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annb posted 6/5/2013 11:01 AM

We recently "inherited" our son's german shepherd puppy. She is 8 months old.

She won't stop eating her own poo.

We tried pills that were recommended at the local dog store, enzymes, did not work.

We tried pineapple in her food, did not work.

Vet recommended meat tenderizer (powder) did not work.

Any suggestions on how to stop this disgusting habit? We cannot watch her every second she is outside, it is very frustrating....plus we have two other dogs, puppy going after their poo as well.

Amazonia posted 6/5/2013 11:03 AM

Why not just bag the poo and throw it away immediately after she goes?

ETA: Perhaps I misunderstand the situation; is she outside off a leash? I think I might have a slanted downtown living view on dogs

[This message edited by Amazonia at 11:03 AM, June 5th (Wednesday)]

tesla posted 6/5/2013 11:07 AM

She's missing something in her diet, which is why she's eating her poop.
What's her kibble?

GabyBaby posted 6/5/2013 11:12 AM

I agree with Tesla- something is likely missing in her diet.

We switched our pets (all 3 dogs and both cats) from big box brand pet food to Blue Buffalo (which has listed as the first ingredients rather than corn and filler). We've noticed a real difference in their overall coats and bathroom habits (as in less waste).

ETA: I also should add that the itchiness that we thought were "hot spots" on 2 of our dogs all but disappeared as well.

[This message edited by GabyBaby at 11:14 AM, June 5th (Wednesday)]

Tred posted 6/5/2013 11:14 AM

Our dog eats the cat poop all the time...I checked it out and some of the causes:

Sometimes a dog will eat their feces if there are undigested articles of food in their stool. Mothers with newborns will also commonly eat the feces of their newborns. As such, puppies may eat feces as an observation of the mother's behavior or as part of exploration. In addition, a dog may eat feces as a response to recent punishment, to get attention or because it desires to clean its environmental area

It's hard to tell but she probably picked up the habit before you inherited her. Easiest thing to do is get to the poop before her and scoop it up.

annb posted 6/5/2013 11:17 AM

@Amazonia..LOL :) yes, this is when she is out in the yard, we try to keep an eye on her as best as we can and clean it up immediately, but not always possible.

She has been doing this since she was a tiny puppy of 8 weeks.

We feed her Biljack? puppy food 2x a day, a tartar biscuit in the a.m., and a few small snacks throughout the day.

h0peless posted 6/5/2013 12:36 PM

She could be missing something in her diet but she also could have been hit for pooping indoors for a period of time and feels she needs to "clean up" after herself. My younger (and severely mentally damaged due to puppyhood abuse) dog did that. For the first few months I had her, I would praise her for pooping (outside of course!) and scold her for eating it.

KeepCalm_CarryOn posted 6/5/2013 14:37 PM

Some dogs just do.

We've looked at all the reasons, tried many of the "tips" and our pup still eats poo. It's gross. It's so gross.

We just try and keep the yard as clean as possible- easier said than done. But unless it's all she's eating or she's eating A LOT of it, it's not likely to hurt her- just be gross.

sadtoo posted 6/5/2013 15:32 PM

Some dogs just do.

Yup. Unfortunately this is true. We have three dogs. All the same breed. (English Mastiff) We have one who is 10 years old and two puppies from the same litter. (male and female) I have had all the dogs since they were 8-10 weeks old. None were hit or beaten for having accidents. They eat very high quality food for their particular breed, size and age. Neither female is a poop-eater.

But the male eats ALL variety of poop. He eats both female dog's poop if given the opportunity. He eats horse poop, deer poop and any other poop he comes across. YUCK!!

We live on a farm, so it is impossible to "pick up" all the droppings around here.

The vet said that it is something he may or may not grow out of.

knightsbff posted 6/5/2013 16:55 PM

I read on a German shepherd dog forum that putting some canned pumpkin in the kibble worked for several dog owners. My GSD has done this as well. Haven't tried the pumpkin yet as we keep the poo out of the yard and she goes outside on a leash.

Want2help posted 6/5/2013 22:25 PM

Our Beagle does it. We've tried all different foods (including Blue Buffalo, highly recommended by others as well), enzymes, poo pills, etc. Nothing has worked.

And he's a lazy old hound (he's 10) and on sunny days he likes to stay outside in the warmth all day long (in his particular patch of lawn), so it's impossible for us to know when he goes.

He's also taught our adopted Boston the habit.

purplejacket4 posted 6/5/2013 22:44 PM

My ten month old Sheltie puppy is doing this. But he only eats the older Sheltie and older lab's poop. He won't touch his own or the 3 month old lab's poop. We've tried putting pineapple, MSG, and pumpkin to no avail. I even went out and poured Tabasco sauce and chilli pepper on the other dogs poop. Well that was like a fancy catered meal to him. When we discussed it with the vet he only had one comment: "we'll, that is most unfortunate." I took that to mean: sucks to be you!