How to stop my dog from eating his poop, especially when alone?

This is such a common question for a gross, but unfortunately common, issue. Unfortunately, there isn't a great way to get them to stop. Adding excessive MSG (food seasoning) can make some dogs stop because their stool no longer tastes good (such as "For-Bid"). However, we don't know if there are negative effects for our dogs eating a lot of MSG. Trying to walk him for his bowl movement so you can pick up the stool right away is another way to manage it - you may need to have a treat ready to give him right away after he defects so that you have a moment to get to the stool. Good luck and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

The next best step here is to make his poop taste bad. You can do this by purchasing a product called Forbid, which can be bought at your local pet store or online and give him that as instructed on the box for up to 2 weeks. You can also try 1 tsp of meat tenderizer added to his food daily. Most pets will grow out of this habit, but it is best to pick up the poop immediately after he defecates, and only leash walk him outside so that he does not have free range to eat feces. I wish you all the best with Geno and hope that you can break him of his bad habit. Best wishes and take care! : )

Keeping Rocky away from anything poop-like is the best to keep him from eating it. That may mean keeping him on a leash when outside going potty in the yard, or keeping him in a laundry room or kitchen that is easy to clean so you can get to it quickly before he eats it. Anything remotely edible that isn't food, treat, or a chew toy should be moved out of reach. Crate training, which is useful for potty training can also help deter accidents in the house and chances for him to eat poop. For-bid and other products can also be given to all your pets to make the stool less tasty to him. If he's having diarrhea in addition to trying to eat everything, ruling out any issues such as parasites or GI problems with your vet is a good idea.

The best way to keep your dog from eating is stools is to pick them up right away. There is a product called Forbid, which you sprinkle on his food, that can help with this. As soon as you stop using using it though, he will probably go back to eating them.

For helping to eliminate purely behavioral causes of coprophagy, a three step method can be used: 1. Decreaseattractivequalityoffeces • Change in diet can oftentimes be beneficial, switching to a brand with a lower protein content to lower the amount of protein excreted into the feces (which the dog finds palatable). • Commercially available products added to food can decrease the palatability of the feces. Examples include: For-bid®; Deter®; and meat tenderizers. Consult with your veterinarian as to the proper dose to use. 2. Preventexpressionofbehavior • Being present and scooping up the feces immediately is a good way to prevent this behavior. • Keeping the dog on leash when taking him/her out to eliminate can help the owner physically prevent the dog from engaging in coprophagy. • Controlled feeding time allows the owner to predict time of defecation and be more vigilant when watching the dog. • Preventing access to other pet’s litterboxes or cleaning them frequently. • Spray collars, such as citronella can be used to deter the dog as well. • “Booby-trapping” feces, by adding hot sauce or “bitter apple” flavor INTO the feces, so the dog associates bad tastes with its feces. • Not rewarding the behavior by ignoring the dog when it consumes its feces, despite how difficult it may be for the owner. 3. Rewardpost-eliminationbehavior • Positive reinforcement immediately after good behavior (so owner must be present). Keep the dog on leash, and if the dog does not go for its feces, reward it with food and praise. Also, if the dog does try to reach for its feces, divert its attention to another simple task (such as asking to “sit” or “shake paw”) and reward it for performing the task. Health Concerns: As with all pets, regardless of whether or not the dog is coprophagic, owners should be careful about washing their hands at appropriate times, such as before eating, after handling feces, etc. Cleanliness is the first line of defense against potential disease transmission, which can include intestinal parasites. Coprophagy can be very distasteful to owners and can be a public health concern. If this occurs, consider seeing your local veterinarian to rule out any possible diseases as the cause and to develop a plan to help eliminate the behavior.

My best recommendation is to have Rocky on a large breed puppy formula of high quality dog food. My preferred brands include Hill's, Royal Canin and Purina. Because all puppy foods differ in their caloric content per cup, feed the recommended amount based on his weight that is listed on the back of the food bag. I would also recommend weighing Rocky every 10-14 days because he will be gaining weight quickly and you will need to adjust the amount of food you are feeding him based on his weight. Eating his poop is a normal puppy behavior and probably not because of hunger or decreased nutrition. It is however this is a habit that needs to be broken so clean up his feces as often as possible and correct the behavior whenever you see it. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

He is a puppy and they just tend to do these silly things. The best thing to do is to watch him closely and tell him no when he eats something inappropriate and give him a dog toy instead. You can also buy some for-bid powder to put on his food to help make his poop taste bad. It works on some dogs but not all to help break the habit of eating his own poop. I hope this helps!