Holy Crap! I have taught Sydney to eat poop!

I have a confession to make - the girls eat poop. Now, I don't feel too bad about this because apparently, this is a very common problem. The official term for dogs eating poop is coprophagia. I googled 'dog eats poop' and came up with a variety of sources. My favorite site lists 20 reasons why dogs participate in coprophagia. This is also where I learned I was the culprit.

Here is some back story. We noticed that Addy had this behavior. We tried scolding, taking it away and so on. But this is Addy and most behavior techniques don't work. We think she was either 1) bored or 2) seeking attention. This being Addy, I would say it was both. Now, Addy would eat that which had been 'sitting out' for a while. Once again, everything I have read, says that seems to be normal behavior for a dog. Here is where it takes a turn.

Sydney hates poop. She is my Little Miss Neat. When she goes out, she wipes her feet, tip-toes away from anything that remotely looks like it could be poop. Thus I was shocked when my mother called, after watching her for an evening, and she said she Sydney eating Addy's poop almost immediately after Addy 'made a deposit'. My mother scolded her and, with Sydney, that is all it usually takes and the matter is settled. I didn't think anything of it.

Saturday morning we are out on our normal walk around the neighborhood. Addy has to go and, since I am the conscience neighbohor, have my doggy bags ready. As I am picking up some of the 'droppings', Sydney bends down and ate some of it directly in front me.

I am aghast.

I am shocked.

And of course, there are 4 people standing in their backyard baring witness to the whole thing. I can't really scold her like I want to because then the witnesses would think I beat my dog. I am so shocked and now know that I have a problem.

In doing my research, I found that I was the route to all evil. Sydney was following allelomimetic behavior. It means that a dog will watch you do something and then they will mimic it. This is Sydney every day...just now it involves poop. Sydney learned that she was supposed to pick up after Addy because I always did.

Yes, I win the dog mom of the year award for that one.