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dhill_94 · Jun 29, 2010, 10:07 AM

Why does my 4 1/2 month old shih tzu puppy eat its poop?

sajjw · Jun 29, 2010, 10:37 AM

Not being able to actually ask a dog why he does this, it's a bit of a guessing game. There are lots of theories, such as a deficit of vitamins/minerals in the dogs diet or a habit born of a past desire as a pup to hide the evidence because dog has been punished for pooping indoors. I do believe that it won't do a dog any harm to eat its own poop - best not to let him eat other dogs poop though. I also believe it is a natural behaviour. After all, in the wild an animal would eat almost anything if it was hungry enough. Both my young girls do this, they learnt the behaviour from their mother who was over vigilant and didn't stop cleaning up after them once they were weaned. They also eat my other dogs poop and bring lumps indoors to eat. Its so revolting I hate it but unless I stand guard in the garden to rescue the poop immediately 24/7 there is not a lot I can do to stop them. I think they just do it out of greed or boredom. Disgust is a purely human emotion - animals don't have it. There are products sold to add to the diet of a dog which are supposed to make their poop unpalateable. I don't know if they work myself but I have heard not. Some people say to add black pepper to the poop to put a dog off. It might be worth a try I suppose.

JudiR · Dec 15, 2011, 08:51 AM

My shih-tzu had a really bad problem with this disgusting habit. It's hard to break them of the habit and I tried several vet suggestions, from pineapple in the food, to over the counter tablets such as Poop No More and Forbid, etc. I also have a mini schnauzer and I have never had this problem. Pineapple did not work, the tablets worked sometimes. She loved eating the schnauzer's poop and her own. Finally at 8 months she started growing out of it but she has an occasional relapse. Shih tzus are notorious for the poop eating problem and they are hard to break of this habit. They are very smart but stubborn This is what I did: (1) MOST IMPORTANT I kept the yard clean. This means followingI followed her and my schnauzer around with a pooper scooper. If she showed any interest in the poop, I scolded her as in 'NO NO bad dog!" (2) Try some of the over the counter tablets. They just might work. Every dog is different. (3) Every time she pooped and walked away from it I would praise her and say "Good doggy" while clapping my hands and calling her by name. (4) Grit your teeth, hang in there and bear it while hoping that your dog will grow out of it. (5) Get advice from your vet. I hope this helps

DalaiLamasMama · Apr 28, 2012, 11:07 AM

I too have this issue with my almost 2 year old Shih Tzu. I walk after her and try to pick up the poo immediately, or she still does it. The NO NO Bad Dog, doesn't seem to work. She is a wonderful pet, - so I consider this one little hurdle... maybe she will decided one day she doesn't like it. I have a friend who's puppy eats the cats poo out of the little box, so I consider myself quite lucky! LOL