Disgusting puppy habit...please help!

[need_a_Disney_fix]

We have THE very best puppy but she has one flaw. She eats her poop. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to stop having crap breath? I put Deter in her food every time. Ummmm...don't think its "deterring" her from doing it. Please help!!!!

 

[Uncle Remus]

Just saw a commercial today for some dog food that has mouth freshner in it, but you could give your pooch a clorets every day. Vet had me give my dobie clorets when she was in heat although that was for the smell on the other end.

 

[lclark0621]

I had had a few pups that did this. Basically I would watch them EVERYTIME they went outside. If they went anywhere near their poop I made a loud annoying sound, said "No" & clapped my hands. It took a big, but it has always stopped.

 

[magicmato]

I found this on a trainer website:

Okay, so it’s not the cleanest or most appealing of dog
behaviors, but it is a serious problem with most dog owners – how
do I start dog potty training so that my dog stops eating poop?!

Well, there are no guarantees here, unfortunately. However, this
article will detail some ideas you can try, so that your dog
stops this disgusting habit.

Avoid ‘It’

One of the best dog potty training methods is avoidance. Don’t
let your dog see anything he shouldn’t be eating, and he won’t.
However, this is almost impossible when talking him for a walk,
or really anywhere outside for that matter. For starters, at
least make sure you are cleaning up after your own dog before he
can get into it, and avoid places that you know are more
‘infested’ than others.

Keep Careful Guard

Make sure to go outside with your dog each time he needs to take
a potty break. Then, you can watch him to make sure if he’s
decided to get into the nasty stuff. If he does, use one of the
obedience commands you’ve taught him, and reward him for
listening. For instance, if he’s going for the doody, tell him to
“Sit!”, and reward him immediately. Then you can guide him back
into the house and avoid the situation altogether. A word to the
wise here, though – try and frame what you want to say to your
dog in positive terms, so he knows what’s expected of him. Just
saying, “No!” doesn’t tell him what to do, it just tells him that
he shouldn’t be doing it.

Use a Leash

In addition to the tip above, use a leash to reinforce this dog
potty training method when taking your dog for a walk.

Make It Inedible

There are a wide variety of ways to do this, although they can be
very frustrating, since every piece of something that your dog
shouldn’t eat needs to be covered with it. However, if no other
dog potty training methods work, try placing some bitter orange,
super hot sauce or Tabasco on every ‘piece’ to deter consumption.

Supplement

Your veterinarian may have something they can provide you with
that you add to your dog’s every meal to stop him from eating
what he shouldn’t. One product is called “For-Bid”, although some
people use meat tenderizer instead (just mix a little bit in
before every feeding).

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Oh and I should add that Lucy is litterbox trained. Yea I know...you are saying WTH. Yes, she is little Miss Automatic using her box that, by the way, is filled with wood pellets for wood furnaces. She takes a poo and voila...its gone, but not always. She sometimes leaves the poo in the potty box. I am hoping *fingers crossed* that she outgrows it. Oh and did I mention that we put up a gate to kitty's room? Yes...you are correct...she wants to visit the litterbox cafe. ARGH!

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

There is a product called 'Forbid' that you can buy from your vet. If you add it to the pup's food, it gives the stool a bitter taste that will hopefully stop the behavior. If the pup is allowed to do it for too long, it will become a habit and can be hard (if not impossible) to stop.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

There is a product called 'Forbid' that you can buy from your vet. If you add it to the pup's food, it gives the stool a bitter taste that will hopefully stop the behavior. If the pup is allowed to do it for too long, it will become a habit and can be hard (if not impossible) to stop.

Other than absolutely disgusting, is there any harm if she should so choose to continue to do this? I am trying very hard to beat feet to her potty box before she gets to it.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

Other than absolutely disgusting, is there any harm if she should so choose to continue to do this? I am trying very hard to beat feet to her potty box before she gets to it.

If she has worms or coccidia, she will keep reinfesting herself. Otherwise, no... it's just a bad habit.

 

[magicmato]

I believe it can damage their teeth, but I could be remembering wrong.

 

[Seahunt]

Oh, this reminds me when we lived on the farm and in the winter our Aussies would run up to us with frozen "poopsicles" in their mouths! Yucko!

 

[FreshTressa]

Oh, this reminds me when we lived on the farm and in the winter our Aussies would run up to us with frozen "poopsicles" in their mouths! Yucko!

Here, mommy, I brought you a poopcicle!

My dog used to have a thing for Kitty Roca.

 

[my3kids]

How crazy would the neighbors think I was if I started seasoning every poop with Tabasco, then going back later to put it into a baggie!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We used a product called "Distaste" to cure our black lab of the habit. We had adopted her, and between knowing she was eating her poop, (She was (is) constantly hungry, she also used to lick the birdseed that falls on the ground) and then the gas she was "letting go" in the house there were some moments when I wondered if we should have. The Yankee Candles from all of the exchanges I belonged to met their match.

It took awhile, about 4-6 months, but she's fine now.

Bobbi

 

[tuckerkeys]

this is such a female trait! isn't it gross?!?! it comes from their instincts telling them that they HAVE to eat b/c they don't know when their next meal is coming.....when i had to deal with this with 1 of my dogs, we would put HOT SAUCE on the poo, in addition to the stuff you sprinkle in the food. it worked, and well! but you have to watch & as soon as they poo put the hot sauce on it. also, put MORE poo additive in the food. maybe you aren't putting enough in? the hotter the sauce the better. we sometimes still do this b/c 1 of my girls has a taste for my moms cats poo...and when she visits her we get the hot sauce out & sprinkle the cat poo...she stays far from it. good luck & let us know if anything works!

 

[cyndibelle]

put some hot sauce on it..that should do it

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

My fellow DISers come to the rescue again. You have given me alot of ammo to work with. I am off to get the hot sauce!

 

[phillybeth]

I've had dozens of dogs that do this (I foster for a rescue group) and the ONE thing that consistently works? Black licorice.

It has to be black licorice, not any of the flavored kinds. Get black Twizzlers and give the dog about 1/3 to 1/2 of a piece- if you have more than one dog, give it to all of them as they might be eating poop that is not their own

Licorice extract contains a natural sweetner that gets bitter when it is digested, so it tastes sweet going in but nasty coming out Deter and Forbid don't work, and hot sauce just gives them a special treat! After a week or two, try stopping the licorice and see if the habit is broken. Be careful with a sick or elderly dog though, as too much licorice can be bad for the heart.

Most puppies learn this behavior from their mothers- mama dogs clean their nests by eating the pups' excrement. It's not harmful to them, just nasty

 

[FloraFauna]

My mom's pet schnauzer did this. She sprinkled the dog's food with meat tenderizer and that did the trick

BTW, the dog was a Christmas present for my mom from my dad. I kept the dog in my home a few days before Christmas Eve, when he was going to present the dog to her with a red bow for her gift. I noticed the dog had this habit of eating her mess and I was trying to break her of this habit before anyone noticed it. Well, Christmas Eve, with friends and family present, with her big red ribbon on, Molly the schnauzer puppy went to town eating her mess. Everyone had different reactions. Some people yelled "GROSS!!", some made faces, and some gave good advice on how to get her to stop doing this.

Good luck.

 

[OK!]

Other than absolutely disgusting, is there any harm if she should so choose to continue to do this? I am trying very hard to beat feet to her potty box before she gets to it.

My parents have a shih tzu who's done this as long as they've had him (3-4 years), though he doesn't eat his own poo. He seems to prefer visiting the buffet at the restaurant up by the barn (the horse manure pile) or the cat box. He hasn't suffered any negative effects from it as far as I know, not even throwing up or anything. Oh, and he also enjoys the chicken poo every now and again as well. It would seem variety truly is the spice of life! Yeccchh.

 

[hiwaygal]

The hot sauce won't work...BTDT!
MSG/meat tenderizer won't work.
Pills won't work.

We have tried EVERYTHING!!! Daisy (our golden mix) is affectionately known as "Poo-Breath" around our house (oddly enough, she doesn't have bad breath! ).

Anyway, somehow she got into the habit and it is SOOOO hard to break.

Going to two feedings a day has REALLY helped a lot...but the single most effective GUARANTEED solution is to pick up the poo as soon as they finish. If it's not there, they can't eat it.