How do I train my puppy to stop consuming his own fecal matter?

Question

Now first things first, I care very much for my male yorkshire terrier "Fraggle", I even go to the extent to pamper him with treats and toys and even his own clothes, I give him pure Evian Water only and I give him the finest brands of dog food, I haven't ever given him "people" food and he enjoys playing in my lush backyard and garden, but everytime he goes number 2 he turns right around and eats it, this is kinda gross but I have even gone to the extent to try and gently force it from his mouth, then he snaps at me and growls, I then give him a light reinforcing slap on the bottom as it was suggested by my vet to do such, yes I have taken him to the vet to determine why he is doing this and she said (I live in Montana by the way), "he will just have to grow out of this, its something puppies sometimes do", but instead of it being a less common activity, it has increased greatly, it seems like his appetite for his own excrement is insatiable now! what should I do?

Answer 1

Horses, sheep, chickens, emu, rheas and ostriches, all eat their own stuff...Nearly all of the animals on our farm..Not the goats

Their mothers teach them to do that, as she eats it when they are infants, to keep the nest clean, and keep predators from finding the nest...and it just carries over, as to an animal there is nothing wrong with it..after all..mom did it..
You can add a soon of Adolf's Meat Tenderizer, to make it too bitter to want..or pineapple chunks will do the same, or a product at pet shops, called Forbid..they make the food taste OK, but not the poop.

Here are some links on the subject of eating feces, and other peoples ideas>
http://www.dogplay.com/Behavior/poop.html

Answer 2

well the reason they do this is because in the wild they had to get rid of there waste some how otherwise other aniamlas would find it and they could hunt them down. beleive it or not it also has a lot of nutrients. but if you really have a problem the only thing i can think of is maybe if your right there before he has a chance to turn around spray bitter apple on it. this might work or you could try to pick it up very quickly. but if this doesnt work you could just try to be very very stern and yell NO in a low deep voice and then try to pull him away. he knows you love him so dont worry about being to stern. he'll eventually get the message that he isnt supposed to be doing that if you really buckle down and do this frequently. you sound like a great dog owner who really wants a great pet. remember A LOT of dogs do this, this question is on this site all the time so maybe look back at a couple and look at those responses. you could also add Deter to his food. hope this helps. good luck!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

There are a couple of products that added to your pup's food can help him lose his taste for poop.
One is Deter, the other is Forbid. I've used both on my dogs and been quite successful at it.

Stop spanking your dog and forcing it from his mouth. You can make your dog aggressive and still not change the habit. Vets have very little training in behavior during Vet school and the advice you got from your vet is not going to be helpful.

My guess about why your puppy does this is, he was a puppymill puppy, so he got used to having his poop available in his cage for long periods.

Answer 4

This is a rather common problem in dogs, not just puppies and sometimes they do not grow out of it. There are several remedies on the market. One is called "Deter" another is "Forbid" , which you should be able to get from your vet or even on-line. And you can try Adolphof's Meat Tenderizer sprinkled over his food. That sometimes works. Also if you aren't already doping it, maybe get him started on Pet Tab's Vitamins.

Answer 5

This is not something to wait for your dog to grow out of. There is an additive that you can add to your dogs food to put a stop to this and most larger on-line vetrinary supply companys should carry it.The company I buy most of my vet needs from carrys a product called Stop and also an explanation as to why dogs do this. They are geared primarily to service owners of houndogs but this applys in any situation. Good luck.

Answer 6

It is a disorder called Pica. My dog had it and yes it is gross. It is not something that they grow out of. Spanking will get you nowhere. The only thing I can suggest is to take your dog to the toilet on a leash and pull her away as soon as she poops. Clean it up then before she gets a chance to eat it. It's not going to change and the dog can't help it so don't get mad at her. I tried those food additives that are supposed to stop them from eating their poop but they didn't work. Good luck.
jw

Answer 7

Pick up after your dog right away, or muzzle a coprophagic dog when walking in public areas.

Deter is a safe and effective easy to feed chewable tablet. It is used to stop dogs and puppies from consuming their own feces. Consumption of feces (coprophagia) is a common but disturbing habit in dogs. The cause of this behavior is unknown, but this product is formulated to stop this.

Answer 8

There is a product called "forbid". You add it to a puppy's food. They eat it because it doesn't taste like anything going in but it takes on a bitter taste once it travels through the intestinal tract. Use it daily for a few days and Fraggle will learn his poop is not as tastey as he thought!

Answer 9

forbid and other like products do not work. This question is asked constantly on here, that should tell you something.. It is normal for them to do this. And there is nothing you can do. what is gross to you is not gross to a canine.

Keep the poop picked up, pick it up as soon as he pops and that is about all you can do.

If you yell at him, or try to make him stop he will eat it even faster. This is because he thinks you want it too..loll...gross I know..

Answer 10

most puppies eat their own (or other's) feces. just a bad habit they do. usually they stop after a couple of years old. also, there is a rumor that they are missing some vitamin that they find in the pooh but I don't know how they can pooh a vitamin they don't have. anyway.........