poontang Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 My girlfriends dog, a year old lab, has a habit of eating his own kaka Anyone know why they do this...and what can be done to stop it? Is it a diet thing, or just a kink that he'll grow out of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 Its a lab.Nail,hit,head,on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poontang Posted December 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 Its a lab.Nail,hit,head,on. Yes, a chocolate lab at that.....but why would he eat his own err 'chocolate'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 Have you tasted it, it might be nice. On a serious note somebody in the dog section will know the answer. Figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) dumb dog thing ,alstations n yickshere terrorists also eat pooh dont know why but it saves on cleaning ,unfortunate but just a side effect of dogs i have met due to daft family Edited December 16, 2012 by clakk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) I give up.Trying to link but failing,badly. Coprophagia (Eating Poo) There isn’t any one particular reason for a dog to eat the poo of other animals (coprophagia), however, it is important to remember that it is fairly common and isn’t an abnormal behaviour – many predatory species will do this basically because poo is an easily digestible source of protein or vegetation, depending on who or what has done it of course! Understandably, we humans find it very unpleasant and unfortunately it can be difficult to cure. If an adult dog is eating his own poo however, this is not normal behaviour. However, puppies may go through a short phase of eating poo and mother dogs will consume the poo of their puppies. Could any of these be the reason for your dog’s habit? Curiosity – he may find it interesting and just want to see what it tastes like. Not enough variety in the diet – is your dog’s food boring (perhaps it is just a complete dry diet)? If so, you could gradually change it to something more interesting (not too quickly as he may get an upset stomach), or add other things for variety. Give him plenty of items to chew as well. Is your dog hungry? Increase the number of his feeds and try feeding him 45 minutes before walks. Does your dog have enough exercise and mental stimulation? (Download our Beating Boredom factsheet). Sometimes it can be due to a vitamin B or K deficiency or it could be a sign of a more serious problem – speak with your vet for more information. Does he like the taste? Try booby-trapping the poo with ‘bitter apple’ spray, or some other unpleasant tasting substance. Your vet can guide you as to what to use. You would need to put this on all poo he has access to otherwise he may just work out which poo tastes ok! It could also be because the first time he tried eating poo, someone made such a big deal out of it that he now thinks it must be a really important and valuable resource and so always tries to get it before you can clean it up. Any further punishment given or attempts to make him give it up after this is likely to continue to make the problem worse. If you have told your dog off before for pooing in the wrong place, he may have learnt that being around poo means that a telling off will happen, so he may try to eat the poo (his own and that of other animals) in an attempt to ‘hide’ it from you to avoid the punishments. Sometimes breeders will house puppies in fairly barren environments and if a pup is kennelled without his mother or siblings, his poo may be the most interesting thing to play with and eat. This can continue into later life. Some puppies may copy the natural cleaning behaviour of the mother. Some bitches may get over-enthusiastic about cleaning and continue this in her environment even after her pups have gone. Try the following to train him to leave the poo alone: First of all you’ll need to do some really good recall training with him in an area with few distractions (i.e. no poo). You will need to use really high value treats – something that he likes more than the poo! Choose a new word for the command, something like ‘treat’; don’t just use his name. Once you have cracked the recall, try to follow him around on the walk and look out for him finding any poo. As he goes to get it, immediately use the command to get his attention and give him a really delicious treat. Be very positive, using a happy voice with him to entice him from the poo and do not use negative words or verbal punishment to force him away. If necessary leave a long line attached to him, to stop him reaching the poo, until he gets the idea that coming to you for a treat is the best thing to do. You’ll need to continue to distract him as you get past the poo, so that he’ll hopefully forget it was there. Hopefully in time, he’ll learn that the best treats come from you and poo should become a lot less important. If your dog is eating your cat's litter indoors then put something in the way which your dog can not get through or jump over but that your cat can still go through to reach its litter tray. Unfortunately for some dogs, eating poo is so rewarding that you may not be able to make any difference to their habit and they may always take the opportunity to eat it if they can (if you are not there or too far away to interrupt them). Eating it won’t hurt them, but it is best to ensure that their worming regime is up to date and that licking human faces is kept to a minimum! Related Information Edited December 16, 2012 by sako751sg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 My dog eats hers, then pukes it up in the living room. Lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanj Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 My dog eats hers, then pukes it up in the living room. Lovely. That dog needs to live out !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 We have 8 dogs at he moment. Various breeds. We have had outbreaks of this behaviour occasionally and it seems it's always when we try a different dry food. Some of the brands have lots of flavour enhancers and colourings that are still present in the poo so continue to be effective and therefore attractive. Our feeding regime is fairly varied in it's content. A mixture of dry, tinned and shot rabbits etc. It's a rare occurrence these days for poo-eating but the lab has a taste occasionally. Try different food, with caution though, don't want upset tummies! GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
officerdibble777 Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 recycling simples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorygall Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 Buy it a toothbrush and a 'geet' big tube of toothpaste for Xmas. It must have pretty bad breath!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 been told if you put a couple of pineapple rings into each feed over a week or so they dont eat their kaka.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Mine do it occassionally - I just tend to not let them lick my face!! It's a dog thang! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overandunder2012 Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) my puppy does it wish he didnt Edited December 17, 2012 by overandunder2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodlittlebitch Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Put abit of pineapple in there food. That stops it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Deficiency in diet OR leaving it lying around ! Don't need to give it funny names, feed them good stuff and clean it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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