2010 02:32:45 PM


How do you stop it?

The obvious answer is to clear it up immediately, but some will tell you that this can cause a race to win the prize!

Distraction, and then clear it up?

Many puppies start eating poo, but then quite often grow out of it. But what happens if it becomes habit before pup has grown older (and hopefully wiser)

There are many stories that pineapple in the dogs food help. They love the sweetness of the pineapple to eat, but quite often dislike the smell of it once it has pssed through the digestive system. Worth a try, but doesnt work with all dogs.

You can also buy tablets from pet shops which are supposed to deter the behaviour. Again, no guarantee that it will work. And what if your dog eats the faeces of other dogs?

It has been suggested that this is down to a deficiency in the diet. Something they can only obtain by eating faeces that has been through the digestive system.

Maybe someone else has some suggestions, but if your dog eats poo, I strongly suggest you dont let him kiss you on your face (or anywhere else), when he comes in from the garden!


skinneybiker Posted 15/05/2010 02:55:56 PM

Quote :

Cheryl wrote : How do you stop it?


It has been suggested that this is down to a deficiency in the diet. Something they can only obtain by eating faeces that has been through the digestive system.

have heard of this bit before was something like a potasium deficiency and to feed bananas as a reward for leaving the poo alone


Cheryl Posted 15/05/2010 09:52:19 PM


Quote :

skinneybiker wrote :
have heard of this bit before was something like a potasium deficiency and to feed bananas as a reward for leaving the poo alone





I knew bananas were good for dogs, but didnt know that may be the deficiency.

Would be interested to know other peoples thoughts. If its habit ie a rescue dog that has done it for years probably, how do you break the habit?



Pammy Posted 17/05/2010 07:39:33 AM


I m sure I read adding pineapple to their food stops it



SukisMum Posted 17/05/2010 09:57:44 AM


Pineapple as been suggested but it doesn't always work, yeh clearing it up right of way will help, but the bananas is very good for dogs, also a lot of dogs will do it because sometimes there may be some undigested food that is in it so they will go for it, it as not been proven that they are lacking in anything it is a natural thing for them and disgusting for us to see, LoL. But what i do is make sure I clean up right of way to brake the habit.



miranda Posted 18/05/2010 07:13:59 PM



Me also interested as Elsa has only just started eating poo... and were wondering why the sudden interest ! She also seems to prefer it when it has been out in the sun for a little while, so slightly crusty ! Not sure whether she's eating her own, or Lexy's or indeed both - yuch ! So, yes trying to pick it up quickly, and certainly no kisses !!


buddybear Posted 25/05/2010 10:27:59 PM

Duke did it when I first got him & still does it occasionally but not so often nowadays, the poo burp is the worst EVER!!!

Very hard habit to break. I dont make a fuss about it if I catch him & I dont try to clear it up straight away either or he tends to pick it up & run with it!! )

nico has been once in a while doing this now so i started a more constant with the bannas and it seems so far to be working (touch wood)
he has it with his breafast about 3 times a week and so far has shown no intrest in eating any more of his own poo
we have been doin this for about a month now and in the middle week i didnt give him any and the 3rd day in he went back to eating poo so back on the bananas and he stopped again.
i would just like to say this seems to be working for us but may not work for others but its worth a try
rather have banana breath than stinky poo breath

My GSD sometimes eats Cow poo when we go on walks, which aggravates the hell out of me - of course. But he leaves his own alone. Obviously there is some dietry attraction, but what I can't imagine as my dog is fed well and gets a full range of dietry requirements.

I just yell at him to stop and hopefully make him feel guilty about doing it again.

By the way, when I was at the vet yesterday getting inoculations, the vet was rabbiting on about feeding and diet and mentioned that feeding dogs grapes or sultanas or any other dried grape ( raisins & currants) was potentially dangerous. Some dogs are totally unaffected, but some get ill, and some die ! So the vet said.

Take note.

Most dogs do eat cow poo.....apparently its like chocolate to them

Its probably that cows eat grass & once its processed so to speak it must taste nice to dogs....yummy! :roll:

>>>I just yell at him to stop and hopefully make him feel guilty about doing it again.

By the way, when I was at the vet yesterday getting inoculations, the vet was rabbiting on about feeding and diet and mentioned that feeding dogs grapes or sultanas or any other dried grape ( raisins & currants) was potentially dangerous. Some dogs are totally unaffected, but some get ill, and some die ! So the vet said.<<<

Hy
I have a bitch with malabsorption so eating her faeces is the norm to her, as she needs or needed to try and put in what her body was not using, poor love. This has been going on for over 4 months now, so I am outside every single time with bags in one hand and distraction treats in another. Tasty treats, which means coming to me is more attractive than turning around and eating her own, or my others. It works 95% of the time. Although she is so much better she still has the habit and it will take time to overcome.

By yelling at him, could mean to the dog that he shouldnt be doing his business there, and he will try all the harder to clear it up so you can't see it. (hope you dont mind me saying that) Go out with your dog and clear straight up what he has done. Poo left in my garden is a No No anyway, hate it. So it just takes it one step further. Being out there all the time they are asked to 'go'.

I am teaching 'Leave it' for horses, rabbits and cows feaces for the worming reason and the fact that she is on a one protein cost-a-bomb-but-she's-worth-it diet. But it is recycled vegetation really, so apart from the worming factor, it is understandable. HTH's and really good luck!

All of my dogs have eaten horse muck all of their lives with no ill effects. My muck heap is treated as a schmorges (spelling) board and they pick the freshest bit they can find. . The reason they eat herbivore dung is to gain nutrients from digested green matter that they can't get from a carnivorous diet. A dog's digestive system is unable to break down green matter so they will pick what they want when they find it. I can only think of tape worms that might cross over the species barrier and as the vast majority of horse owners are on a regular worming programme and tape worms are a rarity in horses. Lungworm is found in donkeys more than horses and you're more likely to pick them up from slugs. If you worm your dogs adequately then you should have no worries. I don't like them eating cow poo cos its sloppy and they get it all over their mouths!!!!!

I've got to talk to my horse vet on Monday so I'll ask him loads of questions and post his answers.

Spoken to my vet and he says there is no chance of cross infection of horse worms to dogs from eating horse muck. There is 1 crossover that occurs and that's when dogs eat carcasses. A dog would have to eat a whole horse carcass to pick up echinococcus tape worm eggs to become infected and then the horse would obviously have to have the tapeworm. Apparently tapeworm infection is prevalent in working sheep dogs in the Welsh mountains because they will eat dead sheep. There is more danger to horses from dog poo where a dog carries this tapeworm as the eggs passed through a dog will lie dormant and a horse then eats the grass and picks the eggs up. David says the danger from dogs eating horse muck is them eating it just after the horse has been wormed with Ivermectin which tends to be this time of year if on a proper worming programme. They do eat it because its a natural thing for dogs to do....he called them piggy dogs!!! Hope this helps.

Thanks Christine for that.
And one of the reasons for your vet saying ( David says the danger from dogs eating horse muck is them eating it just after the horse has been wormed with Ivermectin which tends to be this time of year if on a proper worming programme) Would worry me because you would not know if a horse had been just been on the programme so I would still worry but yes agree dogs just love it and there must be something that is in it that they need or feel they need. :roll: Also if my dogs had just been wormed I would worry about another lot of chemicals would be digested by them, as all worming is a form of poison.

You are more than welcome and I can supply all the horse muck your dogs would desire as my horses are on a twice a year worming session so for only 4 days a year I ensure the muck goes elsewhere. (Tip people love me )

Well then I would not mined them eatting your horses Poo at the right times, hay you could put a signe out for the people who love Roses

My eldest (5) has never eaten his own but sometimes will go for what the horses leave behind. However, my youngest (3) sometimes does eat his own, fortunately not that often. I have found that a stern "leave it" (not a shout or in an aggressive manner) does the trick.

Fortunately both have got there own routines, when we play ball Shep the youngest, will get the first one and when he returns he does his business, Cody on the other hand waits until we have finished playing ball followed by 15 minutes training and then does his. knowing their routine allows me to know when I need to be watching and to pick it up.