[whiskeymeister]

My Miniature Bull Terrier Odin poops up against the bars of his crate, then somehow manages to eat it through the bars. He can make it all the way through the night no problem, without an accident. Then when he is alone for a few hours crated during the day, after being taken out multiple times long after eating, he does this, along with peeing in there too.

Can anyone help with this? Is it somehow spite because he's alone? Is he so hungry that he needs to poop and eat it!? I can't afford more bedding, this is ridiculous its like his 8th bed! And he has no health issues, he's been all checked out at the vet.

[labman]

I lean toward stress rather than spite. Some anti anxiety medicine from the vet may help. I would replace the bedding with a grid or something. A wire grid in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I am now using a plastic vegetable bin with plenty of holes drilled in the bottom.



You can add stuff to their food to make the stools unappetizing. Try pineapple juice, canned pumpkin, or commercial materials, Deter or Forbid. However stomach turning it is for the owners, it doesn't seem to hurt the dogs much. It does make cleaning up a worm infestation harder.

[Jessyfay]

OMG you can get anti-anxiety pills from the vet! I need to get some, are they a downer and do they make my dog more relaxed and mellow?

[pitty mama]

How old was your puppy when you got it? If you got it before it was ready to leave it's mother (7 weeks and younger) it may have learned that eating poop is what "mom" did to keep the den clean. And may have not been weened properly. Also it may be because he/she is not getting the correct nutrition so eating poop is how they get the nutients. Because it is the same going in as it is coming out. You can feed your puppy a few pieces of pineapple. Believe it or not it makes the poo taste bad.
A way to prevent pup from going in the crate is letting them out before you leave and right when you get home. I did this with my dog (7 y/o apbt) only he was going in the house. But it still worked like a charm.

[pitty mama]

OMG you can get anti-anxiety pills from the vet!! I need to get some, are they a downer and do they make my dog more relaxed and mellow?

They are not used for that. They are for dogs who have high blood pressure or have anxioty issues. You would still have to work with your dog daily to keep their "energy level" down. Lots of play and stimuli like training will work fine

[linnealand]

Believe it or not, holding it all night long is very different from holding it during the day. A chemical is released by the brain during sleep that slows down the need to go.

How old is your pup? He might just be too young to hold his business for the amount of time you're keeping him crated. You definitely don't want to do that. Make sure the crate is cleaned *very* well after any accidents with a cleanser made for removing pet urine/poo smells. You can use towels for now instead of an actual bed. I liked the photo added by labman - smart idea.

Some dogs eat poop because they're lacking certain nutrients in their diet; some do it because they're hungry. Make sure you're giving him numerous meals during the day. He's not doing it for spite. Let us know how things go!