Why does my lab eat poop?

Question

He eats poo almost everytime we go outside for a potty break. We live in a wooded area so he does his "buisness" in the woods. After that, he snniffs at something in there and starts eating it!! I'm guessing it's poo because his breath smells horrible, and his mouth is all black/brown! Please help me!!!!

Answer 1

iT IS A MYTH THEY ARE LACKING SOMETHING IN THEIR DIET

.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.

Answer 2

Many reasons have been suggested for this conduct in case of the dogs. It could be that the dog suffers a digestive problem, like a deficiency of some vitamins (B or K), usually produced by bacteria in the intestine. Eating his own feces, he gets those essential elements, that otherwise will go out of his body in great amounts.

But this conduct seems to be an addiction, as is frequently found in dogs that have spent a lot of time in pounds, and without too much hygiene

Answer 3

We got a beagle puppy two year ago and he was a poop eater. But only in the winter when they were poopsicles. He just loved nawing on those frozen poops, his and our other dogs.

We used those deter tablets the past two winters. We also closely supervised him and gave him a stern NO when we caught him even so much as sniffing at a poop.

Cold weather is back and he doesn't seem to be interested.
Good luck.

Answer 4

Get him to poo while on a leash and keep him from the poopy area. I know of a Lab that likes to roll in horse poo and eat babies used nappies- Its feral but its hard to stop a lab once they are on a mission!

Answer 5

eating the stools of herbiverous animals is absolutely normal for dogs and does them no harm in moderation. in fact, they are a useful source of nutrients for wolves or ferel dogs when other food is in short supply. however, eating their own faeces or the faeces of other dogs is a different matter and should be discouraged because it can spread parasited such as roundworm or whipworm.

some people thing that this habbit is due to a nutritional deficiancy but ot could also be from boredom. the habbit can be developed in young pups who rconfined to a small area with little to amuse them. dogs who have a reasonable amount of freedom rarely devlop this problem.

Answer 6

My dog just eats cat poop or Human Poop. He just loves getting in the garbage and eating the stuff in baby diapers. YUM !

Answer 7

This is common and most dogs do it sometimes. There are a few things on the maket to use. Ask a vet for "Deter" or "Forbid".
You can also try sprinkling some Adolph's Meat Tenderizer on their food. My vet once suggested this and it does work.

Answer 8

I'm not completely sure why your dog this but I have had a dog that does it and now I got a new dog for christmas and he don't eat his poop but when he pukes, it ain't a little puke. when he does it, everything in his stomache comes out at one time and its chunky and not watery or anything, and he eats it all back up. But then I have to go and puke, but I don't eat mine!!!
Well all I can say is that we both have very disgusting dogs!!! LOL!!!

Answer 9

Your dog is just trying to figure oput who's poop it is thats all. Get it some bones and brush its teeth. Oh and give that dog a bath!!! When your dog does that pull him away from it.

Answer 10

I don't have a clue but I do know some dogs do this while others don't. Thankfully, neither of mine do.

Sorry Dale but Labs are one of the SMARTEST breeds in the world. Look it up. This is why police and fire departments use them. If you don't know about the breed, don't comment on them.