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My dog eats poop:(

3K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Barbels 
#1 ·
Other than a good, stiff lead injection, does anyone know of a good deterrent?
He eats his own poop and he's not too picky to enjoy our other dog's Tootsie Rolls, too.
I've tried Forbid and Distaste from Drs.F&S, but they don't do a bit of good.
Please lemme know if you have any advice.
 
#3 ·
it's completely normal, but gross. there are two things i have heard about this: 1) they are making up for a lack a minerals in their own food/diet
2) they are eating it to get it out of their territory.

there are additives that you can put into their food (or maybe onto their poop) that discourages this habit. lots and lots of chapters in dog obedience books have been devoted to this subject. the one that i have most recently finished is: dogs behaving badly and it is a chapter titled with a latin word.

try breath mints for the pooch in the meantime!

:proud:
 
#4 ·
Most vets wont' do much but give you Forbid, but yours may be different, so give him/her a call for sure! How old is your dog? I would say about 50% of puppies eat poop, and most grow out of it. 3 of our last 4 dogs ate poop, 1 has completely grown out of it, the other 2 would go through the odd phase where they would eat it as an adult, but that may have had to do with what the other dog got into that day etc....I am not sure if any of them have eaten their own, I never really looked to see who's poop they were eating! :icon_conf Anyways, the very very best way to make it stop, is to clean it up as soon as they go. Yes, that means going out everytime your dog goes out and picking it up. Another thing you can try is if you can see your whole yard from the back door, stand and wait for him to go, then *as soon* as he is finished, call him to you and give him a treat. He will get used to coming to you for that treat after he poops...you have to remain consistant for this to work and do it every single time (like any kind of training). You could try shaking a shaker can when you see him do it, then call him when he stops, and reward when he comes to you (you are rewarding him coming, not eating the poop...he will have forgotton he was eating poop by the time he gets to you).

Another thing to look at is what he is eating. If he is on a high quality kibble, it isn't a nutritional deficit, however if he is on something from Wal-Mart, the grocery store etc, he might be lacking in some nutrient and it would be a good idea to switch him to a better quality food. Does he get table scraps? Maybe they still smell good the "second time around". Table scraps add nothing to his diet, so you can cut those out completely. It was interesting with my dogs...when Quest was a puppy she got Nutro L/R. She ate her poop. As she got older she was taken off puppy food adn put on chicken/rice as she developed an allergy to lamb (lesson learned, never feed L/R unless necessary!), and stopped eating poop. When we got the Vizsla he was also on Nutro L/R from the breeder. Quest ate his poop. When we switched his food a few weeks later, she stopped eating his poop. Obviously something in the food when it came back out was appetizing to her. So, maybe even if he is getting a good quality food, try one with a different protein base and see if that helps.

If you feed raw, then you might be missing a key nutrient and may want to reevaluate your diet, or talk to your vet about it. I can't say much on it, as I dont' feed raw.

Other thing, maybe he is just bored. How much exercise does he get? what type of dog is he? If he is a sporting/herding/hound breed he needs LOTS of off leash exercise, not jsut a stroll down the street on a lead.

Anyways, maybe a little more info and we could help you narrow it down a little or pinpoint some things to try.
 
#6 ·
I don't actually have any good advice, I just wanted to say HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Other dogs tootsie rolls.....ROFL!!! If I could get my dog to eat his own poop, I would have like a perpetual recycling machine! I would just throw some vitamins into it once in a while and I'd never have to buy dog food again! :icon_bigg
-Aphyosemion
 
#8 ·
Aphyosemion said:
If I could get my dog to eat his own poop, I would have like a perpetual recycling machine! I would just throw some vitamins into it once in a while and I'd never have to buy dog food again! :icon_bigg -Aphyosemion
YUKYUK, that's looking at the bright side. :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:
 
#10 ·
pepper!!!

spike his poop w/ some hot sauce or cayenne pepper
he'll learn quick, unless he likes punishment and heartburn
 
#11 ·
I've had some dogs grow out of it, and some that never give up the nasty habit. Do some research on the web and you'll find it's quite common. If your dog is a puppy, you've got a good shot at training them off of it. Unfortunately, the best way to do it is simply to catch them doing it and scold them. Soon enough, their desire to eat it will be overcome with their desire to please you.
It worked for our now poop-free Boston Terrier pup. We didn't use any of the chemicals or aids, either.
 
#12 ·
I agree with the nutrients and also smell of what the other dog may have eaten. We feed our dogs Pro Plan and have never had them eat their own tootsie rolls. However, they are hunting dogs and one of them if it ever walks across a little deer droppings likes to have a little snack. But she must know she isnt supposed to do that because she grabs a few and puts em down and if she is seen a scold is right after it, and she is off on her way hunting again.
 
#16 ·
i think that a two-pronged approach is best:
1) spike it with someone overnight, giving them sometime to try it
2)scoop it in the morning so that it isn't stinking up the yard and tempting them...
that way they break the habit and your yard is cleaner...
i still favor breath mints... :)
 
#17 ·
I have a simple rule that I NEVER let animals lick me!! Even if they don't eat poop, they are constantly licking their butts and each other butts. GROSS!!! Do you really want that tongue smeared all over your hands and face? Not me, I will pass.
-Aphyosemion
 
#20 ·
that is an old wive's tale. :)
i have heard it debated my whole life and it has been argued convincingly on both sides. i last heard from a vet that it wasn't true, only to be told by our RN at school that it was true.
i have to agree with aphyosemion-no strange animals' licks for me. and a good washing up after from my own animals...
:)
 
#21 ·
Either way, you can get a nasty infection from *any* bite. Cat bites being the absolute worst. If you get bit by a cat, get yourself to a dr to get antibiotics adn a tetnus shot. My cat Flame bit me a few years ago and within one day my thumb was hugely red and infected...granted, she did get her teeth to the bone (she was a tad upset with me). On the other hand, I was also bit by a dog that I was grooming, got me under the thumb nail and basically ripped the fleshy part of my thumb off to teh knuckle. I rinsed it out, stuck it all back together and wrapped it up wtih paper towel adn tape (we were a little short on the med supplies). Don't think I even went on antibiotics for that on and it healed up nicely. Have never been bit by a person, so no comparison there.
 
#23 ·
:hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:
Kris said:
momo--why did you get bit in a fight? i have this image of you that is shattered now. just shattered!
Yeah, the perp didn't happen to have tootsie roll on their breath, did they?
 
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