and is one reason why these animals decide to ingest their feces. 

The same happens when our Vizsla is hungry. Many people acquire a dog without knowing how to feed and care for it properly. Feeding a dog, especially a Vizsla, is essential, and it is necessary to know what type of food to provide and how many times a day to do it. A Vizsla, less than a year old, should eat approximately 3-4 meals a day. On the other hand, if the pet is one year old or older, you can feed it 2 times a day. 

The intelligence of a Vizsla can be a double-edged sword. These canines are very intelligent and tend to imitate what people and animals do. If they see another dog eating feces, they will try to do the same. 

The same happens with us since, as owners, we must keep the house clean of any dirt, in this case, our dog’s feces. Therefore, it is normal that we collect our Vizsla feces, and they, observing this, will try to do the same, but the only way to do it is by eating it. 

We must prevent our pets from seeing us collecting their feces. That way, they won’t try to mimic that action. 

When a dog defecates in the house, many people tend to get very angry. These people do not usually tolerate this behavior and end up punishing the pet. Doing that is a mistake as our Vizsla will start to fear punishment, and as an automatic response, they will eat their feces. We can easily avoid this situation by eliminating any type of punishment or scolding our canine. 

Hygiene 

There are Vizslas dogs that love to have a clean rest space. Dogs with this personality try not to urinate or defecate near the place they sleep to avoid any dirt or bad smells. However, it is common for you to have to leave your Vizsla at home while you go to work on certain occasions. That means that it could not leave the house to relieve itself. 

In these situations, the most common is that the dog eats his feces already to keep his space clean. You should prevent your Vizsla from defecating or urinating near the place where it sleeps by programming routines of outings outside the house or park so that it learns to relieve itself. 

One trick that you can use to prevent your bug Vizsla from eating its feces is to feed it certain foods so that its feces have a more unpleasant smell and taste. One option is to add pieces of pineapple to our dog’s food for several days. This trick will help prevent your Vizsla from eating its feces.