ing this?

Experienced and professional animal trainer provide their insights in answering this question :
A. It sounds like your pup is experiencing Coprophagia, a very common behavior in puppies. There are several theories as to why a dog may do this ranging from keeping the “den” area clean, trying to find nutrients missed in the stool, or even because it “tastes good” (yuck!). Picking up the stool quickly can help as can keeping your younger dog on a leash when outside if needed. Additional things such as feeding a supplement called FOR-BID to your other dog can help. This packet makes stool unpalatable, and when your puppy attempts to eat it, will deter him from doing so. Teaching “leave it” may also help to stop him before he has a chance to munch on some stool. You can do this through a simple offering of a treat in your hand and asking him to “leave it”. Close your hand and wait until he ignores the treat. Once he ignores it, give it to him! He will quickly learn that he can’t have something if you tell him not to!

How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced pet care professionals :

Add meat tenderizer, canned pumpkin, or another deterrent to his food. These items taste fine going down, but they make poop taste terrible to dogs. Teach your dog the “Leave It” command – The AKC has a great tutorial here!
Most dogs eat poo (also known as `coprophagia`) out of habit, hunger, stress, or boredom. Only a very small number do it because of illness or something lacking in their diet. Habit – some dogs start eating poo at a young age, which then becomes a habit. Hunger – some dogs eat poo when they are hungry.
If your dog is eating poop from other animals—say another dog, household cat, or a rabbit or other herbivore—chances are your pup is not getting the nutrients his body needs from the food he`s eating. They are looking for the undigested food and those vital nutrients from another`s stool.
Canines don`t like the smell of citrus and ammonia, which are active ingredients in a lot of household cleaning products. So, if you want to know what smell do dogs hate to poop on, you can never go wrong with chlorine or ammonia-based cleaning products.
You can first clean your dog`s mouth and help eliminate bad breath by brushing his teeth with dog toothpaste or coconut oil. Never use human toothpaste on your pup, because it may be toxic to him. You can use a regular, curved dog toothbrush or a finger brush on your dog`s teeth.
Anti Scavenge Muzzle. The Baskerville Anti Scavenge Muzzle gives you peace of mind and reassurance in all situations. If you`re looking for a dog muzzle to stop eating poop, litter, stones or any other unwanted object, this is a perfect option.
Getting the timing right. On average, puppies will poop between 5 to 30 minutes after eating. Just like humans, puppies have a gastro-colic reflux. This reflux action takes place after eating as the stomach fills and the colon gets stimulated and starts making poop.
Eating their own poop is harmless, but consuming poop from other animals may cause health problems if the stool is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or toxins. In most cases, this behavior will fade before the puppy is about nine months old.
If left to go hungry, forced to compete for food, or left with no physical or mental stimulation, dogs will resort to eating their stool. Attention Seeking: Our dogs love us and want to get attention from us.
Generally, dogs need to relieve themselves 8–12 hours after digesting their previous meal. Dogs often (but not always) poop shortly after waking or roughly half an hour after eating. If you`re feeding your dog two meals a day, they may defecate twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening.
A dog with an upset stomach or a bad taste in his mouth may pant or drool excessively, which may result in foaming at the mouth. A dog may also foam at the mouth if they ingest something poisonous. If your dog is exhibiting any other unusual symptoms, consult a vet to be sure your dog has not consumed anything toxic.
VetIQ Stool Repel tablets have been specially formulated to help deter this behaviour by making the dogs own stool unpalatable to eat.
Typically, the fiber in the banana should help your dog have healthier bowel movements. However, too much fiber could cause constipation in dogs. Only give your dog bananas occasionally in small portions as a treat.
Poop eating can definitely be a concern to a pet owner since it can make your dog sick. If your dog is eating its own poop, itmay be OK, but there is still a chance of illness. Especially if your dog is eating the poop of another dog or animal, there is a large risk of infectious diseases or parasites.
One of the most common reasons why puppies poop in the house is that they haven`t been properly trained. It is important to establish a consistent routine for your puppy and take them outside to go to the toilet frequently.
Walking your dog first thing in the morning before feeding him is ideal since most dogs need to potty first thing in the morning to prevent accidents. You can choose to do a quick walk after your dog goes potty.
Depending on their age, most puppies poop between four and five times per day, typically shortly after eating. There is a significant difference in bowel movements between dog breeds, and their bowel habits will change as your dog ages.
Dogs have several reasons for staring at their owners, like to communicate with and understand us. Some dogs stare to manipulate owners, as in with begging for food or asking to be let outside. Training and dog sports are good ways to turn focused staring behavior into a positive experience.
Dogs who view poo as part of the winter harvest are typically drawn to excrement eating for the same reason the rest of us snack on potato chips — the crunch. And while poo might smell gross to us, smells are interesting to dogs, and to them, things that smell interesting are worth a taste test.
If your dog has parasites, then the worms are eating the nutrients inside. This will cause the dog to obtain less nutrients than the parasites, especially as they continue to grow. In this case, the dog is eating poop to supplement the nutrients being lost.
The methodology of observing the dogs freely exploring the experimental area allowed us to determine the smells that were the most attractive to them (food, beaver clothing). Our study shows that dogs interacted more frequently with the scents of blueberries, blackberries, mint, rose, lavender, and linalol.
Sounds That Trigger Noise Phobia in Dogs

Fireworks, gunshots and vacuum cleaners are common causes of noise phobia, according to Dr. Borns-Weil. “Dogs may also become phobic of fire alarms and even cooking because they associate it with accidental triggering of the alarm,” Dr. Borns-Weil adds.

Dogs love to pee most on the scent of urine, especially dog urine. This is why cleaning products containing ammonia to clean up pee stains does not help potty training, as it smells like more pee to the dog. Male dogs also love marking most new scents in their territory.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Q. My dog doesn’t eat, what should I do?
ANSWER : A. If this is a puppy, see a veterinarian immediately. Puppies should want to eat. Common causes for anorexia in puppies include viruses (parvo is a big one), parasitism, and foreign bodies. They need immediate care – go to an emergency vet if yours isn’t open. Puppies can get low blood sugar and dehydration very quickly.

If this is an adult dog and you observe other concerning signs, such as diarrhea or decreased energy, you should see a veterinarian.

If the dog seems otherwise bright and stable, try offering different types of food: wet food, canned tripe, or cooked chicken and rice. Some dogs will go for canned baby food: chicken, turkey, or beef as the main ingredient. Make sure there are no garlic or onions in the ingredients!

Causes of anorexia in adult dogs can range from less serious to severe. Younger dogs are more likely to get into trouble- they tend to eat things they shouldn’t, and can get foreign bodies from eating things like socks, or stomach upset from getting in the trash. Any dog may stop eating due to stress, or just being a picky eater. Middle aged dogs can stop eating when they’re stressed and also have Addison’s disease, which can be fatal. Older dogs tend to stop eating when they develop cancer or renal disease.

There is no one-size-fits-all recipe to know when the right time is to take your dog to the vet. The moral of this story is, if it’s not getting better, your pup feels bad, or you’re worried – go see the vet!

Read Full Q/A … : My Dog Won’t Eat

Q. Why does my dog eat grass?
ANSWER : A. As another user mentioned, dogs can eat grass when they want to vomit. Sometimes, when a dog has an upset tummy, they will eat grass. If you notice your dog eating grass frantically, you can assume vomiting will shortly follow. Grass does not digest and pass normally. If your dog eats too much grass, it can cause serious issues with pooping. Your dogs poop can end up all tangled inside of her, and it can need veterinary assistance to remove it. The same goes for celery, so avoid feeding celery to your dog.

The other day my boyfriend accidentally left the laundry room door open where we were keeping the trash that was filled with cooked chicken bones. She ate one of the chicken bones lightning fast. We had to induce vomiting by feeding her some hydrogen peroxide. After we had fed her the peroxide, she immediately began frantically eating grass because her tummy was upset.

If there is something lacking in your dogs diet, it could be that your dog is eating grass to make up for it. I am sure that my dogs diet is extremely well balanced (I do not only feed her an air-dried raw food-type diet (Ziwipeak), but a wide variety of safe, healthy foods), so when she eats grass, I know that it is because she has an upset tummy.

That is why I think it is important making sure your dog has a very well balanced diet. If your dog is on a low quality kibble, your dog may be trying to let you know by eating grass (or eating poop).

Q. My 7 month old puppy keeps eating the poop of my OTHER dog. He’ll get at it before I have a chance to pick it up. How can I stop him from doing this?
ANSWER : A. It sounds like your pup is experiencing Coprophagia, a very common behavior in puppies. There are several theories as to why a dog may do this ranging from keeping the “den” area clean, trying to find nutrients missed in the stool, or even because it “tastes good” (yuck!). Picking up the stool quickly can help as can keeping your younger dog on a leash when outside if needed. Additional things such as feeding a supplement called FOR-BID to your other dog can help. This packet makes stool unpalatable, and when your puppy attempts to eat it, will deter him from doing so. Teaching “leave it” may also help to stop him before he has a chance to munch on some stool. You can do this through a simple offering of a treat in your hand and asking him to “leave it”. Close your hand and wait until he ignores the treat. Once he ignores it, give it to him! He will quickly learn that he can’t have something if you tell him not to!

Q. Whenever I take my dog on walks he always barks at people and others dogs in my neighborhood. What should I do to resolve the problem
ANSWER : A. The very first thing to do is to make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good, happy dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don’t give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior.

Ignore your dog’s barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don’t give him attention at all while he’s barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don’t talk to, don’t touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him.

Get your dog accustomed to whatever causes him to bark. Start with whatever makes him bark at a distance. It must be far enough away that he doesn’t bark when he sees it. Feed him lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things.

Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to “speak,” wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say “speak.” Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the “quiet” command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to “speak.” When he starts barking, say “quiet” and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat.

As in all training, always end training on a good note, even if it is just for obeying something very simple, like the ‘sit’ command. If you dog regresses in training, go back to the last thing he did successfully and reinforce that before moving on again. Keep sessions short, 15-20 minutes max, and do this several times a day.

Q. My 3 month puppy eats his own poop and is also biting what can I do to prevent this
ANSWER : A. When it comes to poop eating, you want to consider a few things. First off, what is his diet like? Maybe something is lacking in his diet that is causing him to want to eat his own poop. This is the most common reason why dogs eat THEIR OWN poop. Try a higher quality kibble like Taste of the Wild, Ziwipeak, Orijen.. and try feeding three meals per day, instead of the more common two meals per day. Remember to gradually switch his kibble. Add a little bit of the new kibble and reduce the old kibble very slowly.. little by little every couple of days until the bowl is mostly new kibble! You should also be cleaning up his poops IMMEDIATELY after he does them.. I mean like, you have a bag in your hand, and you are low enough to scoop it up RIGHT when he finished so he doesn’t have a chance to eat his poop.

When it comes to nipping there are a few things you can do. First, you should yelp as soon as the teeth touch your skin, stand up, cross your arms, and ignore the puppy until he is ignoring you. Once he is off doing his own thing, swoop down and calmly reward him by playing with him WITH A TOY so he doesn’t nip your hands. Whenever you pet him, or interact with him, you should always have a toy on-hand so you can give it to him. This toy should be a soft braided rope toy that YOU own. This means, your puppy is never allowed to have this toy on the floor, and your pup can never “win” tug games with this toy. This is YOUR toy that disappears when you’re finished playing, and reappears when you want to play. If you keep this up, in a weeks time, your puppy will be so excited to see that toy, that as soon as you bring it out, he stops nipping you because he wants to play with the toy. Another thing you can do is have two bags of toys. Bag#1 is full of chew toys/soft toys/squeaky toys/etc. After one week, Bag#1 disappears and out comes Bag#2. Bag#2 has the same types of toys as Bag#1, and it only stays out for one week. This keeps the toys feeling like new to your pup!

Q. What can I do to stop my dog from barking at people and front doors?
ANSWER : A. Ignore your dog’s barking for as long as it takes him to stop. This means don’t give him any attention at all while he’s barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don’t talk to him, don’t touch him, and don’t even look at him. When he finally quiets down, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. If he barks for an hour and you finally get so frustrated that you yell at him to be quiet, the next time he’ll probably bark for an hour and a half. Dogs learns that if they bark long enough you’ll give them attention.

Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. It may sound nonsensical, but the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to “speak,” wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say “speak.” Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the “quiet” command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to “speak.” When he starts barking, say “quiet” and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat.

When your dog starts barking, ask him to do something that’s incompatible with barking. Teach your dog to react to barking stimuli with something that inhibits him from barking, such as lying down in his bed.

Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of fetch and playing with interactive toys.

Q. My dog is house trained but has started pooping in the house, why is she doing that?
ANSWER : A. It could be the type of food you are feeding. If you are feeding a lower quality kibble, it will be packed with fillers. These fillers will cause your dog to poop more than is necessary, and it can cause your dog to poop indoors because of the excess poop. Finding a higher quality kibble like Taste of the Wild, Orijen, or a high quality food like Ziwipeak, or Honest Kitchen, will help with that issue.

Remember to NEVER scold for accident indoors. The more you scold, the more fearful your dog is of pooping in front of you, the less your dog will want to poop in front of you outdoors, the more he will poop indoors, the more you scold… it’s a vicious cycle.

Have you been cleaning messes with Nature Miracle? Pick up a bottle, and try cleaning with that instead of regular cleaner. It will eliminate the smells deep down (even to your dog), which will discourage him from potting in that spot again.

Maybe he needs to be taken outside more often, and maybe he needs to be kept outside longer each time. He should be allowed at least 10 minutes of roaming outside before he has to come back inside. Allow him 10 minutes every single time you bring him outside, just in case he has to poop. He needs every opportunity you can give him. Bring him outside every hour if he’s full grown, every 40 minutes if he’s an adolescent (6-10 months), and every 30 minutes if he’s a puppy (2-6 months). If you have a doggy door, you should still be bringing your dog outside yourself to encourage him to stay outside longer, and poop. When he does poop outside, you should praise him, and reward him with lots of treats!

Q. My 9 month old Maltese-Shih eats his own feces. Is there anything i can give him to get him to stop?
ANSWER : A. Coprophagia (or eating stool) is very common in young dogs. Luckily, most dogs will outgrow this behavior as they age. There are several theories as to why dogs do this which range from mimicking the mother dog’s behavior of cleaning the den, nutrient deficiency, boredom or just plain enjoyment of it.

If your dog is eating his own, removing the feces as soon as he deposits them is best in preventing them from being eaten. Keeping your dog on a leash while he potties can also help to catch any stool before he finds it. If he is eating other stool as well, sweeping the area prior to letting him out to go potty can help you identify and remove any left-behind stool.

There is also a product called For-bid that is available to make stool distasteful to pets. This product is sprinkled over every meal for a period of a week. When your dog attempts to eat the stool formed from this product, it becomes distasteful and discourages him from doing so. Most dogs will stop after a week of use, but some may need a few reminders from time to time to completely stop the behavior.