Stop Eating Your Poop!

[skagit]

Seriously, is there any proven way to break your dog from eating its poop?  I don't know why he started but as soon as he goes he turns around and chows down.  I tried the "Forbid" and other products that you add to their food and I think all that did was season it.  I have toyed with the idea of leaving the E-collar on when I let him outside and giving him a shock when he turns around for seconds.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

[400out]

feed him peppers! they hurt coming and going out, if he's anyways smart he will break the chain 

[Ridgeratt]

Was a bit scared to open this! I thought the eastsiders were getting slammed once again!!

[wapiti hunter2]

Seems to me that you have the perfect recycling, perpetual motion machine,  Why stop?

[PlateauNDN]

That's taking "going green" to a whole new level!

[rtspring]

sell him to a TREE HUGGER

[CAMPMEAT]

Actually you have to eat it yourself with him watching, then puke, and tell him............no. no, bad dog !   

[runamuk]

Seriously, is there any proven way to break your dog from eating its poop?  I don't know why he started but as soon as he goes he turns around and chows down.  I tried the "Forbid" and other products that you add to their food and I think all that did was season it.  I have toyed with the idea of leaving the E-collar on when I let him outside and giving him a shock when he turns around for seconds.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

did you try kelp?  if its a male dog its likely either a bad habit or a imbalance in the diet or it could be pica...but that isnt as common as some might want you to believe plus pica would have him eating glass tin paper everything his mouth could eat.

try some routine changes and diet...instead of letting him exercise himself maybe walk him so he is on leash and you can control if he turns and eats......this would also give any diet changes a chance to settle in...

[phishisgroovin]

hot pepper spray in a water bottle, follow it around spraying as its dropping.

wont be eating it much longer, must be good food you fees it though to want it twice lol! 

[kenlguy]

What kind of food is he eating? A shock collar I think would be your best bet. But you have to be quick on the trigger and nail him just as he gets his nose down to it. This has been the only way I've found to change their behavior. You shouldn't have to burn him with it, Just enough to make him uncomfortable when he goes for it.

[dscubame]

Are we talking about when it is a warm pie or after it has cooled off?

[huntnfmly]

Talk to your vet cuz what i heard this behaviour is that he is missing something in his diet vitamin wise and they should be able to help in the mean time enjoy the fact you dont have to pick up after him 

[quadrafire]

Talk to your vet cuz what i heard this behaviour is that he is missing something in his diet vitamin wise and they should be able to help in the mean time enjoy the fact you dont have to pick up after him 

It is NOT a nutritional problem. This is called coprophagy. Extremely common, disgusting, but common.

Here read this http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/behavior/pdfs/Coprophagy%20in%20dogs.pdf

[ICEMAN]

 

[shoot-em-dead]

Your dog is 

[skynyr]

We got a G. Shephard that does that too.    I read that feeding them canned pumpkin works, tastes real good going down for them but not so much after it comes out the other end. Apparently it tastes worse than schit after it's digested. If that don't work start giving it breath mints. 

[huntnfmly]

it shows in that article that one of the causes is imbalanced diet wich is nutritional

[quadrafire]

it shows in that article that one of the causes is imbalanced diet wich is nutritional

Yea, I read that as well. BUT---If they are eating a commercial food it is NOT nutritional ( That is what everyone wants to think). Dogs just do this.

We are taking  a variation of a wild animal  into our home and trying to make them politically correct, to meet our social expectations. Maybe we should poll the wildlife bios and see how much this happens in the wolf/coyote populations.  (doubt it has ever been studied)

PS------I'm glad my dog doesn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
she did once, but thought it tasted like Sh!*t, so she didn't do it anymore

[ladyelkslayer]

my dog had the same issue. I talked with my vet, and she said he could be doing it for a number of reasons.  we determined that my pup was doing it as a cleaning habit.  When we got him he was in a 6ftx6ft kennel, so he would poop, and eat it so he didn't have to have it in the kennel.  What kind of "space" does he have, is there enough room for him to play and lay down without coming around the piles? How old is the dog, and did it recently start doing this, or has he always?  it may have something to do with nutrition, but not always.  The forbid and forti flora didn't help break the habit.  The think that worked for us was to scoop poop right after  he laid the pile, and eventually he just quit...

[skagit]

Thanks for the comments everyone.  Helpful and funny.

[runamuk]

Just one more note...in bitches who have whelped some maintain this habit after cleaning up puppies and will in fact go around eating the poop from the other dogs as well.  I know its gross but they are dogs not furry people, sometimes we seem to expect our dogs to act like children rather than domesticated wolves which is really what they are.....unless you own a pug...pretty sure all pugs are aliens sent here to take over the world 

The best solution is to walk on a leash and clean up the are before the dog can and learn to just not watch and dont allow doggy kisses