What do I do...My puppy is eating her own poop?

Question

My five month old puppy is eating her own poop. Why is she doing that? How can I stop her? Can she get sick from it? Also she eats every and anything on the ground. How can I stop that? She can't be starving because her food is always out and we always feed her snacks and my parents are always feeding her the Little caesars that she likes alot. What to do???!!!!

And Little Caesars is dog food not pizza. I was trying to figure out why everyone was saying I was feeding my dog pizza.

Answer 1

That is quite common. There is something called Deter that you can get at PetCo or PetSmart. It makes their poop taste nasty so they won't eat it.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752093&cp&kw=deter&origkw=deter&sr=1
http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_SearchResults_Ntt_deter_Nav_1_N_30+22.aspx

Answer 2

No one knows for sure why dogs do this.

Make sure you're feeding a high quality food, Innova, Canidae for example. This can sometimes be caused by a nutritional deficiency. Your dog may not be able to digest nutrients from a low quality food.

Clean up after the dog. She can't eat it if its not there. To me going around and sprinkling stuff on feces is a waste of time. Its time better spent simply cleaning it up. Besides she'll just go for the pile you missed. Same with pills. As soon as you stop using them she'll be right back to her old habits.

Teach her the command Leave it. This way if you see her going for something she shouldn't you can tell her Leave it and she won't pick it up.

This command can be taught using treats. Show your dog a treat, put it on the ground in front her and tell her Leave it. Don't let her take the treat for a second, then tell her Ok and let her have it. Gradually increase the time she has to leave the treat there before getting it.

Answer 3

It's a Dog Eat Poop World?

It's best to deal with this behavior immediately because once it becomes a habit it's typically very difficult to change. One of the best, and most obvious, solutions is to keep your yard or other areas clean and feces-free. You can also try putting cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce on the feces itself to discourage your dog from eating it. If your dog is eating his own or even your cat's feces, there are products available that can be added to their food which work by making the feces taste very bad. If in your yard, you can also try diverting your dog's attentions from the feces to something else he enjoys, such as toys or playtime. If your dog is in the habit of eating feces while on walks, it's best to keep him on a leash. Otherwise, a wire muzzle can be used, which will keep your dog from eating anything, but be certain never to leave your dog muzzled and unattended.

Discouraging your dog from nibbling at the litter box can take some effort. Mainly you want to make the litter box inaccessible to your dog yet still accessible to your cat. You may be able to achieve this by using a covered litter box, placing the litter box at a height that your dog can't access, placing the opening toward the wall, or putting it in a closet
Though it's generally believed that eating feces is not a sign of some dietary deficiency, some experts still recommend that you check your dog's diet. Namely, you want to be sure that your dog is not getting too many carbohydrates and that he's getting sufficient B vitamins. There's also evidence that simply feeding your dog more or breaking up his feeding into smaller, more frequent meals will improve this behavior. If the feces eating behavior is linked to stress, then the stress must be dealt with, sometimes with medication. In fact, this behavior can become almost obsessive-compulsive in some dogs.

Again, when trying to combat this problem, the rule of thumb is always the sooner the better. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should refrain from punishing your dog when he's eating feces. Many times this tends to reinforce the bad behavior.

Answer 4

Some dogs are prone to eat their own poop...they want to get rid of the smell so they eat it, this happens often when there's another dog at home. Either way you can go to the pet store and buy these pills that you can put in her food, it'll make her poop taste even nastier and she will stop eating it. You should take your dog to the vet as well, it is not good for them to eat the poop they can get seriously sick.

Answer 5

Dont worry about it. My 2 year old golden still does it.Remembering this is very normal for dogs and no they do not get sick from it. If you clean up daily this will miminise the problem. I suggest training your pup for the " leave it " command. A dog caught in this act will know from the tone of your voice that you "their Leader" is not happy. try holding a peice of meat in your hand and hold it to your dogs nose with your hand closed,they will try and get it, lick your fingers etc, all the while saying firmly "leave it" once they turn their nose away quickly reward them with whats in your hand. And say good boy. Consistant practise at this with food and toys will make your dog understand that eating something thats not from your hand it not rewarded.Now, if you see your dog eating poop in the yard. Call out leave it !. if they do that, reward them with praise and pats not allways necessary to reward with food. If you are persistant in my suggestion this will work, trust me. Even when you walk your dog in the street or park and come across something tasty on the ground that your dog will try and eat. say " leave It ".Dont expect results over night this might take months for your puppy to learn. My dog knows this command. Although she sneaks outside at night for a feast sometimes, so dont worry too much, its just bad breathe on the dogs part.

Good luck.

Answer 6

My dogs used to eat their poop like crazy. Don't let them lick you afterwards.

That was before I got kennels for them. After I got kennels, there wasn't enough room in it for them to poop themselves. And I always took them out to do their deed and then scoop up the stuff afterwards. I did it to keep the backyard clean and I didn't want to step in the stuff.

I think Little Caesars is that brand of dog food, but if you were feeding it pizza, I can see why it would eat its own poop.

Answer 7

Your puppy is suffering from Coprophagia (stool eating). It is common but first you need to understand why it occurs. There are several reasons a dog will engage in stool eating.
1. If your dog is being underfed, the dog may still be hungry which may lead to stool eating.
2. If your dog is being fed a poor-quality dog food, the dog could be suffering from malnutrition and/or vitamins and mineral deficiencies which could cause your pup to eat "everything."
3.If the dog is being fed too many treats during the day, she may be too full to complete her balanced daily meal(s), which could lead to malnutrition.
4. Your pup could have a medical issue
5. Or simply your dog could be bored. And playing with her stools is what happens to be stimulating her.

I hope I helped! Good Luck!

Answer 8

Most all puppies will tey this. It's because their Mom ate their poop when they were very small, and they saw that. It seems gross to us but it's something that's an instinct. When animals all lived in the wild, the Mom's ate the poop from her babies so that predators wouldn't know she had babies . Predators hunt for the young and the weakest in a group and kill them for food.

Answer 9

It's common for dogs to eat their own waste matter. I think there are products on the market that you put on the waste to discourage the dog from eating it; you could also try putting hot sauce or actually just try disciplining the dog?

Answer 10

All dogs eat their own feces. I've asked dozens of vets over the years & they all tell me their dogs do it too & no one knows why.
As for eating everything on the ground...it's a dog thing.