my yorkie is doing disgusting things.. plz advice

[gigir135]

my yorkie is 9 weeks old and i was in the bathroom and he did #2 not pee in the floor and i didin't see it..
He comes with his mouth full of dudu he was eating it this happened before ? what is this why is he doing this ??

[enchilila]

I've had a lot of experience with this. Some people say it could possibly be the food we feed. I've changed Betty Boop's food so many times that I've lost count. Then, I read on The Dog Whisperer's website that dogs that eat poop lack Potassium in their diet. I started feeding the Boopster bananas and sure enough it seems to have helped. She very seldom does this nasty thing anymore. You know, I think she just grew out of it. Another opinion is that I think they are smart enough to want to hide it from us because they know better than to do it in the house, and the only way to hide it is to eat it. I've found the best way to keep her from eating it is to just pick it up, if at all possible, before they eat it.

There is a medicine called Copraban the vet can prescribe that might help. I just didn't want to give it to my dog. You can Google it. This disgusting habit is called Coprophagia.

I'm sure others will have a lot of input on this, too.

[gigir135]

Thank you so much for your advice.. is just that he is 2 month i thought it's because he is small but no he has done it a few times...

[Nancy1999]

This is pretty normal behavior for a 9 week old, if your puppy was still with it's mother she would be eating the poop off of him, and that's considered normal, just be glad you don't have to do that! The YTCA recommends that Yorkies stay with their mamas a minimum of 12 weeks and I would not bother house breaking before that point. I would keep him in a confined area like a playpen or xpen with plenty of pads, and just keep the area clean of poop.

[gigir135]

thanks so much nancy for your advice..

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by gigir135

thanks so much nancy for your advice..

If he's still doing it at 6 months, I would look at his food, hard to digest protein will cause poop eating, or as enchilila says "Coprophagia." They smell undigested protein in their poop, and it smells nourishing to them. Some people suggest adding a little pineapple, it has enzymes that help digest the protein, but I think he's too young for this.

[BellaDonna]

I have a couple of adult dogs that will do that and it does disgust me. I have tried pretty much everything. With a puppy as young as 9 weeks and I think that's what you say yours is, the first thing is to clean it immediately and don't let him get the chance to go after it. Make sure he does have plenty to eat and after meal time take him to the litter pad or outside so that you know when he poops and if he walks away from it after pooping I would love him up a lot, show him your proud he pooped and proud that he left it alone. Once they are adults if they still have the habit it is very hard to stop it.
One thing that has changed with my crew recently is that we changed everyone to Canidae food. Strangely once we did that, the poop eaters do not seem nearly as interested in the poop.

[Sweetlips6]

I think it is common in pups. A lot of people on YT have this same question or problem. Bonnie even had the problem, but I believe she out grew it. I did try pineapple too.

[cj125]

Originally Posted by enchilila

I've had a lot of experience with this. Some people say it could possibly be the food we feed. I've changed Betty Boop's food so many times that I've lost count. Then, I read on The Dog Whisperer's website that dogs that eat poop lack Potassium in their diet. I started feeding the Boopster bananas and sure enough it seems to have helped. She very seldom does this nasty thing anymore. You know, I think she just grew out of it. Another opinion is that I think they are smart enough to want to hide it from us because they know better than to do it in the house, and the only way to hide it is to eat it. I've found the best way to keep her from eating it is to just pick it up, if at all possible, before they eat it.

There is a medicine called Copraban the vet can prescribe that might help. I just didn't want to give it to my dog. You can Google it. This disgusting habit is called Coprophagia.

I'm sure others will have a lot of input on this, too.

No - I don't think so.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by cj125

No - I don't think so.

I have read this theory too, it's one of the reasons why trainers recommend you never scold you dog harshly for having an accident, they might just learn to eat the evidence! This isn't to say that all dogs who eat their poop do it for this reason. It has some "natural" roots in the fact that dams often eat their pup's stools, apparently as a method of hiding their presence from predators. Stopping Dogs From Eating Poop

[cj125]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I have read this theory too, it's one of the reasons why trainers recommend you never scold you dog harshly for having an accident, they might just learn to eat the evidence! This isn't to say that all dogs who eat their poop do it for this reason. It has some "natural" roots in the fact that dams often eat their pup's stools, apparently as a method of hiding their presence from predators. Stopping Dogs From Eating Poop

Interesting... but what about the dogs that eat other dog's, cat's, and their own poop - outside?

[cathys]

Mine did this for a short time, I fed her pineapple with her food I also changed her food to wellness. That seemed to work for her. Hope this helps.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by cj125

Interesting... but what about the dogs that eat other dog's, cat's, and their own poop - outside?

Oh there's a dozen or so reasons for it, I think the most common explanation is that the dog can smell nourishment, and some species poop smells extra special to them. I think eating poop is probably very common in the wild. If you read the link I gave their are many reasons for the behavior.

[Ellie May]

If we are looking at the reasons this could happen that are supported by science, then really the only thing tends to be exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Most other medical issues would not cause this. Behavior issues could and it is very normal for some dogs.

[QuickSilver]

The sad fact is, some dogs just like to eat poop! And if they do, it's very hard to get them to stop. Someone once told me to think how different the world would be if candy came out of our butts.

Definitely consider the age of the pup, try changing the diet, etc. If a dog eats too fast, that may also prevent the protein from being absorbed. Pretty much all dogs love cat poop. Cats eat much more protein than dogs do, and that is reflected in their feces.

I saw an episode of "It's Me or the Dog" where Victoria put little flags next to all the poop piles in someone's back yard, and taught all the dogs to "LEAVE IT". I think it did work eventually, but it looked pretty challenging to implement.

Here are a couple things that could help training-wise:

- Teach your dog to poop on command. That way, YOU control when the poop comes out, and you can immediately dispose of it.

- If you can't always be around when the dog poops, give them a HUGE reward if you see poop on a pad. That may teach your dog that leaving poop on the pad reaps big benefits later.

Thor knows that for some reason, his Mommy is obsessed with his pooping, so he always gets really excited after he's finished.