Why do dogs eat their feces? What can be done to stop this habit?

Question

my dogs are 9 months old and both have been neutured/spayed. the female is more inclined to eat the feces than the male.

Answer 1

It may be a couple of things. It could be the stress from separation from its litter or your puppys not getting enough nutrients from his/her current diet. I don't know what kind of food you're feeding him, perhaps if you go with science diet (mix it with your current food), if this doesn't work, there may be another problem, When you were potty training the dog and you saw him poo poo, so someone may have been too rough on him, so now if he poo poos in the house, he wants to get rid of the evidence before he gets caught. Simple solution for that, feed him 30 minutes before a walk then take him for a walk, then when he poo poos, say good boy, do this for a couple of weeks.

I hope this helps

Answer 2

It's a habit that younger dogs usually grow out of. My husband adopted a dog at 3 yrs old who regularly at his own feces. Disgusting. I believe it has something to do with the proteins undigested in the feces.

Sprinkle just a little bit of meat tenderizer on the food for three days in a row. It makes the poo taste bad (as if it couldn't be worse) so the dog is turned off eating it. You may have to repeat this 3 day cycle a few times, but eventually they'll stop

Answer 3

Some dogs just do this.

I asked my buddy who is a vet and he says, although its pretty digusting, there's nothing that would harm them in doing it. The nutrients thing is a falsehood because otherwise healthy dogs dog this. And it has nothing to do with sex or breed.

Just remember this: dogs eat stuff. Given time, some dogs will find ways to eat themselves sick for no reason other than, "it was there". Sometimes it really doesn't matter what it is.

Answer 4

That's strange. Dogs usually eat cat feces because cats have a high fat diet and dogs have a very lean diet. Myabe you are feeding the dogs human food. Hope that hepls.

Answer 5

it can only be one thing your dogs might not be getting the vitamins and minerals that the dogs are getting from there food...you can go to the feed store and pick up something that will make them stop eating their feces and if that doesnt work you should go to your vet and see what he thinks that you should do to make your dogs stop eating their poop...hope this helps and good luck...

~caring dog owner~

Answer 6

I have three little dogs. Two of them do this. It is absolutely gross. They like chicken poop, cat poop and the poop of the third little dog that doesn't eat poop. I don't get it either. There is a product that you can buy called "Forbid" that you can put on thier food to make their poop taste bad (if you can imagine that) but if I'm not mistaken that only works if they are eating thier own poop.

Answer 7

she may have maternal instinct which is to keep area clean and eat the poop; female dogs do this for puppies in the den all the time; best way to watch after pooping so you can discipline by stern sharp NO and clean up poop so to avoid this problem; consistency with retrain the PUPPIES, and they are still pups.

Answer 8

let them out more. it is unnatural for a dog to be penned in. they do not want their feces near their food and water. take them for walks and let them defecate on neighbors lawn where they have no access to eat it, or need to.
dogs are walkers. let them walk. it cures all evils.

Answer 9

it makes them happy...dont worry about...its quite socially acceptable among dogs.

its really bad and dangerous when they start eating wildlife or other dogs feces, its a large source of disease.

Answer 10

lack of vitamains or minerals