Eliminative Behavior

Anogenital reflex

Present in cats and dogs

Mom will lick genital area to stimulate elimination

Dogs: birth to 28 days

Cats: birth to 40 days

When does squatting behavior start for dogs

18 days of age

Begin eliminating before anogenital reflex goes away

How many postures of elimination are there for dogs

12

Elevate elimination posture

One leg raised while urinating, most common male posture

Occurs from the masculinized brain and is triggered at puberty, not a learned behavior

Castrated dogs have a chance of never raising a leg

Squat-rise posture

Can occur in females, possibly due to mild masculization in mixed sex litters

Flex posture

Elimination posture most used by females

Common reasons for urination and defecation

Eliminate body waste

Mark territory

Leave identifying information

What are stimuli for urination and/or defecation in dogs

Full bladder or colon

Urine odors from other dogs

Excreta odors from other animals

Extreme submission

Schedule for puppy elimination

Age in months +1 is amount of time puppy can hold urine

Take out after waking, eating, exercise, before sleeping, and in the middle of the night

At a certain age you can depend on puppies to tell you when they need to eliminate (T/F)

False

How to handle a potty training a puppy when away

Crate the dog when you are not home or not able to supervise it

If gone for extending period set up play pen area with small area for elimination

Methods to aid puppy in eliminating outside

Use a specific area for elimination and another one for play

Use a leash to introduce to eliminating while on a leash

Make puppy eliminate on surfaces it will be exposed to (ex. Concrete for city dog, grass for country dog)

Do not start on paper or other material inside

Stay with dog till it eliminates outside

Reward correct behavior

Do not punish elimination no matter where it is

Elimination transitional period (cats)

Play in and eat litter/dirt before using the box

Steps of elimination cats

Dig a hole

Eliminate

Smell excreta

Cover (not all do this) but can be taught/learned

Earth raking

Instinctive behavior in cats that is digging before elimination

How does spraying differ from inappropriate urination?

Done typically from a standing position and is aimed at vertical surfaces

Occurs typically in areas of unfamiliar scent, when new things are introduced, or on owner items (separation anxiety) and amount of urine is smaller

What are things to avoid when picking a place for a litter box

Noisy location

Difficult to access

Distant location

Near food

What are things to consider about litter boxes in a multi-cat household?

At least one box per cat

Appropriate size for cat

Open boxes to prevent ambushing

Replace yearly

What are some factors for litter preference?

Texture (soft or hard)

How absorbent

Scented vs unscented

How should litter preference be established and how should it be changed?

Offer multiple boxes with different types of litter

Slowly transition by mixing new and old litter

If abrupt changes are made ½ of cats will stop using the box and ¼ will never go back

How should litter boxes be maintained?

Clean at least once a day

Dump every 3-5 days

Refill with reasonable amount of litter

What is the number one cause of litter box issues

Dirty litter boxes

How often is the average litter box cleaned?

Once a week

Mare urination posture

Squatting with rear limbs spread

Stallion/gelding urination posture?

Stretched with rear limbs spread

How frequently do horses eliminate?

7-11/day urination

5-12/day defecation

Horse defecation posture

Arched back, rear limbs slightly spread

Mares squat slightly

What role does defecation play in horses?

Social marking behavior

Will be performed on top of other defecation piles especially in stallions

How can elimination behavior differ in stallions vs. geldings/mares

Stallions will defecate in the middle of the rough while mares/gelding will defecate on the edges

Urination postures and frequency cattle

Female: squatting with rear limbs spread

Males: normal standing posture

Frequency 8-9x/day

Defecation postures cattle

Haphazard, may not be able to control when/where

Plays no social significance

Frequency of elimination pigs

Feeder: 6-8 x/day

Gestation: Urination 3-4x/day

Defecation 2-3x/day

Elimination patterns of pigs

Avoid elimination near sleeping areas and tend to eliminate near water sources