My dog eats her poop...how do I stop this behavior??

[Corie]

I think this question has been asked before and maybe even
by me...but I am a horrible searcher for old threads.

Here's my question-

My dog loves to eat her poop. I catch her eating her poop
all the time and it seriously grosses me out!!

What can I do to stop this disgusting behavior??

[KLD313]

The only way to truly stop the habit is to pick it up right away. They also sell pills (Deter, I think) that will make the poop taste bad, feeding the dog pineapple does the same thing.

[twowhat?]

The only way to truly stop the habit is to pick it up right away. They also sell pills (Deter, I think) that will make the poop taste bad, feeding the dog pineapple does the same thing.

:ROTFLMAO: as if poop doesn't taste bad enough LOL. I've seen this too - I think Foster & Smith sells something that makes the poop taste bad (to dogs). And yeah, picking it up right away is really the only sure fire way. Our female dog will eat poop if we left it there and she got bored.

But beware - dogs will dive right into other poop as well...rabbit poop seems particularly yummy, especially given that it's sized and shaped like tiny bits of kibble...

[gobadgers]

So gross! I'm no help but I wanted to commiserate. Our dog has taken a liking to the kids' Baby Bjorn potties. DD pours everything into the big potty, but it's not exactly 'clean'. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!

[gatorsmom]

Is there a way to stop them? When our dog was alive he was particularly fond of the mushy poops from other dogs. Watching him eat them while out walking him seriously made me want to puke. I used to try pulling on his leash to make him give it up but nothing would stop him. He'd just choke it down even faster.

The worst is when they want to give you a big ol' wet face smootch afterwards. :barf:

[pharmjenn]

The worst is when they want to give you a big ol' wet face smootch afterwards. :barf:

Gag:barf:

[daisymommy]

I thought this was a pretty good article:
http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/why-does-my-dog-eat-poop.html

[Pinky]

You can try pineapple in the dog food too, it might help some. Like a previous poster said, depending on the dog the only solution may be picking up the poop and disposing of it. We tried everything with our dogs and nothing worked so now they are only taken out on leashes. (even the yard was fenced)

[Corie]

Is there a way to stop them? When our dog was alive he was particularly fond of the mushy poops from other dogs.


My dog is eating her frozen poopiscles outside. My husband just
shakes his head and mumbles, What an idiot.

[egoldber]

LOL! We used to call them poopsicles too.

And we had to have baby gates long before kids before our dog thought the cat's litterbox was just full of crunchy snacks....

[trcy]

Like others have said-crushed pineapple. If that doesn't work you can try putting meat tenderizer on her food. There is also a product called For-Bid sold by vets. Is she a puppy? Often puppy will outgrow this. Good luck!

[catsnkid]

my neighbors dog does this. She gets rid of it ASAP by throwing it in the woods across the street. She tried the pills but it gave her dog diarhea.

[BabbyO]

I remember seeing on a show (It's me or the Dog or Dog Whisperer maybe) that feeding the dog pineapple will make the poop taste bad so they stop eating it. But I also remember hearing that usually the underlying problem is a gap in their nutrition. Like they are missing something so they eat the poop to try to get that extra nutrition they're lacking. (problem is that eating the poop then becomes a habit and that is where feeding the pineapple comes in).

You might want to check into those two things. I'm not sure if either of those shows has a Q/A website, but it might be worth a search. As you can see it seems to be a fairly common problem.

[billysmommy]

My IL's have sheep, llamas, a horse and a donkey
and their dogs always run straight for the pasture
to see what treasures have been left for them.
It is so gross!!!

[dogmom]

Well, I can tell you with a Lab, nothing will stop it. It helps to have your dogs on better dog food with less fillers. Their stool volume will be smaller. Makes it less attractive. Sled dogs are actually expected to do this to get as much energy as possible from any undigested nutrient. Also, not feeding any table scraps that may not digest as well, just to attractive. I classify this as the dirty little secret of dog ownership. No one tells you about it until after you get a dog, then they are all, "Oh yeh, my dog does that."

[MichelleRC]

Ugh, my dog does it too. The vet said because she thinks it tastes good." Thanks. She also considers the cat's litterbox as her personal buffet table. You should see us racing to get there before she does.

[mackmama]

Have you talked to your vet about it? Eating poop can signal that a dog is missing certain needed nutrients from his diet or has parasites. Other times dog may eat their poo because they are bored. It might be helpful to leave stuffed kongs for your dog and make sure he's getting enough exercise. Sometimes it can be due to anxiety. I'd start with your vet to rule out medical reasons then work behaviorally.

[kerridean]

Ummm....get rid of the dog??? That is so beyond gross to me. I could not handle that at all!!!!!

[Corie]

Ummm....get rid of the dog??? That is so beyond gross to me. I could not handle that at all!!!!!


I could never get rid of her! I love her. She is a wonderful
dog except for her poop-eating. :)

My son is a bigger PITA...

[mackmama]

Ummm....get rid of the dog??? That is so beyond gross to me. I could not handle that at all!!!!!

:47:

Corie-I'm glad you're committed to your pup!

[doberbrat]

common deterents are pineapple, spinach, forbid and Deter.

the causes can be nutritional, boredom or even helpfulness (trying to help you clean the yard type thing)

my doberman did this. I tried for years to stop it. Tried all of the above, training, following her around and I even spoke to her via a communicator about it. In the end, nothing stopped her other than promptly cleaning up.

we kept wipes by the back door to clean her mouth when she came in.

I wont lie, it was a real issue in our relationship but she's been gone a month and I still miss her desperately.

[mackmama]

I wont lie, it was a real issue in our relationship but she's been gone a month and I still miss her desperately.

I'm so sorry for your loss... Big hugs. I know how excruciating it can be.

[kerridean]

Ummm....get rid of the dog??? That is so beyond gross to me. I could not handle that at all!!!!!

I am so sorry. That was insensitive beyond words. I admit I am not a pet or dog person at all and could not handle this issue. I am sorry for being an A$$.

[twowhat?]

I am so sorry. That was insensitive beyond words. I admit I am not a pet or dog person at all and could not handle this issue. I am sorry for being an A$$.

I kinda thought you were joking...cuz poop eating IS, well, gross!! Now I'm reminded of a scene from American Pie 2...

[Corie]

I am so sorry. That was insensitive beyond words. I admit I am not a pet or dog person at all and could not handle this issue. I am sorry for being an A$$.


I thought you were joking! That's why I made the comment
about my son being a bigger PITA. :)

[zag95]

And we had to have baby gates long before kids before our dog thought the cat's litterbox was just full of crunchy snacks....

You mean Almond Roca?!! This is why we don't have a cat! Our dog eats poops too- I'll try the pineapple!!!

[kerridean]

I thought you were joking! That's why I made the comment
about my son being a bigger PITA. :)

Well I kind of was joking but I still could not handle it:).

[trentsmom]

There was a column in the paper this morning dealing with this! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/03/AR2011030300231.html

I've only had cats, so I've only dealt with this when I used to dog sit. None of my cats has eaten their or anything else's poop, but some of them did a good job of cleaning up their own or another cat's barf. :barf: There was often a race to see who could get there first!

[kcimato]

I was just coming here to post the same article in this mornings paper. The vet suggests high quality dog food. We switched to a good dog food right after we got our dogs. Their poop is very compact and doesn't smell most times. There is a website out there that rates all dog foods and I've lost it when we put in a new hard drive. I think there might be a link on this vet's site.

[Corie]

I was just coming here to post the same article in this mornings paper. The vet suggests high quality dog food. We switched to a good dog food right after we got our dogs. Their poop is very compact and doesn't smell most times. There is a website out there that rates all dog foods and I've lost it when we put in a new hard drive. I think there might be a link on this vet's site.


According to this vet, our dog food (Eukanuba) is rated C.
I pay about $45 for a 40 pound bag.

Some of his top-rated dog foods I have actually price-checked
and they are around $55-60 for a 30 pound bag of food.

He does recommend a particular Kirkland brand which is Costco.
I'll have to price-check that one.

[Corie]

I forgot to add the link for his dog food ratings.

http://www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/PetFood-Rating-System

[kcimato]

Here's the site I used. We feed our dogs the Fromm Gold. Then sometimes just for a change we will pick another Fromm flavor. They tell you o feed your dogs the same brand so if there is another flavor in that brand your ok.

It is more expensive we do pay about $45 for 30# With the Fromms, the 13th bag is free. We have 2 dogs so it doesn't take too long.



http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

They rate them by content.

[KLD313]

According to this vet, our dog food (Eukanuba) is rated C.
I pay about $45 for a 40 pound bag.

Some of his top-rated dog foods I have actually price-checked
and they are around $55-60 for a 30 pound bag of food.

He does recommend a particular Kirkland brand which is Costco.
I'll have to price-check that one.

I'm actually surprised your vet said this, usually they think Eukanuba is the best of the best. He must be a great vet.

The Kirkland brand food is good and it's a great value, if you can find the grain free one it would be even better.

[twowhat?]

We've been doing really well with Canidae. The price is right for a premium food, and it's one that our vet really likes (she's also of the "science diet and eukanuba are NOT the best foods, and supports raw feeding if you want to).

I tried Kirklands to try to save some money - but unfortunately one of our dogs developed elevated kidney values and the food was the only thing I had changed, so I switched them back to Canidae.

But I agree that Kirklands is awesome for the value if your dogs do well on it.