My puppy keeps eating her own poo, this is pretty gross, but is it bad for her? it's a black lab?

Answer 1

It's a habit you need to try and break. Some puppies outgrow it, but help it along by picking up immediately. Teach her "leave it". Make sure you go out with her and distract her when she goes for it - clap your hands, call her, throw a ball, whatever works. You don't want her to keep the habit and start eating other dogs' poop - she'd be very prone to picking up worms at the least.

Answer 2

It is definantely not breed specific. I read an article on this in a vet magazine I recieved through the mail. The test show that there is not any really reason why dogs do this. They have begun to think that is has to do with nature alone. In the wild, undomesticated dogs will eat their feces, as well as, the puppies to keep the smell from attracting predators. Bitches eat the feces to keep them away, the smell will attract predators to small puppies!

The mother will teach a pup to do this as well in a way of covering tracks. I know it sounds odd, but they have seen this through research. They say DO NOT scold your dog for eating feces. The problem is that the dog will associate the spanking with "got to eat them right away so I do not get caught." The dog thinks they are getting scolded for pooing, therefore many will turn around quickly to "hide the evidence."

Answer 3

oh my god I'm so glad you asked this question. my puppy 14 weeks and also a black lab (male) has been doing the same thing.
when he first did it i was horrified but didn't tell him off. if he Poo's inside, which he still does, and i don't clean it up quick enough he'll rub his nose in it, then eat it...YUK!!
if he poo's outside he doesn't go near it?

i asked the vet why, last week. he said 'it's just something a lot of labs do, they eat everything and some have quite a taste for poo'...again...YUK!!
as long as she's eating and drinking well, playful and alert then don't worry. for the time being just try to clean it up before she can get to it.

Answer 4

Hi,this could mean a lack of vitamins in her diet,get her some vetzyme tablets from your local pet shop.These will give her the extra vitamins and also make her coat shiny ,help her bones,and her teeth ,we used to breed greyhounds and always gave them vetzyme from about 3 months old,i think tho now they do have one for puppies,and anyone reading that has cats there is a kitzyme too.I would recommend starting your puppy on them soon,she will only need maybe three a day now but can have up to i think 6 a day when fully grown.i hope this helps xx

Answer 5

we have a 10 month old black lab, and she has always tried to eat hers, I've trained her now to go in the garden and then come straight back in and she gets a treat. However when i have missed her, and she'e eaten it its never done her any harm. The vets said not to worry about it, as it contains lots of undigested food, as they are young, so its like another meal :) we also bought some seaweed powder, which seemed to help a little, but this also made her coat really really shinny, so we still use this too.

Answer 6

It's not going to kill her, but I would try to stop her.. Clean up the poop as soon as she does it. When she moves towards it say AHHHHHH and scoot her away so you can pick her up. Offer her a treat for pooping outside so that the reward of a cookie is a better deal than eating her own poop.

Add: Don't tap her on the nose for it.. Hitting your dog teaches it nothing except that you are mean and don't know how to train a dog. Aggression builds aggression. You don't want to end up with a worse problem then her eating crap.

Answer 7

Hi i know its pretty gross but dont worry all pups do it, i bet she is lovely i love labs, its not really bad for her but dont incourage it and hopefully it will faze out, or else you could always give her a little tap on the nose when she goes to do it and say a firm NO ( i used to work in a kennels for 4 years) then when she leaves it give her lots of prase, hope it helps just watch her and make sure shes not being sick, if she is and you are worried then take her to your vet good luck x

Answer 8

This is far from as unusual as many people think. The official name for this behavior is "Coprophagia", and it has its origins in the behavior of wild dogs many thousands of years ago, when dogs used to eat the feces of their offspring in order to keep their nest clean. Many nursing bitches still do this and this is perfectly normal. For a different reason, dogs may also seek out the stools of herbivorous animals such as cows and deer for the nutrients they contain. Many dogs who indulge in eating their own feces, also like to eat the stools of cats, a particularly disgusting behavior in many households.

The easiest way to prevent this behavior is supervision. When walking, pull him away from the offending article, and make sure you clean the yard before the gets to them. There are also commercial solutions that you add to your dog's food to make his feces even less appetizing. This is often a successful solution (see FOR-BID Stool Eating Prevention Remedy).

If the dog's behavior continues despite your efforts, or seems compulsive in anyway, it may indicate an underlying behavioral or medical condition which you should discuss with your vet.

Answer 9

We had a dog that did this.....gross I agree. Try putting cayenne pepper in her food so that when she poos she doesn't want to eat it. It's a primal thing for them to clean up after themselves. Also if she is being punished if she has an accident this also could be why she is doing it.

Answer 10

Its called Coprophagia and my dogs have never done it but I used to walk a black lab that did it - it was gross! You can get tablets to stop them doing it, I beleive.