My 2 year old Chocolate Lab still eats his poop, why and how can I stop him?

Answer 1

He is not doing anything that he believes is wrong. He was taught this by his mother, when the mom kept the nest clean. When mom became too overwhelmed to keep clean after all the litter, the pups were good little helpers and did it themselves....They didn't have gloves and bags, so just did it the way they could. He is just being fastidious. Please DON'T scold or punish him for it. That will only confuse him. He will not get the point, and you will have a traumatized dog.

Dog's ancestors have done this for eons, to keep their area clean and to not let predators know where they live. It is as natural for them as hand washing is for people.
You can add pineapple chunks to his kibble, or meat tenderizer, or the product Forbid, available at the pet supply shop...Any of these products may do the trick..

Answer 2

There are products you can purchase such as, "forbid". This product would be sprinkled on the dog's food. It does not effect the flavour of the food, but when it works its way through the digestive tract, it changes how the feces will taste. It is supposed to deter them. You may have to use this product for several months, until the pet realizes that the taste isn't worth it. If you cannot find forbid, you can use grocery products like tabasco sauce. Also, consider getting Rover to the vet for a check up. Many professionals think that this habit is caused by deficiencies in the diet, (but most realize that its a habit they started when they saw Mom doing it when they were pups to keep the nest clean). The other way is to be with Rover when it does his business, put him at stay, clean it up right away, without grumbling or making a fuss. If he thinks its a prize, he'll continue to want it. Good luck

Answer 3

A lot of times when animals eat their own poop that means they are missing an essential vitamine in their diet. If you feed a grocery store brand, you may want to upgrade or give your dog a vitamine supplement. You can also get a product called Deter, which helps the dogs poop not as appealing to them to eat.
Wellness is a premium food you can feed and it is a natural food. I feed my dogs beneful, which isn't the best, but it is what we can afford for them, and they do well on it.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Not sure how to stop him from eating his poop, but it is not abnormal....Apparently there are vitamins in the poop that the dog needs...My 4 year old black lab just recently had puppies (2 weeks ago) and she started eating her poop while pregnant...I asked the vet about it and he said just let her do it..If she has the need to eat it there is a reason....I am sure it goes beyond that, but it is okay....It may be gross but no harm done...Dogs lick their butts and everything else...Good Luck!!

Answer 5

1. Animals often do this sort of thing if their food isn't fully digested... they can tell if there is still nutrient value, and will re-eat to get the most out of their food. You might want to try a higher quality food, so that the nutrients are more readily absorbed the first time around. This may or may not be the problem.

2. Apparently there is a compound you can buy from your vet that makes the feces taste awful (which I find funny that it doesn't already), so they won't want to eat it. Once the habit is broken, you can stop giving them the compound.

My sister has been having this same problem with her dog, and it is really a hard habit to break them of. Keep lots of greenies (breath freshening green bones) on hand to give your dog before you let it inside!

Best of luck.

Answer 6

My shepherd puppy used to eat our cat's poop, and also dried cow patties when we'd take her out to a farm area. My veterinarian told me that the dry food I was feeding her (the usual brands found at a grocery store) may not have enough protein in it for growing puppies, and that is why she ate the other animal's poop - looking for more protein. I was recommended to switch to Iam's lamb and rice, which I did, and the poop-eating stopped. Was worth the extra $ to me to not be repelled by puppy kisses anymore! Try comparing protein percentages on other brands to yours, and if there are others out there that are much higher, try switching.

Answer 7

I had the same problem with my white alsations, and it is a lack of deficiency in their diet. I changed my dogs to Ekunuba they had no more titbits or table scraps.
Putting them on Ekunuba is a lot healthy for them as the body absorbes 98% of the food and their bowels don't work as often as all the vitamins and goodness is absorbed so there isn't much waste from the food they eat.
Ekunuba is expensive but it is really good for your dog and it lasts a long time, but you must go by the recommonded feeding table.
Speak to your vet I am sure he will agree. Any-way good luck!!!

Answer 8

Your dog probably came from a puppy mill where it was confined and had to eat its own poop in order not to lie in it. I inadvertently got a puppy mill dog when I bought from a chain pet store without doing my research. I haven't tried the food additive to make the poop taste bad...but I do pick up daily and if my dog even sniffs at poop, he gets the "leave it" command!

Answer 9

Information is from this site


http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/learn/...

Dogs will commonly eat their own as well as other animals' feces. Puppies are known to eat their own excrement during paper training and housebreaking, and it is believed to be due to a combination of physiological and behavioral factors.

On the physiological side, since the digestion of food is not always complete, puppies still see nutrient value in their feces and view it as a snack. Often dogs are attracted to undigested rice, corn or peanuts in their stool if they happen to consume these foods. Maximizing digestion can help solve this problem. To do so, add enzyme supplements to their food, such as meat tenderizer (from the supermarket), papaya extract (a natural enzyme available at health food stores) or products from pet supply stores especially designed to help dogs digest. Mix the enzyme powder in each meal, and let it sit for 15 minutes prior to feeding it to your pet. This should eliminate the presence of anything they view as "good" in their stool. It will not help with the peanuts or corn, but these foods should not be fed to your pet in any event.

Another way to discourage coprophagy (the medical term for eating poop) is to coat the stools with hot sauce or vinegar, thereby making the experience of eating it unpleasant (as if it seemed great thus far!). Sometimes owners have to go to the extreme measure of injecting the stool with hot sauce so the pet gets the full extent of the bad flavor. Yet another method is through products which taste good when mixed in the pet's food and eaten, but turn bitter when excreted in the pet's feces (isn't science great?). Doing this or the hot sauce method for one to two weeks is usually enough to convince a dog that their food bowl is a safer spot for snacks.

On the behavioral side, many pets eat their stool during the training stages because they become confused about whether to go to the bathroom on or off the paper or outdoors. Just as potty training for kids is tough, telling a dog when and where to eliminate is emotionally stressful. They will feel bad about going in the wrong place and destroy the evidence by eating it. Owners often call me because they are concerned that their puppy has not had a bowel movement in a few days, but it usually turns out to be a case of recycling.

Source(s):

http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/learn/...

Answer 10

Sometimes certain dog foods still smell (to a dog) like food, even after passing it. Use a dog food which produces less poop, Science Diet is one of them, and put a bit of vinegar in his food. I heard this doesn't smell to good to the dog and discourages him from eating their own feces.