# Eww! Gross! Jack is a poop eater!



## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Jack has only had a couple of poop accidents in the house but I noticed that he tried to eat it. Eww! I quickly cleaned it up.

Now every time he poops, he immediately tries to eat it. Tonight he went out, did his business, I stopped him from eating it and we went in. 15 minutes later, Jack was lurking near the door so I figured...'sigh, now he has to pee.' Out we go. He ran immediately over to his poop and started gulping it down. EWWW!!!! 

Could be it because he got wormed Sat.?

Not enough food? I increased the amount of food. He seems a little too bony and frantic for food. He is on the Wellness Puppy which the breeder used.

Is it a puppy phase?

A nasty Havanese trait which everyone is secretly hiding? :suspicious:

I googled it but there was really no definite answer as to what to do. The only thing that they suggested besides checking with the vet is to be ready to lure him away immediately with a treat. And of course, clean up the poop immediately. I usually do it the next day - in the daylight... 

I know I over-reacted tonight but it was dark and there was munching noises and a hideous poop smell. Jack doesn't seem to have minded having his teeth and tongue brushed. Maybe the doggy toothpaste is poop-flavored?:brushteeth:

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Hello - my name is Augie - and I am a poop eater......... if you find a cure, my Mom would sure like to know, because she says she absolutely loves everything about me, but THAT!!!

I sure can sympathize with you Pam. Augie gets taken out on a leash to potty and we ALWAYS carry a poop bag with us to pick it up immediately because, if given any chance at all, he will go for it. Not only his poop, but ANY poop. He is getting a bit better about leaving it with the 'leave it' command. I was hoping he would outgrow it, but it isn't happening!!:frusty: I have no other complaints about my boy though - he isn't a barker, or a marker, or aggressive, or have separation anxiety or any number of other things he could have, so if he has this one fault I guess we can deal with it. But that smacking down noise when they are chowing on it makes me want to uke: !!!


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## SnickersDad (Apr 9, 2010)

An opinion only --- I think it's a puppy trait. However, I also think that means that you don't encourage that behavior by allowing it, rather train away from that behavior to a treat and a party for successful potty in the right area, and then a fast clean up.

My vet recommends we follow the dogs around with a pick up bag when they are out for a potty break. That might help with the problem you have. My issue is that I let them outside to play at times during the day when I've got a project of some such to work on -- and they decide that the exact spot where they are is the 'right' spot to do their business. 

Luckily neither Snickers nor Snoopy has proven to be a poop eater (although Snicks did a time or two when she was quite young).

Best to train them away from the behavior as quickly as possible -- you really don't want them ingesting parasite riddled feces.

Cheers!

Jim and Lynda and Snickers and the new P&P machine Snoopy.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

I really can't help much since Cicero is not a poop eater...for which I am thankful. He goes to some bushes and hides to poop and the second he is done he will RLH away. But I have heard that if you take some red pepper and immediately sprinkly a little on...that that will break they quick.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I usually don't do the bag thing in the yard, only on walks. (Can't have the neighbors hating us.) We live on a wooded lot so we just toss the stuff with a pooper scooper into the trees. No one goes in there. Wicked Poison Ivy! 

I think it actually helps keep some of the wild beasties away. Skunks, deer, etc.

Do you think I should let him see me clean it up? Would it make him think it is a marvelous treat I am hiding from him? 

sigh.... more work...


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

LuvCicero said:


> I really can't help much since Cicero is not a poop eater...for which I am thankful. He goes to some bushes and hides to poop and the second he is done he will RLH away. But I have heard that if you take some red pepper and immediately sprinkly a little on...that that will break they quick.


Red pepper? okay, I will give it a try but I thought Havs were Cuban. wouldn't they love spicy food?:biggrin1:


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Try the bitter apple spray. It works on anything Rosie chews on (yes she still chews on the furniture( I broke her from the chicken poop buy just fussing at her--she hates bad girl. And the litter box, I finally put the opening up in a corner and she couldn't get to it. Now she ignores the litter box completely. You dog will probably grow out of it, If you can't get the bitter product, use hot sauce.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I have some of the bitter apple stuff. It does work well. I got it after the Evil Nessie decided the baseboard behind her crate was a lovely chewy. Ack!

I am going to need a jacket with a lot of pockets!


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Piper is also a poop eater. I thought she would grow out of it but she is two now and still will do it if given the opportunity. I always take her out on a leash and pick it up immediately but if I hesistate for a second, she will lunge for it. I have been successful with "leave it". She will also eat other dogs poop which is even worse and almost impossible to deal with. I am constantly scanning the ground as we're walking. If we are at a park and another dog poops, I have to race to grab her or start yelling "leave it". I am on constant poop patrol but if she manages to get some she gets picked up immediately and taken home to get her mouth washed out and teeth cleaned which does not seem to act as a deterrent but makes me feel better.

I'm interested to see if someone has tackled this problem. It's never left out so spraying it with something isn't an option, with Piper it is a crime of opportunity.


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## suzannemac (Aug 17, 2010)

*Coprophagia solutions*

Victoria Stillwell describes varous approaches to this problem:

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/its-me-or-dog/ask-victoria/dog-eats-poop.html

Check the type of food -- if it is the grocery store version, do try out a high quality brand that uses whole meat only and no corn or soy (e.g., Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, etc).

Cindy (Riley's mom)


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

I just noticed that Jack eats Wellness. Piper eats Wellness as well.

Linda-What type of food do you feed Augie?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

This topic always brings up different ideas. Some research has been done and still various opinions. I think it comes down to management, ie. picking it up , trying different food possibly, .some say it's a learned behavior ,some say it's genetic. Go figure. An interesting idea by Patricia McConnell says it could be a form of resource guarding. ? Interesting question you posed when you said "should I let him see me pick it up"?. If it's a resource guarding issue maybe it would be better to watch him do his business ,,take him away before he gets to it . And pick it up later. Be careful about some of the remedies in bottles, out there, they are not allways the safest. Here's an article ,one of many. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680886/pdf/canvetj00575-0079.pdf Don't feel bad, one in ten dogs have a form of it. Does he just eat his own only.? I wouldn't throw it in the bushes.


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## Kati (Feb 20, 2010)

We confess, Javy is a poop eater. He won't eat it outside but if he goes in his litter box I have to pick it up immediately or he will eat it! Most days he goes outside with no problem but if he needs to go run to the litter box I have to run behind him or it will be too late. I can't decide what this means. He is fine leaving it alone in the yard. We need a doggy Dr. Phil.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Abby is a recovering poopaholic!!! I tried all kinds of things but nothing seemed to work so I just had to be very vigilant about scooping the poop. If I see her looking at something suspiciously I just say "Eh!" and she stops and runs to the door. I, too, throw it into the woods since it is our property but outside the fence. But the good news is she just eventually quit doing it and I'm not sure exactly when or why - just glad that she did. I would say she was a little under two yrs. when she finally quit. So, I hope this will give hope to all those with little poop-eaters! BTW, this is why the litter method did not work for us!


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## hartman studio (Feb 14, 2008)

I absolutely adore Cocotini- she is the best dog in the world-buttttttt-she also is a poop eater. It is so frustrating. I also have tried everything including adding pineapple juice to their food which is supposed to detour them from eating poop. She is almost 3 years old and nothing has worked. She is not hungry, she is on a high quality (Fromms Surf and Turf), grainless food. She doesn't always try to eat it and actually will go for Mindy's poop more than her own. I have to be vigilant. My dogs are pad trained which makes it difficult if I am not home, but she loves Mindy's poop so much that if she sees her heading for their "room" to go poop she will run to follow her and I've even seen her trying to grab it as it comes out!!! If it wasn't so disgusting it would be funny. It's like she thinks it's soft serve ice cream coming out! She knows she's not supposed to eat it and will be sneaky trying to hide it. She gets her mouth washed, teeth and tongue brushed whenever I catch her-but for whatever reason she still has the urge. I'd love to find something that works, so keep the ideas coming!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Well, we took the little beast out again last night but we were armed with a flashlight and bitter apple. Jack ran straight for the poop again but I found it first and sprayed. LOL! His expression was priceless. "Mommy, you RUINED it."

Then of course, we had to have a major oopsies-brainfart on my part this morning. Last night we went to bed early than normal so Jack started to cry a hour early. I staggered down, took him out, he peed, I put him back in his crate, and went back to bed. At the normal time, I would have feed him, etc... Oh the crying, the yelping, and howling...

I went back down at the normal time. There was Jack, weeping as he tried to push his poop out of his crate.  I am a such bad mommy but..... he didn't eat his poop. 

Then the massive clean-up began. bed, crate, toys, crate cover, floor, and Jack. I went out for Starbucks afterwards. sigh... I should have just fed him.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

There are many many threads on this forum about eating poop....try searching on here.

Here is one I found :
http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=10468&highlight=poop+eating


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks for the link! 

It seems to be a _very_ common problem. I am hoping it is a puppy thing. I am going to try the bitter apple and more diligent (faster) cleanup. I have just started to teach him 'leave it'. We have a doc appt on the 22nd and I will ask their advice if it doesn't get better.

Those darn fall leaves makes pooper scooper so much harder.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I think that the bitter apple is your best bet. You may have already broken him if he was trying to push it out of his crate. Rosie won't go near a shoe of mine anymore. I sprayed all of them just in case after the last one she chewed up. Leave the poop and spray it.


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

Daisy and Beau are poop-SICLE eaters! They are only interested in eating poop in the winter when its a "frozen treat"! LOL 

Actually, I think Daisy did MUCH better last winter than her first winter. We kept telling her to "leave it" and she usually did....


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

here's another article

Although it seems disgusting to us, coprophagia (the eating of faeces) is normal in many stages of the dog’s life. The bitch eats the faeces of her puppies in order to keep the nest clean and many wild species of dog incorporate the faeces of different animals into their diet particularly when food is scarce and as part of the carcasses of animals that they eat.

Coprophagia in puppies under a year old is not of too much concern unless it has been linked with an underlying physiological disorder. It is usually seen as part of normal exploratory behaviour.

Many rich pet foods contain nutrients that may not be fully digested by the body, particularly cat foods, and so the dog may be attracted to the faeces.
Dogs that lack certain enzymes may be unable to digest all nutrients and may not only be attracted to partially digested food in their faeces but also may need to re-eat food in order to gain enough nutrition from their diet. 

If coprophagia suddenly begins, especially in an adult dog, a veterinary check up is essential as the first step – you should bring a stool sample to the veterinary appointment so that it can be checked for parasites. 
Even if the dog is being treated by the vet for a diagnosed physiological disorder, a behavioural program may still be required in order to manage the problem.

First of all faeces should be cleaned up regularly. Do not allow access to cat litter trays as dogs are very likely to be attracted to cat faeces.

When cleaning an area of faeces do not allow your dog to see you cleaning up; we don’t want to draw too much attention to faeces. 

Get advice from an animal nutritionist on a suitable diet based on a vets diagnosis and physical work up (a vet may conclude that this is a disorder that will respond to behavioural therapy alone) – a diet change may be necessary.

There are products available that can be added to a dog’s food that make faeces less appealing e.g. ‘DETER’ – ask at a petshop. Anecdotal evidence suggests that finely crushed egg shells, pineapple juice or courgette added to the dog’s food will make faeces less appealing. 

Advanced toilet training exercises can be very helpful. Teaching your dog to toilet on cue in a specific place is helpful for several reasons. Firstly, you will know exactly where and when he has toileted so that you can clean it up immediately. You can confine him from this specific area at other times. And most importantly, you can reward your dog for more appropriate behaviour such as walking away from faeces, leaving faeces alone or engaging in any other activity rather than faeces eating. 

There is some suggestion that coprophagia may be linked to boredom so increasing your dog’s mental and physical exercise is important. Giving your dog more attention for appropriate behaviour and providing plenty of opportunities to express normal doggie behaviour are important for any behaviour modification program.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks, Dave! 

I knew it was a puppy phase, (I hope). I am going out with treats in one pocket, bitter apple spray in the other, carrying Jack down the stairs, and hopefully, not killing myself in the process.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Our Nellie wasn't a poo eater until she had an accident in the house,and DH told her off [I told him off!] and ever since she tries to eat her poo when she has done it in the house,just as if she is tidying up after herself,or trying to hide it as she knows she should go outside,she doesn't try to eat it when she is outside.When Dizzie was a young puppy he did it a few times, but soon grew out of it.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Jack has moved on from poop to dead worms. BLECH! I had to fish 3 dead worms out of his mouth today. One of them he was trying to slurp in like spaghetti before I could get it. heebie-jeebies!


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## Kati (Feb 20, 2010)

I understand how you feel Pam. Javy loves to put nasty things in his mouth when we take walks. He has even gotten into rabbit poo! We will be walking along and he'll put a leaf in his mouth and then I wonder if it is poisonous. I guess it is just the puppy stage.


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## hav2 (Feb 26, 2010)

Along with the bitter apple and cleaning up quickly, you can also add some thing to his meals that will make his poop less appealing to him. One thing is canned pumpkin, NOT canned pumpkin pie mix, just PLAIN canned pumpkin. Another is adding a few pieces of pineapple to his meals. These for whatever reason make the poop less appealing. Good luck, hope this helps


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

LOL, Tillie, like Jack, ADORES, loves and will do darn near ANYTHING for those icky, dried, yet slimy worms..... blech... although I do wonder what it is that draws them to eat them...?? ah the adventures of life with a puppy...


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## KarmaKat (Feb 19, 2010)

Sorry for not reading all the posts on this topic - but I just wanted to give the OP hope-

Tybee was a poop eater. Almost every time! 

Now, he could really care less. We happened to use the meat tenderizer on every meal at first - then every other - then less... etc.

I think he ha to go bakc to every meal a few times, but evetually it worked. 

Now it is just a memory. 


Now I am actually training him to sort of stay near his poop at the dog park (where's your business) so I can find it to do a pickup. Of course it is not at the top of my training list - just a Hey - let's see if this works kind of thing.


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## suki'smom (Jul 3, 2010)

Suki eats his poop too or any other poop he may find (in addition to ANYTHING else he can find (including my earrings out of my ears ) other than his own food) . It is really gross but "leave it!" often works if I catch him sniffing it. I have heard adding yogurt and pineapple to their food may prevent this tendency but I haven't tried it. Our vet said it this is common in puppies.....


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

Roki is running away from his own and other's dogs poop, but my friend is breeding bichon frisees. Four out of seven puppies from her litter were heavy poop eaters. We went together to puppy kindergarten and our instructor (he is vet) told her that most of the times poop eating is the symptom od B-vitamins defficiency. He also said that food change can help, especially if pups od young dogs are still eating the same food their mummy ate during pregnacy. He also gave her advice to change the food to pregnant bitches because food she fed created B vitamins defficiency in puppies before they were born. She started to give B-complex vitamins and changed diet to eight months old Lily and after a month she stoped eating poop! Good thing with B vitamis is that you can't overdose - they are water soluble and dogs (as well as humans) pee out the surplus.


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## Cherin36 (Sep 2, 2010)

I was literally reading this thread last night and thinking to myself "Thank goodness Chewy does not eat his poop." I almost told John how I read this but didn't want to jinx us! Well it didn't work! Chewy was playing this morning while I was in the shower and when I got out and went to check on him he was happy as a clam in his ex pen eating his poop! What are the chances!? I have never seen him do that before! So I too have a poop eater! uke:


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

it is so disgusting. blech.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Well, not to be left out, I have been dealing with a new little poop eater myself. Laila came home from the breeder and took up her little "habit" right away. "Leave it" had been helping but she would go into another room, or behind furniture and do it. 
So I remembered about the crushed pineapple. I started giving her it in two meals a day- and it appears that she is no longer interested in it!!! Now it could be a fluke, but she also isn't going in the house anymore either. She goes to the sliding door, rings the bell and poops outside (although in the middle of the night (5am) ) she does go on her pads but does not go after it! I am so happy, but obviously still have to keep an eye on her! 
I just bought the Dole crushed Pineapple & drained it. 
If you guys are still having problems, I would try it.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I have been trying the pumpkin. Jack has lost interest in his own poop and hesitates before trying for Nessie's. Usually, a 'leave it' will stop him now. but every so often, ewww!


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## KarmaKat (Feb 19, 2010)

I am happy to say that Tybee doesn't do this at all anymore. Using Adolphs tenderizer really did the trick. It is gross to see, but "This too shall pass!"


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## Ileenlilly (Nov 3, 2011)

morriscsps said:


> Jack has moved on from poop to dead worms. BLECH! I had to fish 3 dead worms out of his mouth today. One of them he was trying to slurp in like spaghetti before I could get it. heebie-jeebies!


Oh god I feel so understood finally!!! My little one (4 months) is also eating poop, but not her own but other dogs poop or horses for example. She doesn't do it with all she finds, sometimes she is just smelling and other times...uke:, but she also always seems to love dead worms witch I find less disgusting but still not funny....the first few times she did it I cried because I was do disillusioned about my cute little puppy and how she could do such a thing...


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## Diann (Apr 25, 2011)

morriscsps said:


> Red pepper? okay, I will give it a try but I thought Havs were Cuban. wouldn't they love spicy food?:biggrin1:


lol, now that was funny.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ileenlilly said:


> Oh god I feel so understood finally!!! My little one (4 months) is also eating poop, but not her own but other dogs poop or horses for example. She doesn't do it with all she finds, sometimes she is just smelling and other times...uke:, but she also always seems to love dead worms witch I find less disgusting but still not funny....the first few times she did it I cried because I was do disillusioned about my cute little puppy and how she could do such a thing...


I've never met a dog who WON'T eat horse poop. It is often sweet due to molasses added to it, and horses do not digest particularly efficiently... so there is lots of "good stuff" still left in it.:biggrin1:

Kodi has never eaten dog poop (though I have always been pretty diligent about picking it up, because I wanted to avoid the habit!) but he can't resist horse manure! (or many other gross things... they ARE dogs, after all!ound


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## Cherin36 (Sep 2, 2010)

We don't have horse poo in the city but I don't doubt that Chewy would find it delicious. As for his own poo, he stopped trying to eat it after about 2 months. Chewy goes number 2 at 6 am every morning on the wee wee pad and doesn't touch it.


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## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

Coach used to eat his own poop, but seems to have stopped. He's 10 months old. However, his favorite delicacy is wild turkey poop and I cannot keep them out of our yard. Not only are they the stupidest birds I've ever seen (they forget they can fly/jump over the fence on the way out, even though that's how they got in) their poops are really gross. 

And if a cat comes in and leaves a treat... WooHoo!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Augie will still eat poop, if given the opportunity - pretty much ANY poop! We take him out to potty on a leash, and I just immediately pick it up to prevent it. Different foods seem to have made no difference. We live on a drainage slough that serpentines through town and we have wildlife that live in it. A lot of ducks. Duck poop is definitely a favorite! 

Finn has eaten his own on a couple of occasions, and I noticed that it is usually right before meal times, so I think his deal is that he is just hungry. Because he leaves it alone at other times.


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## Ileenlilly (Nov 3, 2011)

We live in a small town and have a big yard, but I never let Lilly out alone. When we go for a walk, we go only with leash. Because I never know when she is attracted to poop that she finds. One day I let her run free and she suddenly sprinted of 50m (she NEVER ran of that far away from me!) because she smelled some very old and crispy (sorry for the details) poop that she immediately ate, as I noticed it was already too late. I just can´t scream 'leave it' every time she puts her nose on the ground...So I´m kind of freaking out! Especially because in Bavaria we have the (I try to translate) 'fox-band-worm' which can kill you but is rarely diagnosted before 15 years after the infection - so it´s really dangerous. 
I know they are dogs and it´s a normal behavior for them, but I´m worried about all the bacteria and stuff as I´m very close with her. 

If mine would eat duck poop I would scream! I find it so disgusting.uke:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

lkwilson said:


> Coach used to eat his own poop, but seems to have stopped. He's 10 months old. However, his favorite delicacy is wild turkey poop and I cannot keep them out of our yard.


Kodi loves to ROLL in turkey poo... I'm not sure which is worse!ound:


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I've been told to give the dog some pineapple to stop poop eating.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Ileenlilly said:


> If mine would eat duck poop I would scream! I find it so disgusting.uke:


Actually, cat poop grosses me out worse. I really can't abide the smell of cat poo. But eating ANY is nasty!


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## Tessa's Mommy (May 20, 2011)

Cooper used to eat the cat poop out of the kitty litter box. It made his breath absolutely awful. I found these dog breath strips in a small green dispenser and everytime he would eat the kitty poop, I would give him a breath strip. He stopped very quickly because I guess he didn't like the taste. Anyway, I still have two indoor cats and he never touches the poop now. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it but I would think any kind of dog breath spray would work as a deterent.


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Lola is a poop-eater......or she WAS. I wanted to put a stop to it when my son (who's 7) decided to pull something out of Lola's mouth that he thought was a wrapper or foreign object. Instead, he pulled out a piece of poop and had it all over his fingers. We love her very much, but this was one habit we had to put an end to STAT

I use "Forbid" and it works like a charm.


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## java (Sep 3, 2011)

java had that problem until we started giving him medicine that makes his poo detestable to the taste. I think he was just doing it though cause he was trying to hid his mistake when he didnt go on the pad


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