sroberto

Hi all:

My male Doberman 2 ½ yrs always tries to drink the urine of my older female and he also eats poop of other dogs, birds, even horses, if he gets a chance. Aside from these revolting behaviors he is a pretty normal, healthy and balanced guy. I did notice that when he drinks urine he goes into a kind of trance with his teeth chattering uncontrollably and with drool and foam coming from his mouth. After I get him out of the trance he is normal and healthy again. He has had all his shots, is in very good health and there are no other problems with him except he has had mild pustules on his skin since puppyhood and until the last six months constant soft stool bordering on diarrhea since puppyhood.

I was worried he may have distemper but the vet laughed and said I was being paranoid. Yet the vet could not explain the chattering teeth and urine compulsion. Thing is, its not nutritional because the dog gets more supplements and better food than me, the best Pinnacle brand dog food mixed with boiled pork steak and vitamins.

Anybody have any ideas what’s behind the urine and poop desire and the chattering drooling mouth other than it being a party trick favorite?

Rosemary

Is he neutered?

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Shell81

This ^

My last dog was an intact Labrador (we co-owned him with his breeder who used him at stud), and he used to chatter his teeth when he got a taste or scent that he liked. I had never encountered this prior to this, and asked my boss (I'm a vet tech), who informed me it was a "boy thing" (ie. he was turned on by it). Once I started actually watching it for it, I noticed it in clients intact males.

I regularly babysit a clients Weimaraner who is also intact, and he will do the same thing when around a female dog, or urine etc.

I am willing to bet your boy is either not neutered or was very recently.

Poop eating, unfortunately, is a pretty common (albeit disgusting) thing for dogs to do. I can't even begin to count how many clients have complained/asked about their dog eating poop.

Asmit

Chattering drooling etc over urine especially female dogs is him being a 'male'. intact dogs can't control their senses and the chattering/drool/foam is from the stimulation.

Its annoying, but harmless. My male even does it occasionally to other male's urine....Nice stuff, let me tell you!

EmilyB

Flehmen response. Love it. Well, in the horse at least..........

falnfenix

my boy does it when he smells my cat's urine. now i understand why. thanks for asking this question, sroberto.

VZ-Doberman

Male behavior.

Hank

My boy does it too. It's a boy thing.

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dapple

Yep. Rudy foam and chatters too. And my female is 12. She must be a cougar....
Rudy likes the older ladies! ha

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Hooligan

On walks, I always know when a female has preceded us up the trail. Jack, who is intact, smells the urine -- his teeth clack, his flews vibrate, and he foams at the mouth. Our previous guy did exactly the same thing, and neutering made no difference to this behaviour.

As for the poop obsession, I can't offer any suggestions, other than to reinforce "leave it!" Fortunately, Jack wants nothing to do with his own or other animals' poop . . . well, except for horse manure, which he seems to regard as something of a delicacy.

DogsR4Life

Male AND females can do this, intact OR spayed/neutered. My boy is 4.5 years of age, neutered and does the teeth chattering on every walk. A 10 year old female yorkie, spayed, at my work also does the teeth chattering.

It's a way of getting more information if sniffing isn't getting enough.

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sroberto

No, he is intact.

sroberto

Thanks to everybody who replied. At least I know he is not Gay now.

Conspiracy*

Blast from the past...
Has anyone tried to and successfully correct the behavior?

EmilyB

Why would you try to correct a natural response that is a result of hormones?

Amelia_

I discourage it, because my boy will do it on *all* pee, male, female, intact, neutered. And he would do it constantly if I didn't discourage it, I don't think all that urine is good for his teeth and if it's a bitches pee, if he gets too into it he can become a little obsessed with it.

I tend to just call him away when he's doing it or just before I think he's going to do it. I don't know how you would train it out completely, since is it a natural behaviour.

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falnfenix

i could have gone without reading this comment.

Rosemary

Kind of sad that he's not carefree and lighthearted, huh?

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falnfenix

yep. sorry to hear he's a sad dog. or maybe he's just stoic?

Conspiracy*

Same here. Einstein does it to urine on the ground...and when he sniffs other dogs. If I leave him to his own...he will harrass other dogs at the park chasing them around while he tries to lick their crotch. He doesn't always get to the "gum smacking goodness" level, because I try not to allow it, but does harrass every dog that comes to the park. Bottom line...its an unwanted behavior, similar to needing to mark everything at the park and on walks.