[carla-rae]

Hi!
I seriously need help to stop my pup (Reggie, 9 weeks) eating his poo! Its so disgusting! He knows that I am going to stop him eating it & this is leading to him rushing his poo, he sees me waiting & I can see the panic in his eyes that I'm not going to let him have it!! he finishes quickly, tries to eat it but hasn't quite finished so he needs to go again straight after and then I struggle to get the next one up as I'm still dealing with the first!! quite often, in his haste to turn around & get his poo, he ends up standing in it, which results in a clean up job!

Why does he do this? Is this normal behaviour? Any advice on how to stop this would be greatly received!!

Thank you
carla

 

[Soo]

While its not normal as such neither is it that unusual unfortunately.

It can be the sign of a nutritional deficiency so it may be worth looking at the food you are giving him. It can also just be a habit they have developed.

The usual suggestions when its a dog eating its own poop are to give the dog something that makes the poop unpalatable for the dog. Pineapple is one of the things people usually use.

There is also something on the market like this... http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/digestion.html?gclid=CKGb_oeMoq0CFegmtAodmHgrlA Ive never used them so dont know how effective they are. They possibly just contain pineapple LOL

You would need to add the pineapple daily for a while until the habit has been truly broken then you could withdraw them.

While I wouldnt leave the poop any long length of time I would not rush to clean up if they have been made to taste bad as part of it may be the game of getting it before you do.

(I have edited this post to remove the suggestion of giving iron tablets as I have since found out that this can be dangerous. Do not give your dog iron tablets unless prescribed by a vet)

 

[ali-s.j.]

Would the iron make him constipated? Just thinking back to when I took it during pregnancies .......

 

[Soo]

It makes me run.... I had to stop taking it because of it. So suppose it affects people and prob dogs differently.

I havent used it personally on my dogs but know its one of the things most recommended for putting them off poo.

 

[carla-rae]

H! Thank you for your comments & advice. Found a product called repel-um online but he can't have that until he is 6 months old
I will try the pineapple but I am unsure as to how much I would be able to give him each day, we do not want the runs

regards Carla

 

[Soo]

Would start with a little and build it up. It will get him used to the taste of it too as Im not sure how palatable it is. You can then judge how much you need to put him off the poo without giving him stomach trouble.

 

[michaelwatson54]

Hi Carla
I have posted on one of your other thread's with regard's to diet I would be tempted to look at what your feeding I agree with an earlier comment that he most likely is lacking in nutrients and maybe your diet for him is not the right one.

Have a look at some more nutritional diet's and you may find you don't have to go experimenting with all sort's of supplement's

Mick

 

[strof51]

Poppy eats other dog's poo and she is wearing a muzzle at the moment to break the habit. A vet has told me it could be that the poo she is eating has a lot off filler in and the other dog has not digested it properly, as she is very selective about which poo's she eats.
I would keep Reggie on his lead to toilet as you will have more control of him and he may break the habit. Also hard as it will be try not to react because the he thinks it is a contest for the poo and your after his prize. think this is part of Poppy's problem, I over reacted as she is the first dog I have had that does this.
The pineapple does work for a lot of dogs, but I have never heard about iron tablet as I though they were on the list of human drugs that should not be given to dogs, I would ask your vet about that one.

 

[Pollypiglet]

I agree about being careful with iron it can be toxic, also not sure about pineapple would definatly check with vet before feeding either. Good idea to keep on lead, maybe you could then spray the poo with one of the proprietary anti chew sprays and wait to see the result if puppy tries again. Most sprays are very unpalatable. Good luck one of my terriers had a particular liking for cat poo she could locate it at 50yrds!

 

[strof51]

The pineapple is an old remedy. But your idea of spraying the poo with something like sourer apple spray is a good one.

 

[suzannec]

I have been having the same problem with my 8 week old Monty. I read somewhere that he might be doing it because he sees me quickly trying to clean it up and thinks if I am so eager to have it then it must be good. I have since stopped cleaning up his poop when he is looking and he has not eaten any since then. I will have to see if this continues. Not sure if this could relate to your situation.

 

[Sara]

Hello allg Eric is now 14 months and has eaten his pofrom being a pup. We have saught various professionals advice about it and it seems there is not one standard reason why they do it, and to all intense and purposes is a disease. So as disgusting.as it.is, remember it isn't your or the dogs fault.

We have managed to keep it under control with the use of tablets from our vets. We now have a new pup.and have to.give the pup the tablets too.

I think it is important not to get in to a battle with the dog as to who can get to.the poo first as this makes things worse.

Good luck.

 

[Tressa]

My vet just said 'it's a dog thing' but I have heard of the pineapple before - seems to be a common remedy.Worth a try.

 

[M&M's mummy]

Coprophagia is quite common in puppies and you will find that they often will grow out of it.

There are a variety of reasons for them doing it.

I would calmly pick up the poo and not show any reaction. If you react it will send out signals to him that he is doing wrong and thinks he has to eat it or thinks it is a game.

Don't think you have anything to lose giving the pineapple a try and I have also heard that courgette can make their poo taste sour too so could try that too.

 

[carla-rae]

Thank you all for your suggestions. We are trying hard to break the habit, I havn't given him any pineapple or iron tablets but instead taken up the suggestion of taking him on a lead when he is due a poo, this has given me more control and I am able to clear up the mess without a fight to see who can get it first!
However he did something very strange today, we were outside in the garden (not on lead) and he bolted into the house, when he didn't come when I called I went in to find he had pooed in the house & was eating it It was like he knew I would have it if he did it in the garden!

 

[Soo]

Unfortunately these wee dogs are pretty bright and as soon as you have worked out one way to stop them doing something they will come up with 2 ways to keep doing it.

You could try training an incompatible behaviour (something that will stop him eating the poo like "talking" or doing spins) that you can reward to try to distract him from it and make sure you dont clean up in front of him. You need to work out a really high value treat or toy that is more interesting than poo. Does he like squeaky toys? or something else he really likes, I used hotdog in the classes as most dogs would kill for it. Dont give him them normally and only play with him with them as soon as he poos to keep it more exciteing. Move away from the poo as you are playing or training and after the game/training go into the house. You can then sneak out a few mins later to clean up out of his sight.

The timing of starting the game or training will be important as too quick and you may stop him mid poo and too slow and he will have already grabbed it.

All the best with it and Happy New Year.