# Why do dogs eat poop



## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Clifford is 15 weeks old and came from a good breeder and is litter box trained already (I Think). He has two accidents, yesterday and today, on a bath rug and my daughters rug, and it was stool on one rug, and then I realized he has been using my bath mat as a pee pee pad. I just now say him chewing on something in the back yard, and it was stool, and I believe from a cat. When I brought him home he adapted quickly with no accidents for two weeks, and he followed me everywhere. I have created an xpen as his place with a bed, litter box, food and water. Should I just let him out to play for a little bit and put him back. I guess I shouldn't let him roam and follow me anymore. He was easy to watch until he started getting brave and wandering and doing his own thing. I have three litter boxes, one in his pen, one downstair, and one upstairs, and all he has used. I just not understanding why he now choosing other places besides his litter box, and now eating poopy. I am just grossed out and frustrated...............what do I do? Should I not let him play in the backyard? 

I guess I was the spoiled the first week with a perfectly behaved puppy, and gave him trust, and now he is disappointing me. He was loyally using his litter box and then decided to start using these two rugs....................what to do.


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

Clifford needs to be watched all the time or kept in his ex pen when you cannot watch him. It sounds like too much freedom. Rarely is a puppy completely trained before you get them and even if he was well on his way you need to reaffirm to him that pottying in the right place is a priority in your home. When he does it in the right place praise him profusely. Is he eating at set times? That can help a great deal with knowing when eliminations will occur.


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## Missy&Maggie (Jun 17, 2007)

> Clifford is 15 weeks old and came from a good breeder and is litter box trained already (I Think). He has two accidents, yesterday and today, on a bath rug and my daughters rug, and it was stool on one rug, and then I realized he has been using my bath mat as a pee pee pad. I just now say him chewing on something in the back yard, and it was stool, and I believe from a cat. When I brought him home he adapted quickly with no accidents for two weeks, and he followed me everywhere. I have created an xpen as his place with a bed, litter box, food and water. Should I just let him out to play for a little bit and put him back. I guess I shouldn't let him roam and follow me anymore. He was easy to watch until he started getting brave and wandering and doing his own thing. I have three litter boxes, one in his pen, one downstair, and one upstairs, and all he has used. I just not understanding why he now choosing other places besides his litter box, and now eating poopy. I am just grossed out and frustrated...............what do I do? Should I not let him play in the backyard?
> 
> I guess I was the spoiled the first week with a perfectly behaved puppy, and gave him trust, and now he is disappointing me. He was loyally using his litter box and then decided to start using these two rugs....................what to do.[/B]


Potty training our lil guys is hard work and requires a lot of consistency. I doubt that at 15 weeks old Clifford is house broken, the youngest that they are usually considered potty trained aka house broken is 6 months old. Puppies have to earn their freedom and should not be allowed to just have free reign of the whole house.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Yea, you are right about the freedom thing. I just couldn't believe how consistent and loyal he was for the first week with using his boxes, and so I gave him more freedom. He has been on restrictions since yesterday, So, will see how he is in a few more months. I wouldn't mind him trying to go potty outside too. Its funny, when we get back from our walks, he races to his box to go pee pee. I mean he holds until we get home then going right there in the grass, lol, he is a little nuts , :smpullhair: I guess


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

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 Sorry, I just can't write today, duh :smilie_tischkante:


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

It is common for very young pups to mistake a rug for a potty pad. Their eyesight is not as good as ours and they don't see colors as we do. So be patient. Also, I agree that at this age he should not be given tooooo much freedom as in the space he is allowed to roam. He should have constant supervision, and constant reminding asking him if he needs to go potty on the pad good boy. Make sure you take him to his potty box immediately when he awaken from naps, before playing (during play if you are playing hard) and after play, within about 20 minutes of eating, etc. If you start now setting these routines they will reward you 10 times over when he is fully trained. Remember he is a puppy and you will still at times have an accident. Also, baby gate off an area where he is allowed when you can't watch him. At this age he does not need full run of the house. He will be much happier in the confine of a smaller area.....his boundaries. Too much freedom will make it harder to train him. 

As for the poop thing....personally I have not experienced it. But I have read a lot about it and sometimes it is a learned behavior. Learned if the breeder keeps the mom and pups confined to a very small space. Learned sometimes when they are overly scolded for an accident. They could learn to eat the poop so that you won't know they went. Also, in strays outside they will eat poop for the nutritional value of the undigested food that is in the poop. I think in the cat poop you are talking about Clifford may sense the undigested cat food. Dogs love, love, love cat food. Why? Cat food has much more protein than does dog food. Eventhough all this protein isn't necessary for little dogs they still like it. So Clifford is probably sensing the cat food in the poop. I would still allow him his outside time (if that is what you choose to do) but make sure you watch his every move. If you do find that the poop eating is an everyday thing with him (his own poop) there are powders that you can sprinkle on his food so that he won't eat his own poop. As for the cats, I think you will just have to keep him away until he learns, NO! Tell him NO, nasty, whatever words you choose and be consistant with it. Our babies learn from consistency and praise. Try not to be disappointed, he is a baby and you have many months of training ahead. But as I said before, you will be rewarded 10 times over once he is an adult and you can relax knowing that you can count on him to be 100% reliable.


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## phesty (May 30, 2006)

Why do dogs eat poop?

Josie says: Because it's sooooo yummy!!!!

I asked my vet about it when I first got Josie. She said that as long as she's only eating her own poop, it's not really harmful, just gross. It gets harmful when they start eating other animal's poop.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks Pat! I feel better, just had a bad couple of days with Clifford. I know it will get better. I am just still puzzled why he chose the rugs, because I use Feline Pine in my litter boxes and not pee pee pads. I find it hard to mistaken the two, but your right, he is just a baby............Jill 
btw Pat-I am waiting for my message :eusa_hand:


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## Missy&Maggie (Jun 17, 2007)

It might help to use piddle pads because they have an attractant in them to help dogs discrimination between pads and your rugs and attract them. I think that they might also make a spray attractant that you could put on the litter. Good luck!!! It takes time and consistency, but it will payoff in the end!!!


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

> Thanks Pat! I feel better, just had a bad couple of days with Clifford. I know it will get better. I am just still puzzled why he chose the rugs, because I use Feline Pine in my litter boxes and not pee pee pads. I find it hard to mistaken the two, but your right, he is just a baby............Jill
> btw Pat-I am waiting for my message :eusa_hand:[/B]


He is really good with his litter, and don't want to start using pads too, I had two dogs before Clifford and they have marked on these rugs if I recall correctly. I really don't like the pads, they are stinky and expensive. He has good litter manners and will just be consistent. Thanks for all your support. :aktion033:


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## haha~shebar (Jan 8, 2008)

My Stolly dog used to eat her own poop... I lived in a small flat with a small backyard, she was a couple of years old when she started doing this for no particular reason I could see - she was fed wet and dry food... it must have just tasted good (eww!)... I couldn't break her of it. She would poop, turn around sniff and begin to eat. I had to watch her go, then distract her and either go pick it up or douse the poop in chilli powder, but sometimes even this did not stop her. She taught Lenny to do the same thing.... we moved into a bigger house, bigger yard, they would both eat it - not as often as before. When Stolly left us Lenny stopped eating it... probably cos Harry didn't eat it either, I don't know. It was a filthy habit.

Cloey, you mentioned Clifford waits to get home from walks to go pee pee on his pad, my Lenny won't pee pee or poop on walks either, he holds out till he gets home - he does go outside though... meanwhile Harry pees on *everything* on walks, there's barely a blade of grass that is left un-peed on!


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