# She won't stop eating her feces



## madohman (Nov 12, 2013)

Not sure of this is the right place or not, but....

My 18 month old female will not stop eating her feces. I am not sure what to do. It don't matter if we keep it cleaned up 100% or not as she will turn around and start on it as soon as she finishes. We can't even leave her outside by herself or she will just eat the whole pile. 

Any ideas or tips? 

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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

Is her health good? Dogs with pancreatitis may have undigested fats and proteins in their stool that make them attractive. There may be other medical issues, too. Sometimes its just because they can (grossing you out is just a bonus .

Coprophagia


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## madohman (Nov 12, 2013)

It is just something she has always done since we have had her. She seems healthy and vet always says the same. Just gets gross when you are petting on her and she has it stuck in her teeth...

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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

What are you feeding?


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

If it really bothered me, I would take her out on leash to do her business and walk her away from it as soon as she was finished. Then clean it up before letting her off leash to play.


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

My female eats my male's feces - it is disgusting, but some dogs just do it. We try to pick it up first, but that's not always possible. Some say that feeding the dog pineapple makes its feces taste nasty to them - it might be worth a try.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Has she ever been tested for Pancreatitis as Uniballer suggested? The pancreas can't produce enough enzymes to help the dog assimilate its food, so it seeks out enzymes.

Her body may be craving and or deficient in some form of nutrition.

Per PetMD: "For some dogs, eating feces is a behavior learned from the litter-mates and/or mother. But, dogs that are fed a low-quality food (or an insufficient amount of food) may also resort to eating feces in an instinctual attempt to balance out a dietary deficiency. This may be further exacerbated if your dog has a digestive enzyme deficiency, because it prevents any of the food’s nutrients to be properly absorbed by the body. Basically, your dog is attempting to eat feces in the hopes to forgo starving to death."

Dr. Karen Becker: "Dogs on entirely processed, dry food diets, who eat no living foods at all, will intentionally seek out other sources of digestive enzymes to make up for their own lifelong enzyme deficiency. Feeding your pet a diet containing human-grade protein, probiotics and supplemental digestive enzymes can sometimes curb the urge to find gross sources of free enzymes around the yard or in the cats litter box."

Coprophagia can also be caused by a Vitamin-B1 (Thiamine) deficiency. “B-1 deficiency can be caused by feeding your dog a low-quality or a nutritionally incomplete diet (Dogspire).”

Adding animal based enzymes and fresh foods that contain Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine) could curb this habit. 

BileX is an animal based digestive enzyme and very cost effective. It contains Pancreatin, Ox Bile Extract and Papin (Papaya). Crush 1 or 1 ½ tablets between 2 spoons and mix into the dogs food. Bilex 90 Tablets by Douglas Laboratories Pro-Biotics also aides the gut: For Pets Probiotic Pet Probiotics | Optimal Digestive Health for Pets - Mercola.com

Here are some fresh foods that you can add to your dogs’ diet. 

Pork is high in B-1. 1/3rd cup served raw several times per week may help. Pork must be frozen for at least one week before it is given to your dog. Choose very lean pork such as diced “taco meat” *without any seasonings *added or purchase pork chops on sale, take off most of the fat and cut in smaller pieces before freezing. Introduce slowly in small amounts at first.
Liver from Beef, Pork, and Chicken contain Thiamine. Asparagus (pureed), green peas (pureed), flax seed and tuna (cooked) also have high quantities of B-1 that can be added to the diet.

If you look for a commercially prepared deterrent make sure that it doesn't contain MSG (Mono-sodium Glutamate) that can be toxic.

Training: 
Per Whole Dog Journal: The four R’s of dog training, can be used to address almost any training issue: 

1.REDUCE ENERGY
2.REDIRECT THE NEGATIVE
3.REINFORCE THE POSITIVE
4.REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT

Applying the four 4 R’s *to address Coprophagia. *

*REDUCE ENERGY*: “While debate continues as to whether coprophagia is a behavioral problem, there’s no doubt that dogs who are bored, receive little aerobic exercise or interesting play, and have unlimited access to their own or other 
animals’ droppings will be difficult to discourage. Increasing the dog’s active exercise, giving him a larger assortment of interesting toys to play with, keeping the dog’s exercise area clean and free from 
excrement, keeping cat litter boxes out of reach, and giving the dog several small meals per day rather than only one large meal can all help reduce his interest in coprophagia or at least reduce his opportunity to indulge”.

*REDIRECT THE NEGATIVE*: You need to first get your dog’s attention OFF the stool and to you. You may be able stop the behavior using a no reward marker (NO!) or duck noise (AAAAACCCKKKKK!) If this doesn’t work, you may need to try something stronger – perhaps an alarm, loud horn or whistle –any obnoxious noise to temporarily get the dog’s attention back to you. If this doesn’t work, try tossing a shake can (a small metal can filled with pebbles or coins) near your dog to get his attention. Some trainers have used a remotely operated citronella spray collar – when your dog turns around to eat the feces, immediately push the button on the remote to spray the dog in the face with the citronella spray to get his attention away from the feces. You may need to have your dog on a lead that you can step on, to prevent him from getting to the feces before you can redirect him. NEXT – let your dog know what you WANT him to do by redirecting his behavior. For some dogs, yelling DO YOU WANT A COOKIE and waving a treat bag in the air will get your dog running towards you! You might have to bring out your dogs favorite toy (A squeak toy? A tennis ball?) and entice him with that. You might engage your dog in a game of chase by running in the opposite direction! Do whatever it takes to get 
your dog to come to you! The name of the game is “do your business, then come running to me for a reward”. 

*REINFORCE THE POSITIVE*: When your dog comes running to you, enthusiastically reward the behavior with a verbal marker (YES, GOOD BOY) and an incredibly tasty high value food treat – dry biscuits aren’t going to cut it here!

*REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT*: When teaching any type of new behavior, you must repeat, repeat, repeat! Practice makes perfect. Consistency is critical. Behaviorists estimate that it will take at least a month – and possibly as long as six months –to break this habit, but with practice (and the use of very high value treats), your dog will learn that running back to you after doing his business results in good things happening to him – high value treats! Yum! 

Hope something above works for you!
Moms


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Midnite does this when given the opportunity. He is a healthy boy that eats good food. It drives me nuts and its a battle with me and him. I have a huge yard and he will poop, wait for me to get to that pile, then go clear across the yard and poop again with the hopes I wouldn't get there in time. He has gone as far as pooping as many as three times trying to beat me to it. I am not crazy, he does it on purpose, he is watching me the whole time. He never forgets where it was and I swear I have even seen him give me dirty looks when I'm picking it up. I even tried putting hot sauce on the poop, didn't work. I have the cleanest yard around, never a pile of poop because its cleaned immediately. I think he picked up the habit at the shelter, he was in a kennel for a couple months, the food wasn't the best and there probably wasn't enough, so he had his own supplement program, I just don't know how to stop it, so for now its cleaned up immediately. He also responds pretty well to leave it. I always carry treats and try to redirect him. If he is moving faster then me I toss the treats to get him focused on finding the treats while I scoop the poop.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

WD did that and I turned him into a poop finder and called it "Poop Patrol!". He'd point it out I scooped it up. It made it more acceptable to me.
But it always required vigilance. My yard has never been so clean during the time I had him. As he got older I got better. But he was also very sick so that could have something to do with it too.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

I have 3, i`m out cleaning up poop twice a day


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## barnyard (Jun 21, 2012)

My young girl does that - but she's cleaning up from the cat next door, who sometimes poops right near our garden. Or she finds the deer droppings.


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## lovemytb (Aug 26, 2013)

Interesting thread. My now 5 1/2 months old puppy eats my 15lb chi mix poop and only her poop and only when she does it in the house. Those two are best friends always playing together and the puppy always wants to be by her at all times. I feed my puppy very good food he is on Honest Kitchen and raw diet. I also have him on prozyme, probiotics, wild salmon oil, and I add vitamins and minerals. I am not sure why he does it but it seems like its more of a behavioral as he only eats Molly's poop but no one else and only when she has an accident.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Mayhem has done this. I added probiotics and it has reduced it significantly. 

With 3 dogs I clean the yard at least twice a day, sometimes more often.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

ken k said:


> I have 3, i`m out cleaning up poop twice a day


Agreed. Get it cleaned up removing the opportunity for her to eat it.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

All my dogs love poop in general (deer? rabbit? horse?) and my Elsa used to love HER poop in particular. Warm in the summer or frozen poopsicles in the winter. Yummie delicious to her!

It was never a health or medical condition.

I had to clean up the yard and couldn't leave her out unattended, for her entire life. If I chose to leave her out, then I had a good chance to get a lick from that poopie breath when she returned.

Truthfully, think it's somewhat more common in our breed than others...


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## GSDMUM (Aug 18, 2011)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Has she ever been tested for Pancreatitis as Uniballer suggested? The pancreas can't produce enough enzymes to help the dog assimilate its food, so it seeks out enzymes.
> 
> Her body may be craving and or deficient in some form of nutrition.
> 
> ...


I told my vet that mine was always eating poop and he said, she is hungry, feed her string beans. She died of necrotiszing pancreatitis


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