Why does your Dog Dine on Dung - Pet Lab - video Dailymotion

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Its gross, its disgusting and dogs do it? Why? Dr. Mustache explains the science behind this foul habit. Subscribe to The Pet Collective: http://full.sc/HbM62v Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thepetcollective Twitter: https://twitter.com/petcollectiveTV Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/petcollectivetv/ Google+: gplus.to/thepetcollective  Coprophagia is common in 50% of dogs. But why? Well it has something to do with biology, behavior and evolution.    Matt Johnson - Dr. Mustache Kate Reynolds - Producer/Editor Matt Pagourgis - Producer  Atomic © Fontalicious - Derivative Versions © Font Bros. www.fontbros.com  dung, poo, poop, feces, waste, gross, eating, habits, evolution, biology, science, eat, diet, taste, why, puppy, dog, cat, scavenger, study, pups, defecate, defecating, train, shit, explore, habit, pet, collective, dr mustache, Doctor, mustache, tpc,

Transcript

00:00Oh, hey guys, didn't see you there.

00:04Dr. Mustache here with another episode of Pet Lab.

00:07I'm just enjoying a little snack.

00:09And speaking of snacks, that's kind of what we're talking about today.

00:13Now you've probably seen your dog do it, and you probably thought it was really gross,

00:17but it also probably made you wonder, why does your dog eat poo?

00:27Poopy feces, or coprophagia, is common among dogs.

00:30But why do they do it?

00:32Well, we don't really know for sure, but we do have some theories as to why 50% of dogs

00:38dine on dung.

00:39It has something to do with biology, behavior, and evolution.

00:45There are lots of animals that eat their own feces, including rabbits, rats, gorillas,

00:50and dogs.

00:51Now, rabbits and rats must eat their own feces, or they would die.

00:55Now this is because their diets as herbivores involve a lot of difficult-to-digest plants

01:00that need to be processed twice in order for them to extract all the nutrients that they

01:04need to live.

01:06Now, luckily, humans and dogs aren't built to need a steady diet of poop to keep going.

01:12But dogs do eat it, and humans don't.

01:15Why is that?

01:16Well, part of the reason is that dogs don't get super sick when they eat their own feces.

01:21Since human waste is full of bacteria and other life forms, we can get ill from ingesting

01:26just a tiny amount.

01:28But along with those deadly microbes, there are vitamins.

01:31Now dogs may be attracted to these vitamins and enzymes, especially the ones that are

01:35created during digestion but cannot be reabsorbed through the intestinal wall.

01:39There is a theory that dogs' digestive systems haven't caught up to their modern diet, and

01:44that makes it hard for dogs to break down the nutrients that they need all at once.

01:48Their modern diet involves less animal protein and far more carbohydrates and plants.

01:53So eating poop helps a dog replenish the enzymes that it needs to process those starches and

01:58be ready to eat regular food again.

02:00Watch out, though.

02:01Some think that a diet lacking in certain vitamins or an illness can cause your dog

02:05to seek out nutrients in its own waste.

02:08So be sure to rule out medical issues if you catch your dog eating its own poop.

02:16There is a time in a dog's life when eating poop is not only accepted, but required.

02:20And that's parenthood.

02:22Young pups are not able to defecate on their own.

02:24To train them, their mother will lick their bottom, which tickles them.

02:28The puppies respond to this tickling by urinating and defecating.

02:31After puppies defecate, their mothers will eat all of the puppy's feces.

02:35This behavior is a survival instinct.

02:38The puppy's poop could attract predators to the den, and mothers are hardwired to remove

02:42any evidence of the scent before those predators can detect it.

02:46Housebroken dogs may also try to hide the evidence.

02:49If a dog poops in a place it's not supposed to, like your house, it may try to eat the

02:53feces in order to avoid punishment.

02:55Now, it's also normal for puppies to ingest feces.

02:59Some guess that this is just part of them exploring their new world.

03:02And most dogs outgrow this behavior after six months.

03:05Before dogs were our pets, they were scavengers in the wild who had to come by nutrients however

03:09they could.

03:10And they really couldn't afford to be picky.

03:12Now, once dogs were domesticated, they kept early settlements clean by eating both human

03:17and dog waste.

03:18In fact, a recent survey of the wild village dogs of Zimbabwe shows that those dogs are

03:23still responsible for cleanup, since their diets include about 25% fecal matter.

03:31So your dog dines on dung.

03:33You can't really look down on him.

03:35We people are slaves to evolution in much the same way.

03:38We may not eat literal crap, but we do like to pig out on fatty, salty foods that were

03:42once rare in the wild.

03:44Now they're about as rare as a fast food restaurant with a drive-thru.

03:47So who are we to judge our best friend's crappy taste?

03:51Well, that's it for me, Dr. Mustache, and this episode of Pet Lab.

03:56We want to extend a special thanks to LPS Girl 0114 Music and Candice Bauer for enjoying

04:02Pet Lab with their furry families.

04:04And remember, you should subscribe to the Pet Collective right here so that you can

04:08enjoy more music videos and cute furry puppies 24-7 and more episodes of me, Dr. Mustache,

04:14and the Pet Lab.

Why does your Dog Dine on Dung - Pet Lab

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