Eating poo

Hi.

My dog have a problem - from time to time when she is walking off the lead in the park she eats her own poo. She is almost 1,5 year old. I've been told before she does it due to the lack of some vitamins - please let me know if this is the case. Also what can i do to stop her doing it? While she is on the lead she is under control, but when running free in the park or our garden sometimes i cannot stop her

Many thanks

I had the same thing, but always here at home and never when out! YOu could try adding a bit of pineapple to his food coz apparently they would never eat their own poo if that's in it, never tried it myself though.

Maybe if you walk him on an empty stomach overnight, he's hungry (I've thought that with mine!), so maybe a couple of little biscuits before you take him out could work, or a dollop of live yoghurt? Sorry that's all I can suggest.

Yes, they do say it's a lack of vitamins, but with today's foods which seem to be so well balanced, I doubt that myself, so I don't know what it is quite honestly

Hi Minskiy eating poo of every kind although repulsive to humans is a normal thing for dogs to do.

A dam will naturally clean up after her puppies licking there bottoms to stimulate them to eliminate, as they grow she will 'clean up ' the bedding area.

Dogs naturally eliminate away from their eating and sleeping area, sometimes when a puppy is confined to a small area with no opportunity to soil elsewhere it will eat its own feces, then this can become a habit.

It is a good idea to make sure your puppy is regularly wormed to prevent reinfection. Also pick up after your puppy the moment it finishes eliminating.

There are things you can add to the diet like pineapple which is supposed to make the feces taste horrid but many dogs won't eat these things in the first place.

I understand Dorwest Herbs 'Keepers mix' sprinkled on food has helped some dogs.

The best solution to stool eating, coprophagy, is cleaning them up before the dog has a chance. You can try food additives, the home remedies pineapple juice or canned pumpkin or the commercial products Forbid or Deter.

Why dogs do it is poorly understood. It may be diet related, but changing the dog's diet might cause worse problems. Whatever problems it causes for the owner, it doesn't seem to hurt the dog unless you are trying to clear up a worm infestation.

For more information see http://home.gci.net/~divs/behavior/coprophagia.html

I find that as a dog grows up they become fairly regular. I have a pretty good idea when my dogs will `go`. Usually it`s just as you let them off.
So if you can work out when, you can be prepared to distract your dog with a toy, then clean up the poo.
Playing is a good way to get your dog more interested in you than the poo!

I have known several dogs to eat faeces, all bitches.

I am an animal behaviourist and as I have been sifting through research I have found that it is actually perfectly normal for dogs to do that. It may be discusting to us but it would actually be a small part of their natural diet. Dogs are opportunistic omnivores and get a lot of nutrients from the faeces of other animals.

Also with commercial pet foods a lot of the contents cannot be absorbed by dogs and so it passes right through. This causes the stools to smell like the kibble. This is also inviting to a passing dog.

I have tried everything to stop my dog from doing it but I have to say I don't think they can help it. My 14 week old staff pup nicks the kitten poop out of the litter tray, we clap our hands and say no and she gets the message. But the urge to eat it once she has smelt it is too much for her!

Hope this is insightful

Hi Jan and welcome I think the highlighted part of your post is a significant factor, eating feces is a way of self preservation for a dog . If 'food ' is around eat it, there is no knowing when food will be available again.

I noticed in this recent cold spell where people have failed to clear up after their dogs foxes are digging in the snow and eating dog feces no doubt for a similar reason.

As Claire says the behaviour often stops when a dog reaches maturity. perhaps it is more confident of getting food supplies then .