Hi everyone!

I'm having a *massive* problem with Laika (almost 7months now), she's been eating Watson (almost 3yr old bulldog) poop...they are being fed the same food, the only difference is quantity (laika is eating 3 cups per day and Watson only one)
I just can't understand why she's eating his poop? Hers stays unnoticed but the other is eaten (they both stay inside while we work and have a small area where they can go to the bathroom) and we know since first her breath is terrible! (suggestions to fix it while we get her to stop eating bad stuff) and we see the poop marks but no poop

Any help is greatly appreciated since I know she's not hungry or something she's even starting to slow down on the eating.

Thanks!!

Coprophagia! That's the technical term for it. It's a common problem in dogs, unfortunately, and it's usually behavioral. SOME dietary and medical problems can lead to it -- and it's something your vet should be able to check for -- but it's usually just a bad and very disgusting habit. It usually starts when the dog is a puppy, and most puppies grow out of it. Unfortunately, the more attention you give the puppy over it grossing you out, the more the puppy will be encouraged to keep doing it. After all, it's getting the puppy some extra attention, right? You can try limiting Laika's access to Watson's poop -- and perhaps even her own -- and hopefully she'll grow out of the problem soon.

That is a tough one since they are allowed to potty in the house, where you can't pick up before she can get to it. Typically it is a behavioral issue vs hunger or lack of nutrients. How much exercise does she get before you leave? What type of items do you leave for them to play with when you leave? I assume she is not crated when you leave, so that is even more difficult. There are products out there that you can use as a supplement, some work and some don't so it is a trial and error situation. Look and see if you can find any, I know places like Tractor Supply carries a few products, so imagine other pet stores do, or you may have to look online. Ultimately tho, it is a habit, where not allowing them to potty in house is the best solution, followed by tiring them out prior to leaving. How long are they typically home alone?

Ugh, Sierra (dog parks and walks) and now Finn (backyard and walks) eat poop, not their own but others. i have to pick the yard up every morning and really that's not enough as i know poop is missing from S&J but with winter its dark when i get home.

good luck breaking the habit I gave up on it.

Ami did when we first got him at 1 yr old, I gave him the drop it when I caught him but not a whole lot more than that. Somehow, he stopped around 18 mos to 2 years old. Kitty poop is a different story...do not knoow why, but all 3 dogs seem to be enamored with kitty poop. FOrtunately, she's got a litter box and the dogs can't get in there.

Kye would pick up random animal poop on walks, but like Amy, I would give a leash correction and taught drop it and now he at least drops it. he still thinks he needs to pick it up but at least he isn't eating it and we are getting closer to him ignoring it completely. Not letting them potty in the house is the easiest more effective way to start stopping it. Many of us leave our dogs in the house a full 8 to 9 hour work day and don't have accidents. She should be coming up close to an age where she should be able to hold it real close to a full work day if you have normal hours.

I dunno if I feel better knowing I'm not alone or not
I don't like to crate her because she goes all crazy, trying to chew off the bars and crying for hours no end, the crate for getting on the car is ok (she also goes with Watson so she's not alone)
I try to let her on the yard for at least 30min before I leave and she runs around for most of it after showering us with kisses),
I leave them with a box full of toys (some of which are the ones that have some treats inside them) and before leaving I put them on in and when we arrive they are all around the place.

We are normally out of the house for 10hours, Watson has learned that he goes only if he's completely needing to (does the same at night doesn't go until early morning) and I'm hoping Laika learns soon, I have just caught her twice and although grossed internally on the outside applied a strict corrective but now it seems she eats it when I'm not around