Do you often ask, Why does my dog eat poop? Why do dogs (and cats) eat weird things? This disgusting poop eating habit drives humans nuts, and even cats get upset with dogs eating cat poop. So when you ask, How can I stop my dog from eating poop?” you’ll find the answers here. Read on!
What’s a caring parent (of two-legged or four-legged “kids”) to do? Enter the Door Buddy. I first wrote this review about eight years ago (wow, that long ago!). I’ve updated portions of it since the company has improved the product along the way.
This post is sponsored by The Door Buddy. I am being compensated to help create awareness about pet-proofing and kid proofing cat litter boxes, but BLING, BITCHES & BLOOD only shares information relevant to our readers. The Door Buddy is not responsible for the content of this article.
Puppy antics delight most new owners, but dogs eating poop prompts anything but smiles. My own darling Magic indulged when he turned six months old. He’d make a beeline to visit his horse buddy next door and find the nifty treats she left on the ground. Or he’d sniff out “bunny eggs” and indulge! After these nasty snacks Magic always tried to kiss everybody on the lips, yuck! Thank doG, he finally outgrew the behavior…
But many dogs indulge, and when access to the cat box provides yummy opportunities, pet lovers need answers. Urk! That’s why I’m thrilled to review The Door Buddy.
WHY YOUR DOG EATS POOP?
Dogs commonly eat their own or another animal’s droppings (coprophagia). This is typical behavior for mom-dogs that must clean up after their babies, and some pups may end up mimicking this behavior. It first appears in pups at about four to nine months of age. And generally, the dog outgrows the behavior. There are a number of ways to deter the behavior in puppies, discussed in my book Complete Puppy Care.
DOGS EATING CAT POOP?
For adult dogs, though, it’s not unusual for the cat’s litter box to be treated as a canine snack bar. That’s because cat food contains more protein than dog food, and as a result, feline waste tastes good to dogs. The nasty habit is not only unsanitary, but it also puts Sheba’s tail in a twist to have a dog messing with her toilet. Cats pestered in their bathroom look for another place to “go” such as behind the sofa.
Toddlers Play In (Yuck!) Schtuff, Too!
It’s not only dogs that investigate the kitty potty and hiss off the cat–and risk illness from parasites, too. Human babies and toddlers, just like puppies, love to explore and guess what ends up being tasted? Even if there are now safe cat litters for every purr-suasion, swallowed litter makes anyone queasy. Double urk! A dog invading the cat’s space also can make litter box training more difficult.
How to Stop Litter Box Grazing With The Door Buddy.
The Door Buddy is a management tool that helps you control access to the cat’s litter box and/or food bowl–or kitty’s favorite room. The Door Strap verson is a peel-and-stick low-tech and economical solution that installs in minutes. The adjustable strap allows you to determine the size of the door opening so that your smaller cat can come and go (and eat or eliminate in peace) while preventing larger animals–including babies and toddlers!–from entering the area.
A new version, a Door Buddy Cat Door Prop, easily screws into the door latch plate to keep the door open the width needed for your cat to come and go–while keeping the dog out. They include a custom tool to help with tightening and locking, and use a strong plastic to help it better work with the strike plate.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE DOOR BUDDY STORY
Economical & Easy DIY
The Door Buddy requires no fancy installment and is significantly less expensive than pet gate barriers or “cat flap” and doggy doors that I also recommend. When we got Bravo-Dawg, I was concerned that his 125-pounds would bulldoze through, since no screws attach the strap to the door and frame. A very determined large dog could get through. But for smaller dogs like our current Shadow-Pup and larger dogs that only require a reminder, The Door Buddy works like a charm.
Great for Multi-Pet Homes!
At my house, my Karma-Kat is a bit of a piggy when it comes to other pet’s food bowls. Shadow has taken to doing a paws-up on the counter where I feed the cat, and reeeeeching over to clean out the bowls (sheehs, there’s another use for me!). And if you have cats of different sizes, the Door Buddy works well to offer the smaller kitty access while limiting Jumbo-Kat’s ability to nosh from the room where she’s fed.
Do you have dogs that pester your cat during dinner or potty duty? Or maybe you have Mutt-and-Jeff size dogs that need to have separate feeding ops? I could see the Door Buddy working particularly well for multi-pet homes–but also as a boon to keeping your cats calm when the grandkids come to visit!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.
Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Important info. Thanks for sharing!
I recall a great song, “litter Box Grazing” that would be a perfect companion piece, here.
🤣
Important topic that you have raised at your site. Really it helps a lot in separation of dogs, cats and babies. Door Strap is the best thing ever i have seen.
Yep, we have this problem in our house as well. Our super senior, 19 year-old cat, Elsie sometimes misses the box. She’s trying, but at 19 sometimes she doesn’t quite make it. Ruby (dog) takes advantage of her senility and well …let’s just say we could definitely use a door buddy!
I think that may be what triggered Magic’s re-introduction to the (urk) snacking, when Seren-Kitty left a couple of “presents” within reach.
This is an awesome idea! My dog likes to take a snack break on the cat box buffet sometimes, but unfortunately she is the same size as the cats, so I don’t think this would work to keep her out. Sounds like a purrfect solution for those with bigger dogs though!
Yep, the cat size dogs can be a challenge. If your cats are able to jump, sometimes placing the litter box out of reach on a counter can work.
Whew, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with our doggy bothering with the kitty litter. But the Door Buddy does sound like a great solution if your household has that problem!
What a great idea! I don’t have a need for this product but sure know some other folks who could use it.
Hey Ava, glad you don’t need it (wish I didn’t either, LOL!). Hope you’ll share the post with the folks you do know who might benefit. Thanks bunches for visiting and commenting.
LOL. Would last two seconds with Rose and Kleo. They are very strong and energetic mutts!
Cute too.
Ha-ha! Well Wayne, there always are those exceptions. 🙂 This is another tool in the kit. Always great to have different options because…as we all know…every pet and pet family is different.
25mm wide steel strap, 4mm course thread screws, with a drop pin like the ones used on the three point hitch of a farm tractor. That’s what it would take with my girls!
When they aren’t snoring that is. Rose is lying beside me while I’m going through my email, and she sounds like a 747 taking off at times. Other times she’s chasing dream rabbits. Sometimes when chasing those rabbits she yips so loud she wakes herself up.
Wow- what a great idea! My dogs are pretty small (yorkies) and my cats are pretty big- but I would still try it. One of my cats is 16 and he can’t jump up on the table to eat anymore- I have to lift him up to it a few times a day. This could be a great solution to allow me to feed them on the floor.
Hey Sue, the Door Buddy sounds like something worth a try. Be sure to enter the give-away, maybe you’ll win one!