# Help please: xpen, poop and poop eating



## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

I'm hoping you all can give me some advice. Twice now Javi has eaten his poop. He is potty pad trained (more or less) and the first time he had just pooped and I went to go and clean it up and he gobbled it up before I got to it. It wasn't that long even...just long enough for me to go to it but he was already standing there. He doesn't know leave it yet so I know that is something we have to work on. The second time was last night. I had put Javi in his xpen (which has his crate, a few chew toys, a Lixit water bottle hanging and a potty pad wrapped around a big rubbermaid lid to help hold it down because he tends to go crazy when left alone and the pad moves all over the place in his xpen). We were gone for 2.5 hours, when we came back, the pad while in place had poop marks and the poop was gone. All over the rest of the floor in the xpen was poop smears everywhere which had been tracked from his paws. Would you leave him in his crate instead of in the xpen if you leave? I say potty pad trained more or less because he tends to just miss his pad. And if I don't watch him like a hawk...which I do when I'm home...he will from time to time just try and go wherever. 

In addition, his stools range from firm to a bit runny. Like often his first bowel movement in the morning is firm. Usually right after he eats (within the hour or less of the first BM), he goes again and it will be runnier and have drips with it. Is that normal for a puppy? Or should I be concerned there might be some food allergies?


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I don't use pee pads but I was thinking that a pee pad holder might work better than the rubbermaid lid. The lid is probably too easy for the pup to move around and maybe a more stable surface area might help improve the chances of hitting the mark. I have also heard that you may have to increase the size of the potty area until the puppy is more reliable,then you can gradually make it smaller. Molly would eat her poop too if she had the chance. Confining to the crate when you leave might help you avoid this for now. If you need to pen and need the pad option I don't know how you get around this. Maybe a change of diet or food additive to discourage poop eating might help. Good luck!


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

Thanks Diane. Even if I put 2 pads down together, he frequently seems to go to the edge and just miss. I say no when I see him doing this, which stops him and put him on the center of the pad but he just stops going.  I am not liking pads too much at the moment. I am not sure if it would be different if he was litter box trained but I am assuming since the dog goes up and into the box. I asked my breeder about putting the pad in a litter box and she did suggest one to me that she has used called Puppy Go Here litter box. Maybe that will keep him in the box instead of traveling around when he goes poop or just off to the side at times. The rubber maid lid didn't move around at all since I have the pad wrapped around it....they are extra large human incontinence pads from Sam's Club. It stayed where it was but there were poopy paw prints all over the floor where there wasn't the pad or where his crate was covering the floor. I think he gets so upset when we leave him he just moves all around in his xpen and steps all over the poop....before he ate it last night.  My breeder said that he would hopefully not get as upset eventually as he learns we come back. He is just used to having other puppies with him and now he is alone in his xpen. I use the xpen whenever I'm cooking or can't watch him but it is a different story if he can't hear or see us. 

I might start putting him in his crate instead of the xpen when I leave for a couple of hours during my sons' after school activities. 

I never used litter boxes or pads or even an xpen for my Papillon but that was over 10 years ago...we always went outside but I lived in Arizona where the weather wasn't as wet and cold in the winter as it is in the winter/early spring as it can be in Michigan.  And I only used the crate...not an xpen then.


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## Nicm (Feb 28, 2014)

Definitely crate when your gone, my hav is 8 months old and when I run errands crate no matter what even when Im cleaning the house. I never pad trained her or expen, I just took her out every few hrs until trained, but Im a stay home wife so I was able to be with her throughout the day,still don't trust her to be left without the crate can't wait til that day comes! Good luck to you we got lucky Darla never ate her poop what is his food your feeding? Good luck

Nic & Darla


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

Nicm said:


> Definitely crate when your gone, my hav is 8 months old and when I run errands crate no matter what even when Im cleaning the house. I never pad trained her or expen, I just took her out every few hrs until trained, but Im a stay home wife so I was able to be with her throughout the day,still don't trust her to be left without the crate can't wait til that day comes! Good luck to you we got lucky Darla never ate her poop what is his food your feeding? Good luck


Thanks Nic. I've never had any experience with an xpen until now and I was hoping Javi would be able to sit in his crate and use the pad if needed but it just isn't looking like he can do that and maybe I should just forgo the xpen.

As for food, I'm feeding Victor Select professional dog food which is what my breeder had him and all her Havanese on. She said that all her dogs do really well on the food and that she liked it. I didn't want to change his food especially when he first moved in with us as to not upset his stomach. He goes from having solid poops most of the day to at least one drippy one a day. My little guy poops quite a bit in a day. I would say once first thing in the morning, then again after morning feeding and then 2-3 times more before bed time. ound:

http://www.victordogfood.com/professional.html


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

It sounds as if Javi is upset being alone. I would crate him if you are gone for only a couple of hours. I never used pee pads for Scout. He was trained to go outside and was reliable within a couple of weeks. Truffles was small and it was winter so I thought training her on pee pads was better. It took months for her not to go on the edge of the pad. I put a spot of urine on the center of the pad and would have her sniff it. Eventually she caught on. I purchased and recommend the Rascal with the higher sides. It also has the grass option if you want. Truffles also loved to tear up the pads when she would get excited. She doesn't touch them in the Rascal. My two both go outside now, but I still keep the Rascal for Truffles as an inside option.


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## olivia14 (Dec 6, 2014)

*Bannana time!!*

Hi,
I use to have the same problem years ago with a different dog.
and I learned to keep half bananas on a plate in the frig covered in saran wrap and when my doggie was getting ready to poop I ran to the frig and got half a banana! I stayed near my dog and as he was starting to eat the poop I said "no" & I put the banana near his nose above the poop and he eats the banana instead of the poop as I was nudging him away from the poop and I cleaned it up.(The idea is to deviate his attention away from the poop. don't make a big issue out of it or he might think it is a game)
I saw this on "the dog whisperer" he calls it doggie's little dirty secret.
well I tried it and sure enough it works!!
apparently dogs that do this maybe lacking something...magnesium? not sure
but whatever seems that dogs like a fresh banana over their poop!
sounds so gross but it really is a concern.
I hope you can find "the dog whisperer" that shows this.
I wish you all the best!

Also you might want to let your vet know as there maybe something the vet can prescribe to help prevent this.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

I never used an ex pen with my guy. If I went somewhere he went in his crate. If we were going to be gone a long time we had a pet sitter visit. I did the crate games program so he actually likes his crate. I dont leave him in there now (he is 2) but he does sleep in it at night, I think he prefers it for sleeping. 

I know a lot of people on here use ex pens but for me it seemed dangerous. Especially since the dogs are on our first floor living/dining/kitchen which doesnt have a lot of doors. I could totally see my wild child jumping the thing so he could play with our other dog. Not having an ex pen met that when he was loose I had to keep my eye on him. I usually had a leash and kept him pretty close so I could run him outside when needed.


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