my dog is a 9 month old german Shepard who eats her own poo have tried everything can anyone help?

Question

have tried all hot spices as advised and also deter from vets as soon as nobody is watching she eats her own poo again is there anybody who has had the same problem can anybody help me please desperate dog owner

Answer 1

MY GSD B1TCH DID THIS TOO! For 5 years!
Is her poo quite soft/runny? or a funny colour? Overly Strong smell?

My Roxy started it at 6 mths old and for a whole year, we tried everything including different vet opinions until the 4th vet diagnosed the problem.

If its the condition my dog had (Pancreatic Insufficiency) she eats it because she can smell the fat content from her diet within the poo. (Nothing will stop her doing it until she is on medication & a fat free diet) It is a life-long condition but treatable.

So I would try the following:
1) Watching her & distraction techniques
2) Vet to check her for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
3) Canine behaviourist

Ive had 4 gsd and there is always an underlying factor if they do this, so I disbelieve in poo eating as simple 'habit'. Theyre far too intelligent for that.
There are other symptoms of the condition i mention so please email me if u want to know more. x

Answer 2

There are several reasons why your dog may be ‘recycling’, or to use the technical term, indulging in ‘coprophagia'. In some cases, it’s a form of scavenging. Mouthing things (including things that seem unpleasant to us) is also part of ‘exploring’ for a pup, and dogs invariably explore with their mouths. It’s fairly common for puppies to eat their own (and sometimes other animal’s) excreta. It’s nothing to be alarmed at, but it is something to monitor as it could be a symptom of an underlying problem.

It‘s thought that one of the reasons puppies do this is because they see their mothers eat excreta. It’s perfectly normal for a dam to eat the pups’ faeces to keep the den clean. It also minimises the den’s scent, so intruders are not so easily attracted.

Your pup is oblivious as to how disgusting the average person finds coprophagia. But there are other good reasons apart from our own needs to discourage the practice – your pet can pick up internal parasites in the process and/or it can be habit forming.

Answer 3

First, clear it up as soon as she's laid it. You know theres a problem so supervise her, teach her to use a toilet spot while on the lead, and keep it clean.
Punishing the dog can also cause the habit. So never punish her for toileting mistakes.

One solution that sometimes works is to add a couple of minced pineapple chunks to her food. Pineapple contains an enzyme called 'papain', its used as a meat tenderiser in the food industry as it breaks down proteins. No one knows why it works, it either aids digestion or makes the faeces less attractive.

Answer 4

As revolting as it is to humans, eating feces is fairly common among dogs.

Coprophagia (the official term for eating feces) is not usually a sign of illness. Once in a great while, it can be a symptom of malnutrition: the dog could be having trouble digesting and absorbing its food, or the food itself may be the problem. If your dog's coprophagy is caused by malnutrition, you would probably see other symptoms, such as loss of weight and energy, a poor hair coat, or greasy, loose stools, for example. Poop eating may be boredom related in many dogs.
This has actually been studied by several people but no definitive answer for "why" has been found.

Most of the time, eating feces is simply a bad habit. It's also unhealthy: it can transmit intestinal parasites, contribute to tooth decay, and cause stomach problems.

Some people recommend sprinkling the dog's food with a veterinary product called "ForBid", or by supplementing their dog's diet with one spoonful of canned pineapple or a teaspoon of spinach or with a dash of a meat tenderizer such as Accent or Adolphs. Pouring Tabasco sauce on your dogs feces is another favorite tactic of some. What works for one dog may or may not work for another.

Aside from the food additives, you must pick up your dog's feces from your yard on a daily basis to prevent the problem in the first place. Do not give your dog the opportunity to indulge herself.

You should also work with your dog to train her not to try and eat feces.

Try teaching your dog not to touch feces using the command: "LEAVE IT!"
Put your dog on leash and walk her by some feces. If she shows any interest in it, tell her, "LEAVE IT!" in a stern voice. If she continues to try and eat it, then loudly scold her: "NO!" and pull her away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. (never hit your dog)

When she stops trying to eat the feces praise her! Let her know what a good dog she is! Continue walking and keep returning to different piles of feces over and over, repeating the "Leave it" command until she gets the idea that you disapprove of her dietary interests.

Whenever she shows no interest in the feces, be sure to tell her how happy you are through praise and reward.

If you can keep the dog from eating stool for a month or so it is sometimes long enough to break the habit.

Best of luck!

Answer 5

Hello - go to my questions asked and you will see I have the same problem with my cocker spaniel - I have lots of useful answers. My dog is now three years old and still does it. It makes me feel sick but, dogs do dirty things sometimes!. I try to distract my dog so, when he has finished his poo, call him in and if he comes straight away give him a nice treat. Hopefully, he will think poo, back in means a treat!. DONOT run around behind him - apparently, they see this as being competitive - when I did this to my dog he virtually ate it while he was doing it!. I have to say it is not nice but it is quite common - I have almost gone past caring now - sometimes, if you relax so do they. For example, my dog never used to come back to me when I called him - it used to drive me to tears sometimes - but now, if he doesn't come back, I turn and walk away from him - he soon comes running then!

Answer 6

I have a 3 month old puppy who sometimes does the same thing. It's soooooo gross then she wants to lick me. Um, no thx!! YUCK! Anyways, I asked my vet why she does this and she said that either she is still hungry or bored. She also told me to take her off the puppy food because it tastes good the second time around. lol Try to change your dog's diet? Change the dog food. I know it's gross but my nieghbour's dog still does it and she is over 2!!

Answer 7

I have the same problem with my american bulldog, she is 8. It seems like she's going back to her puppy doings.
I put a couple of cubes of canned pinapple in her food and that seems to deter her from eating it. I don't do it all the time though, because I'm afraid the acid in it might harm her stomach.

Answer 8

Add a spoonful of pineapple to the food. This makes the poo unappetizing. It help to clean up and dispose of the "deposit" immediately after the dog goes also.

Answer 9

We had one vet recommend ACCENT, found in the spice isle of the grocery store. For a larger breed (we have dobermans) they suggested 1 tsp on the food twice a day. It worked better than the FOR-BID.

Answer 10

i think most dogs do this at some point - you could try sprinkling pepper on the poo to discourage the dog