Puppy questions
#221532 - 12/27/2008 06:37 PM |
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I had a couple of questions for experienced dog owners. I have an 8 1/2 month old rottie pup. Does anyone know why puppies eat their own stool? If it there is anything I can do to discourage this I would love your suggestions.
My puppy doesn't very rarely barks, even when he's inside his kennel in the backyard. Should he be barking when he hears the UPS truck, mailman, or strangers at the age?
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: David Scott ]
#221536 - 12/27/2008 07:15 PM |
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I had a couple of questions for experienced dog owners. I have an 8 1/2 month old rottie pup. Does anyone know why puppies eat their own stool? If it there is anything I can do to discourage this I would love your suggestions. ...
There are many possible reasons. What food is the dog getting? Do you walk the dog on a leash?
P.S. Welcome to the board!
Edited by Connie Sutherland (12/27/2008 07:15 PM)
Edit reason: p.s.
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#221539 - 12/27/2008 07:28 PM |
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Well I've heard a great many things to fix stool eating. The best one tried and true is to walk the puppy on a leash and immediately move away from /pick up said turd.
If you have a puppy that free ranges in a yard or pen and poos where ever and whenever they wish then you need to move on to a taste deterrent which are available either commercially or by feeding your dog pineapple which is kinda bad for your dog due to sugar content but is super effective in most puppies I know who have tried it.
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Melissa Thom ]
#221548 - 12/27/2008 10:12 PM |
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I had the same problem with my Golden Retriever puppy. I would make sure that I picked up the poop right away. I also never let her go #2 where she played in the yard. I would take her to the far end and let her do her business before I put her on her run. When I asked our vet about it he said that a lot of time they grow out of it by the time thy're about 1 year old. He told me the reason puppies do that is because they were taken away from their moms too early. When puppies are in their den, in the wild, their moms eat their stool so preditors can't smell them.
Hope this helps.
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Lucy Kostelny ]
#221549 - 12/27/2008 10:25 PM |
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He told me the reason puppies do that is because they were taken away from their moms too early.
As far as I've been able to gather there are many theories and no real proof why they do it. No universal reason seems to apply. I know of countless dogs that weren't taken away too early that still chowed on the poo. But it certainly does seem to be true that most dogs grow out of it. And since so many puppies do it, I'm assuming it's natural and normal for dogs even though the visual is awful for us humans and the following burps even more so.
My personal favorite solution is also to just pick up the poo and hope they grow out of it. This is only my personal preference, but I would rather not spike their food with anything unless it becomes a chronic and frequent problem. I would also say that no harm can come of feeding a higher quality food and it sometimes seems to help.
Welcome to the board!
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Amber Morgan ]
#221559 - 12/28/2008 01:41 AM |
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I would also say that no harm can come of feeding a higher quality food and it sometimes seems to help.
Along these lines… If the dog is fed a lower quality food, there is more content that passes through the system and can be somewhat more attractive to them taste wise. Higher quality food equals less “left-over’s” of any type, and less attractive to the canine pallet.
Jessica
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: David Scott ]
#221581 - 12/28/2008 12:34 PM |
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Welcome David!
I had a puppy that also did this, and the vet at the time had said that it was likely due to something that was still yet undigested, and somehow was appealing to her!
This was over 20 years ago, and I had fed her Eukanuba, before I knew anything about raw feeding, and as someone else here said that they utilize more of the nutrients in the raw vs. kibble. I have heard about the pineapple too, but never tried it.
Another thing to consider is giving some enzymes to help your dog digest more of her food, so that it will not be as appealing.
Joyce Salazar
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: David Scott ]
#221593 - 12/28/2008 04:18 PM |
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Some say that if the dog is a "fast" eater or "gulper" it does not allow the digestive "juices" to aide in digesting the food (kibble), therefore it passes through the system in a fairly undigested state, so the dog will eat it again because they are lacking in nutrients.
The dog will also eat anything as it is looking for nutrients to supplement what they do not get out of the food. This means getting into the garbage, stealing food off of counters or tables ect
(yes I am aware that this is also a training issue, but for a dog that is lacking nutrients, they cannot help it as they are desperate for food, so it needs to be decided if it is a training issue or a "change the food to something better" issue).
Well digested food that is passed is not desirable to eat again.....
If you do not want to feed raw, I would suggest a high quality kibble, and you can place something in the bowl that the dog cannot remove, and has to eat around, therefore slowing the ingestion of the food considerably.
Some say pineapple (fresh) chunks will slow the dog down as it is an undesirable food that dogs will pick around to get what they want. Do not know if this is true or not. I suppose any food that is not liked would work....personally I would use a large rock or something heavy that the dog cannot move out of the dish.
The other thing that would work really well to slow the dog is a food cube, where the dog has to work at getting the food out of it.
Like was stated earlier, there are many beliefs on why dogs do this. So I am not saying any of this as fact, only another variable as to what it "could" be.
As far as the barking...are you saying that the dog does bark at the things you listed? Did you want him/her to bark? or are you just wondering if they should or should not?
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Carol Boche ]
#221596 - 12/28/2008 05:01 PM |
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Q. Why do dogs eat their poop?
A. Because they can!
I have a 6 year old lab who eats his stool, as well as the stool of my other dogs. They are all raw fed. They all eat slow due to the bones in the raw. I've tried pretty much everything (verbal corrections, e-collar, pineapple, enzymes, vitamins, different food, SEP, etc. etc.) and nothing stops him. Personally, I think he eats it out of habit. He was not supervised outside on potty breaks as a puppy. Best solution = supervise trips outside and pick it up before he can get to it. (and I do NOT ever let him lick my face!!)
I do know of other people who have had success with Solid Gold's SEP or pineapple. Apparently the pineapple makes the stool taste bad and they are less likely to eat it.
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Re: Puppy questions
[Re: Konnie Hein ]
#221598 - 12/28/2008 05:05 PM |
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Q. Why do dogs eat their poop?
A. Because they can!
LOL...Konnie, I really think this is the best answer....
How did you get the dogs to eat the pineapple....none of mine like it enough to even eat it by mistake....
Until The Tale of the Lioness is told, the Story will Always Glorfy the Hunter |
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