I know dogs eat poop, but...

13 years ago

My 4 month old dog is doing well with his house training. He's indoor-outdoor and is very good about not pooping on the lawn (we have kids, so this was an important thing to train for us!).

But argh! He finds poop in the bushes (where humans can't find it) and brings it onto the lawn to eat. And he leaves it there. It isn't HIS poop. It's cat (although it doesn't smell like cat poop) or raccoon (although it's on the ground) or I dunno--what does opossum poop look like?

So I accept I can't make him stop eating poop and I can't stop the poop from appearing and I can't really fence off where the poop appears because it's where I really want the DOG to poop and it's a large area. I just don't want poop on my lawn. :)

I know, I'm asking too much. I tried spraying bitter apple stuff on his finds in the hopes he'd decide poopeating wasn't for him. He just finds fresh poop. Should I try treating his found poop treats with something really unpleasant or should I just give up?

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Comments (11)

spedigrees z4VT
13 years ago
Dogs who are deficient in digestive enzymes eat poop to recycle the enzymes that are in the poop. Buy digestive enzyme capsules at a vitamin store or aisle and sprinkle the powder over his food each day. The poop eating should come to a stop after a week or so. Also feeding canned pumpkin is beneficial as this vegetable is rich in enzymes.
spedigrees z4VT
13 years ago
I should have added to the message above that puppies in particular often cannot manufacture the enzymes needed to digest their food, so coprophragia is most typically found in puppies. However a dog of any age may be lacking in sufficient enzymes needed to digest their food.
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mazer415
13 years ago
A couple of things you can do.
Pick up the poop before your dog goes out and after if defecates.
Leash walk your dog instead of having it defecate in your yard.
Teach your dog to leave it.
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into the pumpkin/enzyme thing.

As far as picking up poop, it's hard to find hidden poop in a heavily planted yard, and cats are somewhat famous for their burying! Or whatever is pooping in the yard--we were unaware of it until the dog came along. And yes we pick up the dog poop, but that isn't what he's eating. He has SOME self respect! :)

Currently MY dog's poop is under control and not being eaten. It's mystery poop. And I wouldn't even mind if he ate ALL of it but he leaves pieces on the lawn.

I miss my kitty! ;P
socks
13 years ago
DS has had that trouble with his dog. It is hard to find all the poop to remove from the yard, especially since cats bury it. Also, we have skunks, raccoons and opossums contributing to the poop, and it would be impossible to survey the whole yard. His dog was diagnosed with giardia from eating poop and was on medication for this for a while. Apparently it does not affect the dog too much but can be transmitted to humans, according to the vet.
GammyT
13 years ago
"And I wouldn't even mind if he ate ALL of it but he leaves pieces on the lawn."

You should mind. Teach him to stay out of the bushes, the animals pooping there might also be leaving behind fleas or ticks or have worms.
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Good point about the giardia, Socks!

Gammyt, you're right--I do not have a sterile yard.
vieja_gw
13 years ago
Our vet when asked why some of the dogs eat poop said "because they want to!" Odd, they never seem to eat their own though!
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Ew.

Most people give me the reason "Because dogs are gross." Of course they are cat people. :) But I certainly can't argue with them!

Mine seems to have broken his poop searching habit with the cold rains we've had lately, but we'll see if he remembers the joy of poop.
artistofmysoul
11 years ago
Tucker, my 8 year old Chi/MinPin mix will eat his own poop if I can't get to it fast enough. I bring a sandwich size ziploc bag with me when I take him out to potty. However, if I get distracted for even a moment, he manages to poop and eat it before I can pick it up. Yuck!
Lily316
11 years ago
My Wally used to do this more than he does now, but he's the first dog I ever had that did. It is disgusting, and he will try it sometimes, but not as often.

I know dogs eat poop, but...

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spedigrees z4VT

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I know dogs eat poop, but...

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