Lhaso Apso - Cat Poop Affinity

Question
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Followup To

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much.

The other problem with this dog is his propensity to grab my underpants out of the pantry and chew through the crotch area. Is this a confrontational issue?

Thank you kindly,

Lakota.


Question -
Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for your time and generosity.

I have a 3 year old male (neutered) Lhaso Apso who is well behaved and house broken and a good dog.

But, he has this bad habit of going into the cat litter box and dragging out lumps of cat poop. He gets along ( plays with) my 2 cats.

I give him very nutritious dog food and his water bowl is alwasy full of clean water.

Is there a way of dissuading him from this disgusting habit? He's healthy and active so I'm confused why he does this.

Thank you kindly for all your help,

Lakota.
Answer -
I would recommend COVERED litter boxes and turn them so the opening faces the corner to discourage him from getting into them.

Otherwise you can try adding DETER or FORBID to the cats' food to impart a bitter taste to the stools.

Answer
Dogs will be dogs!  I have heard of many dogs doing that before as well.  Your best bet is to put a latch or lock on the door so he can't get in there.  The biggest concern is that one of these times he may ingest a large portion of the material that could lead to an intestinal blockage and the need for emergency surgery.

Other thing you could do is booby-trap a pair of underwear and spray them with pepper spray or bitter apple/lime spray to see if that discourages him.  However, best thing is too keep him away from any dirty laundry...socks are popular among dogs too!