When she goes outside to do her business she turns right around and starts eating it! Or she runs back to the door to be let in, and brings it back in the house. Not only is the act making ME sick, I'm more afraid it will make HER sick.
2007-06-20 02:40:03 · 12 answers · asked by Shannon 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Are you feeding her good puppy food? Sometimes it shows she is not getting enough nutrition. If you are giving her puppy food, put some tabasco sauce on the poop, it will be the last time she tries to eat it again.
2007-06-20 02:43:16 · answer #1 · answered by redwine 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It can be a sign that she's missing some nutrients in her food, but mostly the problem is just a dog being a dog.
My dog did the same when she was younger. What I did was to show her my utter disgust. "Yuck!" and "Urg" combined with exaggerated facial expressions and then, and yes, this is disgusting, I'd empty her mouth. Taking the poop out of the dog's mouth is necessary because once the dog eats the poop, the poop functions as a reward. It's like scolding a dog for stealing a cake, but if you don't take the cake away from it, the eating of the cake will be plenty reward for your dog to decide to ignore your displeasure.
The best thing is if you're quick enough to give her a sharp "No!" as soon as she gets it into her head to go for the poop.
These methods worked perfectly for us. My dog even took it a step further and would not eat anything she found on the ground without getting permission first.
2007-06-20 02:52:53 · answer #2 · answered by Voelven 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a dacshund named Fenway who used to eat his poop as a puppy as well. He'd eat it almost every time if we weren't careful to get him away quickly.
Now he just turned 10 years old, God bless him. I'd say he still will take a shot at a mouthful about 3-5% of the time.
I have no answer other than keep an eye on her, and pick up the poop immediately.
I've heard some people had success putting meat tenderizer on the food, but it didn't work for me...
2007-06-20 02:45:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Once you establish with your vet that there isn't a vitamin deficiency, then the only fool-proof way is to follow her outside and pick up the poop every time she goes.
If that's not possible, you can try Forbid or one of the other products that help make poop (more) distasteful.
Also, keep in mind she's getting rewarded for bringing it in the house - you give her attention when she does it. Make sure she has plenty of appropriate toys, and clean your yard daily if you can't do it every time she goes.
Sometimes pups outgrow this, but I wouldn't wait for that to happen.
good luck.
2007-06-20 02:48:05 · answer #4 · answered by Catherine F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bad taste on feces: This is perhaps the most common treatment for coprophagia (poo eating). Owners are advised to put something like hot sauce on or in their dogs' feces. The theory is that the dog will consume the treated feces and will have an aversive response to it (due to bad taste) and will eventually cease the behavior. For this behavior to be effective, it must be used 100% of the time. Every feces must have hot sauce or other noxious tasting element on it or else the dog will not associate the bad taste with eating the feces
Punishment almost never works as well as reinforcement, however, and should only be used as a last resort. This may actually lead to more coprophagia as the dog learns that it gets attention
Usually simply picking up shortly after the dog and preventing the dog from eating feces during walks is sufficient.
2007-06-20 03:29:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our dog does this too. It is becasue female dogs have an instinct to pick up after their "puppies" (even if they don't have any...). What we do is buy the Bitter Apple spray, which you can find at any pet supply store, and spray it on her droppings. This spray won't harm your dog, they just don't like the taste. Another thing you can do is to go outside with her and pick up the poop right after she finishes. Hope this helps!!
PS. Whe she eats it, it won't make her sick...my dog is almost 4 and she has been doing it all her life, and she has never gotten sick... after she gets older, she'll begin to eat it less and less!
2007-06-20 02:46:45 · answer #6 · answered by look out sunshine. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT HIT HER. That will just cause more fear and anxiety. I would make sure you are feeding her top notch food, and enough of it. As soon as she's done doing her business yank her away from the poop immediately and praise her for walking away. With enough repitition she should stop. Good luck!
2007-06-20 02:47:15 · answer #7 · answered by msundancer98 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question comes up again and again. I can honestly say that dogs fed a raw diet do not do this. Not only do they not eat their own faeces, they make no attempt to eat horse faeces, sheep, etc. I have spoken to people on my list who changed over to a raw diet, and had dogs which ate their own faeces before changing, and the dogs stopped. Imo, it *has* to be a lack of vitamin and/or mineral and/or enzymes. (Which, I don't know.) If you want to change to a raw diet, you will be made welcome on the list below, which, although based in the UK, welcomes everyone.
PS. As for this being a behaviour by the dog of clearing up after pups.......how do you explain dogs (as opposed to bi***es) doing it?
2007-06-20 03:47:00 · answer #8 · answered by nellana 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
buy a bottle of cayenne pepper and take it with you when you go out with her and sprinkle it on the poop . It worked with the foster I had and now she no longer eats poop . good luck .
2007-06-20 02:45:11 · answer #9 · answered by Kate T. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she needs a better diet.
try a new puppy food and give her pets milk and then see if this will stop.
and then tell her no no bad dog if she still does this.
can't hurt to try.
2007-06-20 02:50:11 · answer #10 · answered by DENISE 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋