HELP! How do I stop my puppy from eating their own poop!?
Updated: Oct 23
By Sarah Groves Dog Training - puppy training specialist Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot
So you've recently brought a young puppy home, and begun the toilet training process - BUT you've noticed one disgusting habit that's started to develop - puppy is eating their own poop!
This isn't an uncommon problem for new puppy owners - but WHY do young puppies eat their own poo, and what can you do to stop this unsavoury habit?
Why is my puppy obsessed with eating their own poop?
There can be many reasons to why a dog would eat poop - but for very young pups who have not long left their littermates, there are two main culprits:
Reason # 1) Poop eating can be a learned behaviour
When pups are very young and still with their litter, their mum would usually clean up after them by eating their poop.
As dogs are social learners, pups will quickly learn that eating poop is possibly a valuable behaviour.
Once pup arrives at home with you, it's likely to be a behaviour that has been practiced lots and lots, so you will need to do some work to reverse this!
Reason # 2) Your puppy is trying to meet a diatry need
Sometimes, if an animal is not gaining their full amount of nutrients from their food, they will try to eat their poop to get the most out of their meals.
It's possible that you may need to change your pups food to something which is higher in quality - most breeders will give you lower quality dog food which is full of carbohydrates and lacking in quality ingredients.
If you're unsure, take a look at the website called All About Dog Food, where you can look up the food that your pup is on, the nutritional rating and the ingredients.
Ideally, you want to see a high nutritional raiting (more than 70%) and good quality ingredients (avoiding anything with bulking agents such as cereals and maise or ingredients such as 'meat and animal derivatives, derivatives of vegitable orijin).
What is the best deterrant to stop my puppy eating poop?
So we've had a look into what the main reasons are to why your puppy might be eating their own poop - but what exactly can you do about it?
1 - Get your puppy checked out at the vets to make sure they are healthy and up to date with their worming treatment
This is just to rule out any internal health conditions which may be causing the poop eating.
2 - Get training!
Teach your dog some recall basics at home and in the garden along with a 'look at me' and some impulse control exercises would be a good start.
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3 - Keep an eye on your pup when they go to the toilet!
This is so that you have a chance to call your dog to you for a yummy treat as soon as they have finished going to the toilet. Practice this with wees and poos.
Once your dog is away from the poop, pop them inside so that you can clean up asap and minimise any chance of them getting to the poop.
4 - Keep calm and avoid trying to 'race' your dog to the poop to get there before them!
This is because if you were to try to get to the poop before your pup to clean it up before they can eat it, your pup will see this as a big game or see the poop as more valuable, and so will want to gobble it up quicker!
5 - Avoid telling your dog off for toileting in the wrong place or eating their own poop
Telling your puppy off will just add fuel to the fire!
Dogs who get told off for pooping in the wrong place will be more tempted to eat their poop to 'hide the evidence'.
Telling your dog off will likely make your pup more anxious, and therefore make the poop eating much more of a problem!
It may take a little while before your puppy stops eating their own poop, so persistence is going to be key to getting there!
Need some help with your Puppy?
If you’re finding things difficult or aren’t sure what to try next, tell me what’s happening. I offer personalised, reward-based training across Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and the surrounding areas.
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