How can I stop my dog eating his poo!?

Question

I have a working cocker spaniel who is nearly three years old. He is very quick learner and a joy to train however, I cannot stop him from eating his own poo!. He does not eat other dog's poo. He does not eat his own poo when we are out walking only in our own garden. I have tried letting him out on an extender lead and once he has done his business bringing him in for a treat and praise - our back door is right by the garden. As soon as I try him off the lead he eats his poos immediately after going - my calls to get him in before he eats it fall on deaf ears!. I have tried standing by him when he is going but it turns into a competition where he will do a little poo and while I am clearing that up he runs to another part of the garden to finish off and eat it! Any ideas!

I have a working cocker spaniel who is nearly three years old. He is very quick learner and a joy to train however, I cannot stop him from eating his own poo!. He does not eat other dog's poo. He does not eat his own poo when we are out walking only in our own garden. I have tried letting him out on an extender lead and once he has done his business bringing him in for a treat and praise - our back door is right by the garden. As soon as I try him off the lead he eats his poos immediately after going - my calls to get him in before he eats it fall on deaf ears!. I have tried standing by him when he is going but it turns into a competition where he will do a little poo and while I am clearing that up he runs to another part of the garden to finish off and eat it! He has two meals a day am and pm - no health problems. He has been going this from a pup. Any ideas

Answer 1

Same as you train any dog from not eating any food left on the ground. Or not to stolen food from the kitchen table. Use the same method.
Let the dog do the poo and then give him a jerk on the lead if the dog tray to eat it. Then take the dog away for 30 sec and bring the dog back to the poo. If the dog doesn’t go for it, price the dog and play with it. Repeat the exercise. Once the dog will not go for it when you are with him. Move in into the garden or in places where you can hidden and watch the dog doing his business. If the dog goes for it throw a metal can full with coins near the dog to scare it off. Repeat the exercise till the dog will be afraid to eat it. Remember to price the dog every time when the dog poos and doesn’t eat it. Have fun.

Answer 2

Dog Eats Own Poo

Answer 3

Make sure you use a premium brand dog food. Its more digestable and leaves less waste. Then buy some tinned pineapple chunks and freeze them into portions of 2 or 3 chunks. Add them to his food every day.
Pineapple contains papain, which is an enzyme that aids digestion. Lots of dogs have this problem. No one knows if the pineapple makes the 'snack' less appetising or whether it help the dog digest its food more efficiently, or both.
If it doesn't work then its less likely to be a digestive problem and more likely to be a behavioural problem. But the fact that he on;y eats his own mess is a clue.
He's either trying to make up for elements he has trouble digesting, or he's trying to hide the evidence if he was harshly toilet trained as a pup.

And until this kicks in, muzzle him, put him on the lead, and make him a toilet spot to use. Take him there regularly through the day and reward him as soon as he goes. Try dry baked liver pieces as a treat, most dogs go mad for it and it might take his mind off it! Then get him out the way and clear up the mess straight away.
Good luck!

Answer 4

It can be 2 things he could be lacking in a type of nutrition so you can buy condition tablets much like our multivitamins but made specially for dogs. Or it could be to do with what you are feeding him dogs which are on a canned meat diet can still smell and taste the meat content in their poo so find it irresistible to re-eat it, this can often lead to upset tums, which then makes the dog feel even more hungry and even more likely to eat more poo! vicious circle.
A complete dog food diet with No canned food or tip bits added to it. Try and find one that is all the same colour which usually means it has less E No's and crap in it.

Answer 5

1. she is hungry (dog poo eating is the ultimate recycling facility) - I'd suspect this may be the case especially if she is trying to lick your face a lot too (puppies do this to their mothers to get them to regurgitate food). Try increasing her food intake a little.

2. If you are totally sure she is getting enough to eat it could be that the poo is simply very tasty because she is not digesting it fully, it may be too rich for her. What are you feeding her?

3. Alternatively eating poo is a great way for her to get attention! If you think this might be the case then wait for her to 'do' then give her a great treat and her favourite game every time so that she begins to look towards you for her treat or game rather than resorting to eating poo to get attention!

Ive heard feeding a dog pineapple does something to their poo that makes it unpalatable! lmao! Though, personally I wouldnt try that as pineapple isnt a doggy food :P

Answer 6

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/OlhCJ

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 7

Well i really don't know exactly why a dog almost three would eat his poo, but i know most puppies do because it reminds them of the taste of their mothers milk it also contains the leftover vitaimins and nutrients from their food so maybe it's not getting enough nutrients so you should try some vitamin tablets and some puppy mints.

Answer 8

Like t bones answer. Yes it's funny. Dogs do really sly stuff. Trained mine not to dump on paths ('*** on grass!') so he'd do it behind me, thought he could get away with it in the dark etc. Used to go out with a torch till it was sorted. Dogs can be funny and get screwed up by unnatural demands and expectations eg we keep them young: perpetual puppies that don't learn to go off climbing trees and catching gazelles etc. Maybe he's just trying to shock and if you eat it first he'll think you're Ozzy Osbourne and there's no point trying. Something's made him neurotic? Mine would eat his if he dumped in the van out of 'shame' tho. I always apologised if I'd left him too long and he knew what an apology was. No not cruel: few hours at a time in the shade of a panel van on carpeted timber floor with side door open a bit on a chain. Anyway, maybe associated with eating evidence of crime? Disturbing things can be strong and stick. Dosing crap sounds good - squirt of petrol from a jif lemon bottle?

Answer 9

Hi, I can sympathise with you as we also had this problem with our working Springer Spaniel.
My vet advised me to gradually introduce her on to dry foods while also adding several pieces of pineapple chunks (tinned) as it made it less appealing or bran, to bulk her poo up. The pineapple did the trick & we have never given her tinned dog food again.
He also recommended that she ate some charcoal (the black ones) biscuits, to get rid of the foul smelling breath.
He did say though that if that didn't work, he would give us some powder that could be sprinkled over the poo.

Answer 10

I had a dog used to do this, it's so frustrating!! We eventualy stopped her just be being vigilant and getting it picked up first. I have heard that a piece of pineapple on the food stops dogs doing this but haven't tried it, give it a go it can't harm.