Eating Poop o_O

[Dwele]

My big boy Hutch (6 1/2 months old) like to eat his own poop if nobody's watching! Since moving back home my mother's been nice enough to watch him during the day, however sometimes she needs to be inside the house to take care of some things so she lets Hutch out in the back. Well that's never a good idea because if he's left alone he tends to eat his own poop!

I've caught him red handed once and he knows now to NOT do it while I'm around or anyone's around. However, I don't want it to be a problem in case nobody's there to watch him for a few minutes.

Any suggestions on how to remedy this?

 

[RebD]

I've seen others on this board recommend feeding pineapple, that it discourages them from eating their own poop... I'm not sure how much you need to feed, maybe try searching this forum?

 

[BetsyB]

The reason most dogs eat their own poop, (or some other dogs/cats/rabbits/etc...) is because it still smells like food to them. If you're feeding a lower quality food, that is full of fillers and "ingredients" other than meat, the canine body is just not able to thoroughly digest or process all of these extras. Instead of the food being broken down and used and absorbed by the body, the dog's digestive tract doesn't recognize it as food/fuel, and it passes through the intestines and out as poop. Some poop actually resembles kibble, the way it looked when the dog ate it!
There are some remedies you could try, but the best thing to do would be try a higher quality food.
Of course, he should also never be given the opportunity to eat his own poop. He should also be taught the "leave it" command to avoid him eating anything at anytime that you do not want him to eat. If you associate him getting a yummy treat with leaving poo alone, he will learn that NOT eating something you tell him to leave is a good thing, and will get an even better reward.

 

[Eleonora II]

Eating the poop

Having not been here for a while I just saw by accident your post. My Bud-Bud was doing the same for a while when he was a puppie. My trainer (an old police dog trainer) told me to spice his food - mainly with salt. As I cook for my darling this wasn't a problem. Lo and behold - he stopped eating his poop withing a few days and never went back to it.

And just in case you do have a problem with flatulence - 2 tablespoons of natural yoghourt mixed in the food helped Buddy to get rid of that too. And he loves it!

Good luck, Eleonora

 

[Dwele]

Salt, I'll def. give that a shot today!! Thanks!!