Why Does My Dog Eat His Own Poo?

  It can be upsetting to find your dog eating poo, but it may not be there own fault and instead is a problem with their diet. A big misunderstanding is that some believe it is due to the poo containing undigested material. We’ve put together some handy tips to help you stop your dog from indulging in the peculiar behaviour. Eating Poo is a Sign of Low or Ill Health of the Digestive System What this boils down to is a bad diet, over-feeding or a combination of the two. A dog that is on a good, satisfying diet will have no intention to eat poo. Try feeding your dog a natural, hypo-allergenic feed such as Dr. Green’s Grain Free Dog Food sparingly.  It has high meat content, no added grain, omega 3 and has no added artificial colours or preservatives. As this food is easily digestible it causes less upset. Over feeding your dog can also put stress on the digestive system, and another bonus from feeding in smaller amounts is the production of less waste! Perhaps try feeding four smaller meals a day instead of two for example. Single Out What’s Causing the Problem Try and limit what your dog eats for a while (no treats etc.) so that you can figure out which food may be causing the problem. For example, if you stop feeding a certain treat and they stop, then the problem was feeding them that treat and it should be avoided in the future to prevent the behaviour. Any food or treats that aren’t causing a problem can be fed again once the cause has been found and the behavior has stopped. Always Clean Up Quickly If you can clean up their poo faster than they can eat it, then it eliminates the behaviour. Try not to punish them for eating their own poo, instead reward them when they don’t eat their own poo. After a while this positive association with not eating the poo will make it seem like a fun thing! If you punish them too heavily for pooing, they may be eating it in order to dispose of the evidence. Boredom May Be a Factor You should be keeping your dog stimulated during the day and exercise may not be enough. Try using a Kong toy or other food dispensing toy that makes your dog work and think for their food.  ]]>