Not my favorite meal...

[coachgrd]

...but it seems my dogs enjoy it. We have two Golden Retiever pups, bothers who are now just over a year old. They have taken to eating one another's excretment. If I'm there to clean up immediatley when they drop a load, no problem but often I cannot get to it before the indulge on one another's droppings. Anyone have this problem with thier dogs? Can it harm them? Were you able to stop the habit?

Thanks!
Gary

 

[laen64]

They are probaly trying to save one another the pain and agony of you rubbing thier face in it.
Seriously, never had that one, good luck.

 

[Highbeam]

My boxer pup seems to like eating chicken poo. Not sure how to prevent your situation though except to punish them during the "meal".

 

[jas67]

My dog does that too (eats her own). The vet says it is perfectly normal, and will not harm them. She says "the dog doesn't have a problem, we do."

Its still gross.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Our dogs go for horse crap. From what I heard it does no harm - except when they kiss you afterwards:

 

[tallyho8]

A baby horse will consume some of it's mother's manure. This is a way of it obtaining the intestinal flora which is very beneficial for many functions.

 

[DocHeb]

...but it seems my dogs enjoy it. We have two Golden Retiever pups, bothers who are now just over a year old. They have taken to eating one another's excretment. If I'm there to clean up immediatley when they drop a load, no problem but often I cannot get to it before the indulge on one another's droppings. Anyone have this problem with thier dogs? Can it harm them? Were you able to stop the habit?

Thanks!
Gary

The technical term is "coprophagia", which will get you a lot of hits with a search engine.

 

[LMTC]

There is a powder you can buy to sprinkle on their food. Our current Border Collie was incessant about this as a pup. We went through probably three courses of treatment with this powder (something like 4-6 weeks at a time) before it worked permanently (or at least for two years now).

 

[hwp]

Our Danes (brother and sister) are just over a year old and still eat poop - I don't know if it each others or their own. I try to keep it cleaned up but sometimes miss a day or two at a time.

 

[ToadHill]

One of my Bassets just loves the tootsy rolls the cat drops in the litter box. Now that I think of it he is to one who has the bad breath.

 

[deere755]

There is a powder you can buy to sprinkle on their food. Our current Border Collie was incessant about this as a pup. We went through probably three courses of treatment with this powder (something like 4-6 weeks at a time) before it worked permanently (or at least for two years now).

I was told it makes the poop taste bad. What could taste worse then poop. Must really taste bad LOL!!!!

 

[Lasgambler]

We have three of our Aussie pups out of a litter of six. They are now 14 months old. They were doing that and my DW would sprinkle MSG on there food for 3 or 4 weeks. It has a multi effect, makes the food taste good and the poop taste horrible. It seems to have been about 85% effective.

Good Luck, Terry

 

[MODiesel]

From what I recall, dogs do this because they process protein so poorly. That means a lot of "re-digestible" material comes out the other end, and they can smell it.

The only harm I know of is that it can spread certain worm parasites. I forget which ones, but I know the heartworm stuff we use for our dog has two different varieties, one of which specifically protects against the worms transmitted via this habit.

 

[Unregistered2013]

put meat tenderizer in their food --

-- that stops it.

 

[WantedWolf]

When I was a kid we got a cocker from the pound, she must have been overly punished for #2's. She ate it for a few days until she calmed down and we made her confident that she wasnt bad. It didnt last a week.

 

[PBinWA]

In some areas of Africa it is customary to give a puppy to a new mother. The puppy is the "diaper genie". Also, in many villages people just poop outside and the dogs clean it up.

There's a good book on the various cultural differences in the ways dogs and man co-habitate but I can't remember the name of it.

My dogs love eating other animals poop. Typically, they then barf it up as soon as I let them in the house!

 

[Ronbo]

I don't know what is nastier, them doing it or you all talking about it.

Ron

 

[coachgrd]

I don't know what is nastier, them doing it or you all talking about it.

Ron

I must admit how surprised I am about the response to this thread too. As I always say, the old world knowledge of the folks on this board is second to none. If you have a question, there's always an answer here.

 

[wushaw]

Neither of my hounds eat theirs or others but when it comes to fresh cow patties and my brittany eats it and rolls in it so she is killing two stones in one, getting a meal and covering her scent.