How Can I Stop My Almost 2 Year Old Bull Mastiff From Eating Her Own Poop and Sometimes Our Other Dog’s Poop?

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Penny

I have an almost 2 year old female Bull Mastiff. She recently has started to eat her own poop if she has an accident in the house (usually right by the front door). Not always… And she has also started to eat out St Bernard’s poop right after he has gone… outside. Why does she do this and how can I stop it? Is this a health concern?

Train her and stick with your training program.
Your dog might be hungry. If your dog doesn’t have access to food, he might eat poop.
Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper. This is most likely if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when he’s chained up or otherwise restricted. He’s taking care of his space.
Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. If you punish your dog for pooping, he might eat it to stop you from getting angry.

In here are the basic training guidelines, http://snipurl.com/u8lub

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  • mackenzie

    there is special food you can buy at PETCO and petsmart that you feed your dog and it makes their poop taste bad to them

    http://www.1800petmeds.com/Excel+Deter+Coprophagia+Treatment-prod2420.html
    References :

  • aslan74426

    Dogs do this for several reasons. Sometimes its a mothering instinct (mother dogs eat their pups feces up until 4 weeks old) other times it is because of lack of nutrition in their diet. And some of the time they do it just because. To stop it you can get a pill from the vet that will make the poop taste bad, but I prefer to feed them pineapple. My dogs like it alot and it makes the feces taste bad and they don’t eat it.
    References :
    German Shepherd Breeder

  • haleybear

    try feeding her, and the st.bernard pinapple. it is suppose to make the poop taste horrible. and also maby get a higher quality food? her eating poop means she isnt getting the right amount of neutriants
    References :

  • Dave&Michelle

    there are numerous reasons why dogs do this , one thing i have found that works is to give your dogs a few chunks of pineapple daily , this seems to make the poop tatse disgusting to them , i know …as if it should need any help right ? but thats what we do an it seems to work ,
    References :
    dog owner / trainer

  • luckydog

    Ugh…my dog has a thing for cat poop. I have to watch out carefully on walks to make sure he’s not snacking. In any case, I have heard that eating poop can mean a diet deficiency. Your 2 year old dog is in adolescence now, heading in to adulthood. His dietary needs may have changed and you should discuss this with your vet….what food, what amount, how many times a day…and if the dog needs supplements for healthy bones. Once you have made sure that she is getting the right nutrition, there are some other things you can do. Your vet might recommend something that will make the poop taste terrible…I have heard pineapple is really tasty to dogs..going in, but there is an enzyme in it that will make the poop taste so nasty the dog won’t go for it. But this also may have become a habit that you will only break with constant supervision and redirection. If you see her go for it, correct her but also give her some fabulous treat for leaving it. Lots of work, but if this is tied into the terrible two thing…it will pass. Hope she is OK, good luck.
    References :

  • JR

    lmao! eat out lol but serious try a new dog food he just not gettin a enough nutrients
    References :

  • Krista

    Start feeding your dogs pineapple, it makes their poop taste bad to them.
    References :

  • moof

    There are many, many reasons why a dog might start to eat feces.

    Sometimes it’s because the dog isn’t receiving sufficient nutrients, so she instinctively eats her feces to try to regain any additional nutrients that might’ve passed through her system. In this case, you would probably need to switch her food to something healthier instead of "junk food" kibbles like Eukanuba, Science Diet, Iams, Purina, Pedigree, so on and so forth.

    If her food is low quality, it might not be digesting probably, so it’s just passing through. As a result, what goes out is pretty similar to what goes in, so her feces taste like her food. In this case, you’d want to switch to a higher quality kibble.

    She might have just tried her poop on a whim. At two years, you can still call her a puppy, and it’s not unusual for puppies to try experiment. For dogs, eating feces isn’t too weird, so she didn’t think it’d be too odd to just try it out. Then she found she liked the taste, so now she’s snacks on it whenever she has the chance. The only way to solve this is through management.

    She might be trying to dispose of the evidence. If she has ever been punished at all for having accidents in the house, she may be trying to hide the evidence from you because she associates you finding the mess with being punished. If this might have any truth to it, you need to go right back to housetraining basics so that she doesn’t have accidents in the first place.

    A big piece of advice would be to try adding certain foods to the meals of both dogs. Three popular foods to try are pineapple, spinach and [pure, unseasoned] pumpkin. If one doesn’t work, try another. These three foods generally taste good on the way down, but bad on the way out. If feces taste disgusting to her, she’ll be naturally discouraged from eating them.

    A huge, huge, huge part of solving the problem is management. You NEED to keep the house and yard clean of feces. If she tends to eat her poop after having an accident indoors, you need to prevent accidents! If you’d like some helpful advice regarding how to effectively housebreak her:
    http://dogstardaily.com/training/errorless-housetraining
    If she likes to eat the St. Bernard’s poop right after he’s relieved himself, then let them out separately to go to the bathroom, at least at first. Let him go out and poop, then pick it up and let the Bullmastiff go out and join him after. Prevent the unwanted situation from being able to happen — avoid letting them both be outside at the same time while he probably has to eliminate.
    Teach her a reliable "leave it" command so that if she does manage to get near poop, you can give her the cue and she’ll leave it alone. Here are some tips for teaching a reliable "leave it:"
    http://loveyourdog.com/touch.html
    http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-training-article-drop-it-and-leave-it.html
    http://www.petplace.com/dogs/teaching-your-dog-to-leave-it/page1.aspx
    References :

  • JBroden

    Hi! Hope this helps.

    Does your dog eat its feces, or sometimes the poop of other dogs? We want you to have the tips and understanding for the solutions. There are many factors that can contribute to the reason for stool eating. It’s not an accident, and it can be prevented by solving the problem as to why. Often, a multiple target approach is best in eliminating or reducing the habit.

    Coprophagia is Common in Canines

    The correct term for the feces consumption problem is Coprophagia. It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact cause in every case; however, it’s surprisingly common in canines and especially pets eating commercial pet food and treats. The compulsion may be driven by a vitamin deficiency, intestinal parasite infestation, or the development of pancreatic problems or other serious health issues.

    Click the link below for more information.

    Thank you!
    References :
    http://thaiyag.notlong.com

  • Dale M

    Train her and stick with your training program.
    Your dog might be hungry. If your dog doesn’t have access to food, he might eat poop.
    Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper. This is most likely if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when he’s chained up or otherwise restricted. He’s taking care of his space.
    Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. If you punish your dog for pooping, he might eat it to stop you from getting angry.

    In here are the basic training guidelines, http://snipurl.com/u8lub
    References :

  • Montgomery

    my 10 wks old mastiff keeps eatting her dog feces why?