[concerned dog owner]

Me and my fiancé just recently got a 3 month old pomeranian and we can't housebreak him what's the best way to housebreak a pom. Not only that he's just recently started eating our older dogs feces we are feeding him purina puppychow but he's been consistently eating our other dogs stuff. What do we do? Please help

[Lucky098]

FIrst problem... Puppy chow is very low in EVERYTHING. Dogs will typically eat feces when their bodies are starving for nutrients or they're bored. Being so young, I would guess the first one. Put the pup on a quality food. Chicken soup for the pet lovers soul Puppy is a good food and is priced decently. Wellness is also another food... a little bit more spendy. Try changing the puppies food and see what happens. If the feces eating stops, then great! If not, then the puppy has developed a habit. You're going to have to buy a supplement called DETER to help stop the eating. The Deter will have to be fed to the other dogs.

As far as house training goes.. Do you have a crate? Is the puppy being allowed free access to food and water? Crates are wonderful tools for house training! IF the puppy does make a mess, its in one spot. It also teaches the puppy to keep its "den" clean. Free access to food and water will cause the puppy to want to go potty more. Put the puppy on a schedule... Puppies are pretty easy. You can almost time them when they have to go potty after eating. Usually 15 minutes. Get your puppy on a schedule and stick to it as much as possible.

[shazamataz]

A lot of puppies do it and they do grow out of it.
Others will still do it as an adult.

Try adding either meat tenderiser or pineapple to all your dogs food, it supposedly makes the faeces taste/smell bad to a dog and they will be less likely to eat it.

Sorry Lucky but I think the lack of nutrients story is an old wives tale, but I do know a lot of people who do believe it.

A theory that came up on this site (sorry I can't remember who said it) was that some dogs do it to remove their scent from the area, especially with hunting/working breeds... that theory made sense to me.

What methods have you tried so far in regards to housebreaking?

[Lucky098]

I found this...
Why Dogs Eat Poop: 20 Reasons

1. Your dog might be hungry. If your dog doesn't have access to food, he might eat poop.

2. 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.

3. If your dog likes to carry poop, and then eat it, it could be genetics. Some dogs have instincts to carry stuff in their mouths.

4. Your dog might be eating poop because of parasites or worms. They can suck nutrients out of your dog, driving him to eat poop. It might also leave him extra hungry because of the lack of proper fuel.

5. Your dog might be eating cat poop or other animal poop to get key nutrients and minerals not available in his own food.

6. Some dogs will simply eat poop to pass the time. Dogs will eat poop because they are bored or lonely. It can be a sign of neglect.

7. Your dog might eat poop because he's anxious, nervous or otherwise upset. Stress will drive animals to do odd things.

8. 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.

9. If your dog has puppies, she might eat puppy poop. This is an instinct to hide the poop from predators. Poop is evidence. Getting ride of it keeps her puppies safe.

10. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, they'll eat poop as an experiment. They don't know better.

11. If your dog watches you pick up poop, he might learn to do the same. This is called allelomimetic behavior. Your dog observes you and learns from you, by putting the poop in his mouth you put poop in a bag.

12. Your dog might see others dogs eating poop. From this, they learn to eat poop too.

13. Many dogs simply like the taste of poop. This obviously doesn't make sense to dog owners but that's irrelevant. Some dog like to eat it and that's that. It's warm, moist, and very much like what your dog was given as a very young puppy.

14. If your dog food lacks key nutrients, he might eat poop. Your dog is trying to get "food" with nutrients any way possible, even from his own poop.

15. Sometimes dog poop seems like dog food. This can happen when dog food is low quality and includes materials that are easily passed and not absorbed by your dog. When the dog poops, it seems to be very much like the food he just consumed!

16. In some cases, dogs will eat poop if they are given too much food. This is especially true if your dog's diet is high in fat.

17. Some dogs will eat poop to gain attention. Many dog owners get very upset when their dog eats poop, which means the dog gets attention. This is a wonderful opportunity for your dog to interact with you, although it is because of negative attention.

18. It is possible that some dogs will eat the poop of other, more dominant dogs. Your dog might be more submissive than other dogs, resulting in strange poop eating behavior. This seems to occur more in households with multiple dogs where dominance and submission is a factor. Obviously this doesn't explain much about dogs eating cat poop or other animal poop.

19. It is possible that your dog wants to eat more than one time per day. If you only feed your dog once per day, and your dog eats poop, it could be an indication they want to eat more frequently.

20. In some cases, your dog will eat poop by accident. Dogs are curious and will try to eat almost anything, including poop. Dogs explore the world through taste and smell, much more than humans.

Summarization: Why Dogs Eat Poop

So, now you have seen 20 reasons dogs eat poop. It could be a signal for higher quality food, more food, less food, or more frequent meals. It could be related to your dog's desire for more attention and interaction. Your dog might be eating poop out of instinct whereas in other cases it might a learned behavior from you or by watching other dogs.