Absolutely Disgusting New Behaviour...

[Guest NeroAmber]

Today on our walk we saw Amber hidden habit- poop eating. We didn't notice until she'd wolfed down quite a bit, and then later in the day she found cat mess in the pub garden and ate that too... All so quickly that this time though we saw her go for it she was just too fast.

I don't want her to pick up any nasty, nasty intestinal parasites or some horrible virus, and apart from that- it's disgusting! Could anyone help, please? Any ideas about why she might be doing this, or training tips for how to get her to quit it? Any help will be greatefully received, thanks everyone!

[Guest Samantha]

Today on our walk we saw Amber hidden habit- poop eating. We didn't notice until she'd wolfed down quite a bit, and then later in the day she found cat mess in the pub garden and ate that too... All so quickly that this time though we saw her go for it she was just too fast.

I don't want her to pick up any nasty, nasty intestinal parasites or some horrible virus, and apart from that- it's disgusting! Could anyone help, please? Any ideas about why she might be doing this, or training tips for how to get her to quit it? Any help will be greatefully received, thanks everyone!

 

 

I'm not sure about eating other dogs poop, but a tip if she's in your garden and before you get to clean it up, she dives in for a nibble.....a small amount of pineapple fed everyday, seems to put dogs off eating there own poop

 

Good Luck!

[Guest Tes623]

I've tried everything (adding pineapple to his food as well as meat tenderizer and other stuff too numerous to remember--some type of pills I think!) to stop William from eating pooh and the only thing that helps is a stool guard. The worst is when he burps in your face after he's been outside munching

[Guest UESBrindle]

William used to eat things off of the sidewalk in the city if we didn't keep a close eye on him so when I walked him I always did my best to keep an eye on where his mouth was. If you let her in a backyard and can't be with her 100% of the time, maybe get a poop guard for her muzzle.

 

We bought one here for when we wanted William to not lick some stitches, and would work for you too probably.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Guest NeroAmber]

I think this is more gross...but it's other dogs poop. She doens't go for her own or Nero's mess. Also, what is a stool-guard, please?

Maybe I could take pineapple chunks with me to sprinkle on any likely-looking poop, haha!

I'm not sure if any food detterents would stop her, she's so food obsessed she eats without smelling or tasting. We've been a bit mental about keeping the cleaning products out of reach, as I don't doubt she'd go for them, too.

Anyway, what about keeping a water spray bottle with me...? spritz her when she gets too near the brown stuff? Oh I don't know! This is all so gross! (And boy, her breath does smells too, Tes632!)

[Guest Tes623]

William used to eat things off of the sidewalk in the city if we didn't keep a close eye on him so when I walked him I always did my best to keep an eye on where his mouth was. If you let her in a backyard and can't be with her 100% of the time, maybe get a poop guard for her muzzle.

 

We bought one here for when we wanted William to not lick some stitches, and would work for you too probably.

 

Good luck!

Maybe it's the name William

[IndyandHollyluv]

I've tried everything (adding pineapple to his food as well as meat tenderizer and other stuff too numerous to remember--some type of pills I think!) to stop William from eating pooh and the only thing that helps is a stool guard. The worst is when he burps in your face after he's been outside munching

 

I concur. My sweet Holly is a dedicated poo eater. I've rotated kibble, tried supplements - nothing has reduced her appetite for butt fudge. I clean the yard a few times per day and keep an eye on her when she's out in the yard. Truthfully, a physical barrier is about the only thing that will probably prevent the behavior.

 

Out on walks? Well, that presents a few challenges. But I will say, Holly has never contracted any cootie bugs from ingesting poop. I just do my best to minimize her opportunities. Good luck!

[MerlinsMum]

My two eat poop too. I think it's gross as well , but my main concern is just that I don't want them catching any intestinal parasites, as you yourself mentioned. So every single time they go out into the yard they do so wearing muzzles fitted with a stool guard. We get plenty of cats visiting our yard and leaving "gifts", and even though I am always outside with them when they're in the yard, sometimes they're just too fast

[Guest NeroAmber]

She's fine in the yard, I clean it twice a day (its quite small so it builds up quickly with two dogs) and they're never usually out there alone, so she wouldn't have much opportunity to grab her own, but its not her own she goes for! Today was the first time she's done it and she was off the lead in a paddock, and then off lead again in the pub garden. I looked up the poop guards, they look pretty good...

But why would she do it in the first place? it can't TASTE nice, surely!

Anyway, thanks for all the info-sharing, I feel less panicky about her picking up something nasty, and less weirded out now I know its not uncommon. Ta guys!

[Guest GentleHugs]

I just went through a very intense behavioral exam not too long ago for my little girl LuLu. Although LuLu does not eat poop - she eats other non food material things like crayons, toilet tissue. That behavior is called Pica. Anyway, I still sought the advice about poop eating for a few of my friends who are faced with the same problem you are having.

 

This is what Dr. Chris gave me to pass on to my friends about poop eating. It's a little lengthy so my apologies for that in advance but hopefully it might help:

 

 

Poop eating (also known as Coprophagia) is not an abnormal behavior for dogs in certain situations. Bitches naturally consume their own pup's feces to keep the nest clean. This behavior provides a survival benefit as it prevents unhygienic conditions that could lead to disease. The biological drive to eat feces, which is implanted as a survival instinct, compels nursing bitches to ingest their pups' feces. If the dog was once a brood bitch - this behavior could be a normal instinctive behavior that took place while rearing pups.

 

Puppies go through an oral stage in which they explore everything with their mouths including feces but most grow out of the habit after the first year. Slow learners, "oral retentives," and pups in which habits are easily formed may continue to eat poop well beyond the accepted "norm" and may engage in it to excess. Dogs that seem addicted to the habit, may be described as "compulsive."

 

Variations of coprophagia eaters include:

1. Dogs that are partial only to their own stool

2. Dogs that eat only other dogs' stool

3. Dogs that eat stool only in the winter if it is frozen solid ("poopsicles")

4. Dogs that eat only the stool of various other species, often cats

 

 

possible contributing factors to coprophagia:

A. The opportunity to observe the dam eating stool

B. High protein, low residue food (if a puppy - puppy food)

C. Irregular feeding schedule

D. Feeding inadequate amounts of food

E. Under-stimulating environment

F. Constant opportunity to ingest feces

G. Inadequate attention/supervision

 

 

suggestions to try:

1. Picking up all available stools (denying access)

 

2. Escorting the dog into a clean already picked up area to eliminate and removing the dog from the area immediately before they have a chance to eat the poop. Once the dog is back inside the house, pick up poop immediately and dispose of it - leaving none behind.

 

3. Some dogs try to get ahead of their owner's control by eating the stool as it emerges. A muzzle with a cup may be necessary

 

4. Changing the dog's diet and feeding schedule so that high fiber rations are fed frequently. A diet that contains 10 percent fiber is a good option. It may work by altering the texture of the dog's stool, making it less palatable. Dry food seems more effective than wet food.

 

5. Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and spends plenty of quality time with you each day. Some dogs respond when more exercise of the brain and body is implemented. Such activities include chasing, fetching, walking, fly ball, agility training, etc. In other words, the dog may be bored and needs something else to do to curb the boredom.

 

6. Teach the LEAVE IT command. It's a form of re-directional training. This part of training should be for at least six months to nip the behavior in the bud. If during this time, if the dog gets access to stool and ingests it, some ground in re-directional training will be lost.

 

Despite all these modifications in environment and training, some dogs are persistent. For these dogs, the compulsive disorder diagnosis may be worth considering. Some obstinate cases respond to the judicious use of human anti-depressants but that is only with a complete medical exam and based the sound advice of a licensed veterinarian.

 

Hope this helps someone. I'm very thankful none of my kids are or have been poop eaters. I'm also a fanatic about picking up poop immediately. I have grand children who live with me and if they step in it - they immediately come into the house yelling "I just stepped in poop!" while running through every room with their shoes on.

 

 

 

 

[Guest goofydog]

Please be very careful to keep her away from feral kitty poop. It can be the vector for her to develop toxoplasmosis, the same disease that warns pregnant women away from cleaning indoor litter boxes. This is how Get Em contracted it and he is now on his way to basically being blind. No poop is good poop but outdoor kitty poop is worse.

[rschultz]

try working on the "leave it command" with small reward treats.

[Guest NeroAmber]

Wow- thanks for all the info evryone, expecially Gentlehugs, that was really interesting to read. Thanks for the warning about feral cat poop as well, Goofydog.

It sounds like training for the 'leave it' command would be the best permanant mode of action, and I'll just have to be extra vigilant until she learns it!

Thanks again for all the help, it's nice to know there's somewhere to ask these things where people offer good advice and really know what they're talking about!

[PrairieProf]

Hmm, Beth knows "leave it" perfectly well but it has no effect on her when she finds poop at the dog park (preferably frozen, so the problem is in abeyance for the warm weather). She just grabs it and runs away from me! She's never gotten sick from it though so far.

 

I just think some dogs really, really like poop. Goose poop and deer poop are even more exciting than dog poop. I don't think any of the contributing factors listed apply to her (except that she'd probably like to eat more than I feed her) -- good quality food, lots of stimulation, and she's absolutely got no compulsive tendencies.

[Guest GentleHugs]

Wow- thanks for all the info evryone, expecially Gentlehugs, that was really interesting to read. Thanks for the warning about feral cat poop as well, Goofydog.

It sounds like training for the 'leave it' command would be the best permanant mode of action, and I'll just have to be extra vigilant until she learns it!

Thanks again for all the help, it's nice to know there's somewhere to ask these things where people offer good advice and really know what they're talking about!

 

You are most welcome and I do hope it helps you with your girl. I know it can be frustrating to deal with. When I met with the behaviorist and my vet for an extensive evaluation of my little girl LuLu, a lot of my friends asked me to ask for suggestions about poop eating. Aside from it just being gross and disgusting to us, there can be some health related risks caused by poop eating like Goofydog said. Toxoplasmosis, intestinal parasites and a host of other diseases can be picked up through poop eating.

 

The one thing I didn't know (until my vet told me) is that intestinal parasite eggs or the parasites themselves can actually irritate the esophagus, too, so if your dog eats poop from another animal that has intestinal parasites, good chance your dog will not only need to be wormed but also treated for the irritation the parasites do to the esophagus.

 

I'm thankful LuLu does not eat poop but she does eat a number of other things that can pose a health risk. She keeps me on my toes at all times.

 

Good luck with the re-directional training and the "leave it command". It will probably take a few months to succeed.

[Guest jaws4evr]

The cat poo eating thing is really common, most dogs I've met do it... we have the cat litterbox in a room with a small cat door... the only solution I know of is to separate.

 

I've heard of people with poo eaters putting "basket thigs" on the ends, stops them from getting to the poo!

[Guest LindsaySF]

Poop is just undigested food material. It does taste good to some dogs. I would pick up in the yard and use a stool guard.

 

(Sophie eats poop too. Yuck....)