Dog eating poo

johnnyb6

Hi I have a 5 month cavalier and a 5 year cavalier and they get on great. I have an enclosed back and leave then out to play on fine days. Recently my pup has started to eat my other cavaliers poo the min he makes it. He doesnt eat his own. Can anyone give me advice on this. Would it be that he lacking in some think. When I out in yard before it happens he will stay away from it, but its hard to constantly watch him.


Thanking You.

odckdo

I had the same problem with 2 of my dogs. I changed food and that seemed to fix the problem. Not sure if that works with every case.

EDIT: the old food had a high rice content, I think that was the difference.

DBB

There are a number of potential causes for why dogs eat poop, whether it's their own or another dog's.
Firstly, it can be a bad habit developed during early puppyhood, and often associated with boredom and an impoverished environment (and I mean early puppyhood, when pup is still at the breeder's premises).. the poop lying around quite literally becomes an edible toy, in the absence of anything more interesting to do.
Secondly, it can be a dietary imbalance. In my experience, dogs fed tinned or dry food are far more likely to eat poop than fresh or raw-fed dogs. Diets high in fat are another problem area, the poop often comes out smelling pretty appetising!
Thirdly, there is a range of health problems that can cause it, which must obviously be ruled out by your vet.
Fourthly, some dogs do it because they've learned it causes a reaction!

Any of these potentially apply to your dog? Once your vet has definitively ruled out medical causes, or if a dietary change is in order, it can help if you feed the older dog some pineapple, or proprietary tablets you can get from your vet: both make the poop considerably less appetising :-)

Pretzill

I have recently.had the same problem my 7 month old BCx is taking an interest in my 15yr olds BC's poop - before I get a chance to clean it up. This I think happens because the elderly guy poops in more easily reachable spots and also because in recent months the elderly dog also.gets a higher protein and oil supplement diet. Perhaps his poops are tastier (ick)

Now this little 7 month old also has a passion for eating grass - not the normal upset tummy chew every so often - no - He chews grass at every opportunity and we have a lot of grass! I too am wondering if there is something lacking in his diet - he's visiting the vet next week so I'll see if there's anything they can advise. He's fed burns dry food in the main but eats liver, chicken, and fish too at times too and loves vegetable treats too. Frozen brocolli a rare favourite.

Edit to add: just cross posted with DBB and that makes sense with my little guy regarding very early nutrition

maggiepip

My rescue collie was the greatest poo eater of all time when she first came to us aged 2. She ate her own and our other two dogs poo at every opportunity. This went on for months. When I changed her diet (due to tummy issues) to a high quality grain and gluten free wet food, and started giving her dog probiotics the added bonus (alongside her tummy clearing up permanently) was that within weeks the poo eating totally stopped too and shes never touched any since, that was over 3 years ago. I still give her probiotics every second day.

anniehoo

Can't add to what DBB said but the term is called Coprophagia (or the consumption of faeces) if you want to put a scientific name to it.

The Pheasant2

Yeah I have a new cavalier pug cross pup and literally the moment my old labrador squats, she bounds over and eats it as soon as it hits the ground.

She's a very greedy eater so I'm not sure if she's just always hungry or if it's actually a behavioral issue

Inexile

As DBB said try adding pineapple to the feed. Apparently it doesn't taste as nice second time round! Courgettes are also meant to have the same affect.

Another suggestion that I have heard is to sprinkle chilli flakes on the poop which means the pup eats the chilli too and is meant to associate the taste of chilli with the poop and stops. Mind you if you can get to the poop first why not just clean it up!

DBB

Inexile wrote: »

Another suggestion that I have heard is to sprinkle chilli flakes on the poop which means the pup eats the chilli too and is meant to associate the taste of chilli with the poop and stops. Mind you if you can get to the poop first why not just clean it up!

This can work, but it does mean that the owner has to get to the poop first, which in both cases above, is proving very difficult! In this case, the owner would deliberately leave the chilli-poop there to set the dog up to eat it.
I have seen dogs where this taste aversion method was used, the dogs learned to sniff the poop to check it for chilli before consuming it if it got the all clear :-D

Inexile

DBB wrote: »

I have seen dogs where this taste aversion method was used, the dogs learned to sniff the poop to check it for chilli before consuming it if it got the all clear :-D

Proof if it was ever needed that dogs aren't stupid

johnnyb6

thanks for all the help. Both my dogs are on Burns food. The pup is on the puppy food and older one is on diet control food.We are going out when they going to toilet to try and get there before pup does but its hard job. I hope to try and train him to stop rather than add stuff to poo. I am considering changing puppy food from Burns to Hills or Royal Canin but i changed older dog to Burns to stop him scooting and it worked

odckdo

Burns was the food my dogs were on. When I changed to Barking Heads the problem stopped.

johnnyb6

odckdo wrote: »

Burns was the food my dogs were on. When I changed to Barking Heads the problem stopped.

never heard of this food. Is it commonly available

odckdo

Cheapest place to get it online is either Amazon or Zooplus.

Pet World Direct are the main store that sells it in Ireland. Can order from them online too but it is more expensive: http://www.petworlddirect.ie/c/dry-dog-food/16/barking-heads_brand

johnnyb6

odckdo wrote: »

Cheapest place to get it online is either Amazon or Zooplus.

Pet World Direct are the main store that sells it in Ireland. Can order from them online too but it is more expensive: http://www.petworlddirect.ie/c/dry-dog-food/16/barking-heads_brand

Thanks again. But would I just give it to pup as older one happy on his food or do both need it

odckdo

johnnyb6 wrote: »

Thanks again. But would I just give it to pup as older one happy on his food or do both need it

Not sure what the right solution is.

Changing both on to a new food might work. With more than one dog I always like to have them all on the same food if possible.

Otherwise, since the pup is eating the poo and Burns might be causing the problem, then just change the older dog's food.

Or keep both on Burns and as suggested add some pineapple. (I tried this - worked initially and then didn't.)

DBB

johnnyb6 wrote: »

Thanks again. But would I just give it to pup as older one happy on his food or do both need it

The older dog's poop is attractive to the pup. Without knowing if this is a medical problem, nobody can tell you right now whether the pup is eating poop because pup is not quite right (whether it's dietary or medical), or indeed if it's a play/boredom related habit, or if it's something dietary or medical with the older dog. If your pup eats the poop of other dogs, you can start to narrow it down to it being a problem with pup, not the older dog.
With all due respect, training a dog not to eat pup is much more difficult without in some way manipulating the poop it's eating. This is for a few reasons. For one, to effectively train pup to stop doing it, you've got to be there for every single poop for the next month or two. And secondly, if you rely on this alone, there is a very real risk that pup will learn not to eat poop, but only when you're there. When you're not there, pup will quickly realise that there's nothing to stop him. In other words, you become part of the "dont eat poop" cue. When you're not there, the cue isn't either.
That's why it's recommended to use a method which makes the poop inherently aversive with no obvious intervention from you. But again, this is under the assumption that it's a bad habit: I'd be getting my vet to run bloods on your pup as a first port of call, especially if you find he's eating other dogs' poop too.