jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (02/14/85)
My family and I have been involved in resocializing cruelty cases for many years. Typically it has been our responsibility to undo neurotic behavior caused by inhumane treatment of dogs, cats, and horses. The behavior is varied, but I have noticed that the dogs that eat their feces are brought to us from situations where they have been confined in very small places and not given adequate exercise. Since we lived (until AT&T) on a farm that was a quarter-mile from any road we were just the right condition to allow those dogs to exercise themselves into real physical fatigue. *I am not saying that all dogs that eat their feces are cruelly treated* I am suggesting that a lot more exercise may help control the habit. The eating of feces was the first neurotic symptom to disappear. We were chosen by experts in animal behavior to resocialize dogs because we had the space they need. Most of the dogs that needed us were large--we did have one miniature poodle and one bassett hound, both from a "puppy farm" environment, but the rest were Irish Setters, many Dobermans, a couple of Alaskan Malamutes, Collies, one Borzoi, and many collie/shepherd/husky mixes. Curiously, no full German Shepherds, nothing close to a Saint Bernard, and no Golden or Labrador Retrievers. I'm not sure that it means anything, but the Dobes were by far the most numerous, and the most difficult to resocialize. They are one of my favorite breeds, but if they are not handled well as puppies, their behavior seems to be difficult to change. One of our few failures was one of the most beautiful Dobes I have ever seen. He had not been beaten--just kept in a tiny cage and nearly starved. He had to be euthanized. All of the animals that were sent to us were neutered before we got them (except mares). Cats were almost never in need of resocialization. The cats that came to us were usually starved, and were fine once they were fattened and cuddled some. My findings are decidedly unscientific, but it is my feeling that dogs, especially large dogs, suffer greatly from lack of space and need far more exercise than we may think--I'm talking about an hour or more a day of chasing frisbees or swimming or plain out and out hard running. Cats PREFER being in a controlled area, confined to a house or apartment, and require very little exercise to stay emotionally stable. The moral of my story? Only, that maybe LOTS of exercise and some chance for space is a possible answer to SOME neurotic behavior, including eating feces.