Some dogs only eat their own poop, while some love eating other animals' poop. If your dog is eating poop, you are definitely not alone.
Submitted by PetFinderAdmin on 2010-11-10
There are many types of poop eaters.
Some dogs only eat their own poop, other dogs love eating cat poop, and some special connoisseurs only enjoy grass-flavored poop, especially from horses and goats. Bird poop is also a delicacy that is in frequent demand by very many dogs.
If your dog is eating poop, you are definitely not alone.
It is actually a very common thing among dogs. Dogs are not humans, and they have very different sensibilities than we do. What smells good and what tastes good to them, can be very different from what smells good and tastes good to us.
However, for reasons of cleanliness and health (intestinal parasites), it is generally a good idea to train your dog to stop eating poop.
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop
The most common reason for dogs to eat poop from other animals is simply because they enjoy the taste.
Other reasons for eating poop include stress, boredom, or a nutritional imbalance. When dogs eat their own poop it is usually because of one of these reasons.
1. Nutritional imbalance.
Poop eating can occur because the dog is lacking certain digestive enzymes. When this occurs, the dog will eat his own stool, to conserve those much needed enzymes. Studies have shown that insufficient vitamin B1 can cause stool eating.
2. Stress.
Dogs will sometimes eat their own poop to relieve stress. This usually only occurs under extremely stressful conditions.
Different dogs will have different fears and different stress triggers that may result in stool eating. For example, dogs with extreme separation anxiety may poop and then eat their own poop when left alone.
3. Boredom.
If dogs are left alone all day, with little very human contact, and very little to do; their only choice for self-entertainment may be to play with and eat their own poop.
Imagine if you were cooped up in the house all day with nothing to do; you would go a bit crazy as well. Think cabin fever and The Shining.
Here are some techniques to stop your dog from eating poop.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 1
Feed your dog a healthy and balanced diet.
The easiest balanced food to give your dog is dry kibble. Dry kibble is nutritionally balanced and results in less teeth tartar.
Make sure to get a high quality kibble, with good protein sources and no unhealthy fillers.
Some good kibble brands that I have tried include Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Nature's Variety Instinct and Orijen.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 2
Help your dog reduce stress.
Identify situations that cause extreme stress in your dog, and try to reduce the number of stressful encounters.
In the meantime, practice managed desensitization exercises on your dog to help alleviate his stress response. To desensitize your dog, make sure that you are in control of the training environment. Start by exposing your dog to low levels of the stressful stimulus.
Treat and praise him for staying calm. Do some simple obedience commands (e.g. Sit) so that your dog is engaged with you in the presence of the stressful stimulus. When your dog is comfortable with the low-level stimulus; you can slowly increase its intensity.
If your dog starts to react badly; then you have moved forward too quickly. Stop and restart the exercise with a reduced stimulus level.
While conducting desensitization exercises, it is important to keep sessions short, fun, and rewarding for your dog so that he will begin to reassociate the stressful stimulus with positive experiences.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 3
Keep your dogs busy and occupied.
Bored dogs will often develop behavioral issues and cause significant property damage.
It is important to walk your dog regularly (preferably every day) and to provide interesting toys and activities to keep his mind sharp and engaged.
You can get your dog to work for all of their food, either by performing dog obedience commands, or through interactive toys. If you provide a lot of alternative activities for your dog, he will be less likely to find unacceptable entertainment on his own, including eating his poop.
If you are busy, in the short-term, and do not have the time to give your dog the attention that he needs; consider sending him to dog daycare or hiring a pet sitter.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 4
Keep your dog's environment clean.
Scoop up after your dog as soon as he is done with his business. If you keep things clean, there will be less opportunity for him to practice his poop eating habit.
It is also important to supervise your dog at all times so that he does not get the chance to practice his poop eating behavior.
You may have to go back to dog potty training basics to fully stop your dog from eating his own poop.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 5
Teach your dog the 'Leave-it' command.
Get some yummy treats that your dog likes and put one in your hand. Make sure your dog knows it is there. Close your hand into a fist and hold your hand still.
Your dog will naturally nose all over your hand while trying to get to the yummy treat. Say Leave-it and wait for your dog to briefly stop nosing your hand. As soon as he stops nosing, mark the behavior (Yes), and treat him from your other hand.
As your dog learns the command, you can slowly lengthen the time he has to leave your hand alone before you mark and treat him.
Once you are comfortable with this exercise, you can practice the Leave-it command with a treat on the floor. Make sure that you are fast or have your dog on a lead, so that you may stop your dog if he decides to lunge for the treat. Cover the treat with your hand if you need to.
As soon as your dog leaves the treat alone, mark and treat him from your hand. It is important NOT to give him the treat that is on the floor because he may learn that he gets rewarded with whatever is on the floor; which is often not the case in real-world situations.
Keep practicing this until you have a really solid Leave-it command. Now you can use it when your dog gets tempted by poop during walks.
Note that independent minded dogs may choose to eat the poop anyway if they decide that the poop is much better than your reward. If that is frequently the case, try upgrading your rewards, and make sure that your dog does not get within striking distance of the poop.
You can also quickly march your dog home and end the walk if your dog manages to sneak in some poop eating. This teaches your dog that if he eats poop, the nice and interesting walk ends.
Stop Dog Eating Poop 6
Make the dog poop taste bad.
Adding meat tenderizer containing papain, in small quantities, to your dog's food will sometimes prevent poop eating.
Your vet can also give you dog medicine that will make your dog's stool taste extremely bitter.
However, results are usually much better when you correct the source of the poop eating behavior, through the other methods listed above.
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