# 6-month old puppy will not stop eating poop



## Sloth (Jul 29, 2008)

When I first got her at 2 months, she'd go poop, then turn around and try to eat it. I was able to stop her most of the time (a firm "No" and a fist did the trick. Just kidding about the fist part). I also got this powder from the vet which I would put on her food, and it was supposed to get her to stop on her own. But it didn't work at all.

Then she stopped for a few months. 

Recently, she's started it up again. She'll go poop, then turn around and eat it. It's snowy and below zero here most of the time, so I *really* hate running outside to stop her from eating her delicious droppings. I do it anyway, but unfortunately the people who watch her when I'm at work will absolutely not do that.

She'll also go into the cat's litter box and eat his yummy deposits. She knows that's wrong, too - just this morning, I smelt that the cat had gone, so I walked into the room where we keep the litter box, and my puppy was already there. She put her head and tail down when she saw me, but still furtively gulped down the turd she had in her mouth.

Is this a stage she'll outgrow eventually? She doesn't seem phased in the least by my repeated "No" whenever she tries to do it. And on top of that, like I said, when I'm at work (5 days a week) she's free to eat her poop all she wants with no scolding, which doesn't help with the lesson at all.

Any advice?


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Here I am eating lunch answering this thread... I need a life. LOL

Sometimes a dog will eat poop because of the poor quality food fed to the dog. I am not saying you are feeding poor quality food, but it you are, this food can pass thru the dog largely unprocessed so it is just as good going in as it is going out... . 

In the eating the cat poop you must make the litter box inaccessible to the dog. Dogs are scavengers and oppotunistic feeders. Cat poop is like tootsie rolls to them. By using an aversive when you dog eats the poop, you ahve not stopped the behavior (obviously) but you have made her afarid of you if she is near the cat box. She did not DROP the poop which measn she does not associate your correction with eating the poop.. just with being proximate to the cat box when youare their (her guilt is submission.. I am sorry I am near the cat box).

Teaching "leave it" will helpwith the poop eating thing. You can teach leave it with other things indoors and then generalize the behvior to include the poop. It would be advisable to have the dog on leash when she goes out to poop so you can prevent her eating poop and also reinforce 'leave it' by offering a bit of higher quality food like chicken or spam or a bit of hot dog. 

Of course, it also means picking the poop up immediately as well. 

If the training is inconsistant the dog will continue to eat poop as she finds it self rewarding.. and anything a dog eats is a reward to the dog! Inconsistant training actually allows her to self reward intermittently and this will further reinforce the behavior... and she will learnit is OK to do when no one is there.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

The only thing I can add to Elana's excellent post, is to try adding some (about a tablespoon) canned pumpkin (plain NOT the pie mix) to her food. I've heard pineapple works well also but I haven't tried that. Most dogs love pumpkin and it seems to give their poop a bad taste to them. Of course it won't help with the "kitty rocha."


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