Dog eating own poop

Risteard

Hi all,

I've notice in the past week or so that my dog has began eating his own poop. I was just wondering what could be the causes of this and how I could stop it.

Some background info. He's 6 months old and is a miniature jack russell. We feed him the nuts and soft food. However he won't go near the nuts unless starving but will wolf down the soft food.

steloide

He smells his food off his poop so why not eat it ...again. He may not be getting enough nutrients from his diet.

echosound

An odd tip but one which works to stop them eating their own poo - feed him little chunks of pineapple. He'll love them going down, but once they come out the other end they won't touch them.
We had this problem with our dog when she was a pup, and after a few days of giving her a few pieces on the advice of other dog owners who had told us about the pineapple, she stopped and never did it again

suziwalsh

The tinned pineapple works a treat also does courgette or you can buy stool off tablets in a shop. I would try and move you dogs diet to nuts only very few soft foods are nutritionally good for your dog. If you are changing over your dogs diet to a dry nut just put a spoon of natural yogurt or some tinned fist to make it more interesting and lessen over time.

This behaviour is called coprophagia.

Why do dogs eat poo?

While most cases of coprophagia appear to be purely behavioural, there are indeed numerous medical problems that can cause or contribute to coprophagia. These problems must first be ruled out before a purely behavioural diagnosis can be made.

What are some of the behaviour reasons that a dog or cat might eat its own stools?

Coprophagia is a common problem in some puppies, which usually clears up by adulthood. There have been many explanations suggested for this behaviour. When left unsupervised, puppies may simply begin to investigate, play with, and even eat stools as a play, investigative or scavenging behaviour. Since coprophagia may attract a great deal of owner attention, the behaviour may be further reinforced. There may also be an observational component since the bitch cleans and ingests the puppy’s excrement in the nest, and puppies may learn to mimic the behaviour of their mother or playmates who perform this behaviour. The owner that uses the outmoded, inhumane and useless training technique of “sticking the dog’s nose” in its stool when it has soiled the home, may be further encouraging coprophagia. In adult dogs the innate behaviour of grooming and cleaning newborn puppies and eating their excrement, along with the well documented fact that dogs tend to be attracted to sniff and lick infection or discharge of their pack-mates, may explain some of the motivation for coprophagia. Early intervention can help reduce the possibility that the behaviour will become a long-term habit.

How can coprophagia be treated?

Coprophagia can best be corrected by preventing access to stools, by thorough cleaning of the pet’s property, and by constant supervision when the pet is outdoors.

Risteard

Thanks for the replies. Looking back this behaviour only began after beginning to give him soft food. He had only been on nuts beforehand.