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How Do I Stop My 6 Month Old Jack Eating His Poo!!!!??

Poor you Chasmeister - you really do seem to be trying to find a solution to something that I imagine is really distressing....

I think your best way is to train him out of it.

I thought the reason they do it is because they are lacking something is their diet, or is that an old wives tale?
 
I have two who love their own (and each other's!) poo.

I did a little reading into it and apparently it stems right back to the beginning of the relationship between Dogs and Humans. about 12,000 years ago the relationship is thought to have started.

It is likely that wild dogs started to eat the contents of the middens. This was the beginning of their domestication. So, it is in their nature.

Several theories exist as to why they eat it - the most plausible is that it is a source of nutrients. In terms of survival it is a tasty treat!

It's hard to get them out of the habit, but redirection is best. Rather than punishing for eating the poo - offer a banana or tomato (both are high in potassium).

It takes time, so be vigilant and patient.

Good luck
 
Hello Lila's Dad and welcome to Dog Forum!

Thats really interesting and helpful - thanks for contributing!
 
I am always there, that's the problem! My life is being taken up by this puppy who I cannot leave alone in the garden. If I stand right next to him he won't go and then I'm worried he'll do it in the house when I'm not there. So being able to recognise his behaviour just before he needs to go I stand close by with poo bag at the ready but as he finishes he swings around and takes a mouthful!

Pineapple seems to be a non-starter :ermm:
 
Thank you so much everyone for continuing to help and give advice. I am trying hard not to chastise him but sometimes it is so frustrating i'm sure he's well aware that he's getting to me, maybe it's the fixed 'smile' on my face!

I have considered a muzzle and may well give it a go though he's gonna fight that one!! :unsure:
 
Banana I have checked his diet with the vet and they say his diet is perfect.

Hula - every time I am there lurking as I know his 'body language' when he is about to poo and immediately he has finished I give him a very firm 'no' which he understands for everything else. He is a smart cookie this one, can leave, stay, sit, lie down, roll over, be gentle, wait at the edge of the road, cross only when told and has perfect recall when off the lead at the park. But the order not to eat his poo seems to fall on deaf ears! A teenager I think!
 
My old beagle bitch ate her own poo, my other dogs poo, fox poo, pretty much any poo she found anywhere!! I tried for years to stop this, used pineapple, I walked around the woods with hot chilli sauce and poured it on every poo I saw, water pistols, throwing keys near her as a distraction, keeping her on lead all the time, muzzling her (all that happened with that was I had to clean poo off a muzzle regularly!!) nothing worked with her.

I discussed it at length with vets and behaviourists all of the advice I tried religiously, in the end with her she stayed on lead at all times. They think her problem was due to her being a brood bitch before I got her and she "cleaned up" after her litters.

I hope you can find a solution as I know exactly how disgusting and frustrating it is to stand and watch them do this, hopefully your pup is young enough to train/distract and this will soon be a distant memory. I do think the pet corrector spray is worth trying as I have a friend with a very determined JRT and this is the one thing that works with her, one look at the spray can and she does what she is asked to do, no need to even press it.

Good Luck :luck:
 
Try giving him some Natural Yoghurt. It worked for my Whippet. I recommended it to several friends on another forum and it worked for them too.

If you think about it the dog is driven by instinct. If they are going after poo then their instinct is telling them to get more bacteria in their gut. Natural Yoghurt is good for increasing the good bacteria in the gut so there is some science behind it.

If my Whippet goes on antibiotics then I have to increase the amount of yoghurt otherwise she searches for poo again.

I use a desertspoon every morning.

Do let us know if it works because I am going to patent it...
 
Ok natural yoghurt it is!! Tried everything and will keep trying new ideas.

Have another fight on ou hands now, I have 2 cats, the male and JRT get on great the female however has given him umpteen scratches, which he probably deserved sometimes and which I could deal with, but now she has started using his bed as a litter tray!!!!!

Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!! Sometimes I think - why??! What made me think this was all such a good idea??!
 
For the calm in the house - try a plug in - i recommend Pet Remedy for the cats particularly...
 
I shall definitely being getting a plug-in too then! Thank you for the great ideas,keep 'em coming! :thumbsup:
 
Hy, I have seen a lot of poo eaters. It is not a naughty habit.

Change his diet. It will work.

One pup I homed was a poo eater (that is called Coprophagia) they changed the diet to Iams Eukanuba and she stopped immediately. I have a poorly dog and she was very Coprophagic and i am now feeding her raw and she doesnt touch it.

Be behind pup and when he walks away praise and pick up :) Hope that helps you
 
Thank you again, all these ideas are being tested, yoghurt didn't work. Have changed his diet a couple of times with no luck but havent tried Iams so off to the pet store we go! Thank you
 
Mi chihuahua was doing the same at the beginning. I hated it. But my way to stop her was by sitting down next to her eating a juicy piece of pork or chicken. Immediately she will stop eating her poo and come to me. I wouldnt say anything. Just keep eating my chicken. after a couple of minutes ill share some of my chicken with her. She just stopped eating her poo. I think she realized that the chickens taste was much better.

Hope this helps.

Hanna MArie :flowers:
 
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Just a quick update for those interested.

Have tried everything suggested (apart from eating meat near him as I'm veggie and don't think a carrot would have the same appeal!) and he is still choosing to eat the poo!

At the moment I am standing at the back door when he goes into the garden and soon as I see his 'ready to go' behaviour I walk slowly and nonchalantly towards him so I am close enough to get to it first. He tries everything to distract me, like grabbing something else and running off hoping I'll follow, or hounding the cats so I have to turn away but I am being resolute and the poo gets cleared first! Though he does rush back to the spot when I walk away and lick the ground! Defiant little man!

I am hoping that as he's only 7 months old this will be grown out of, I'm an optimist!

Thank you again though for every word of support and advice, I am glad I found this site and continue to read the posts with interest, after reading some of them I feel that my problem is tiny!
 
Yep! :rant: Seems to be a determined little love!! Lucky for him he's so handsome!
 
I think basically, some dogs just like the taste of it, so they continue to do it, given the opportunity. I don't believe there is a cure, as such, its just dogs being dogs, ie - natural scavengers.
 
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