Can anyone help us? We are trying to toilet train our 8 week old staffordshire bull terrier puppy (without much luck!! ) She has recently started eating her own poo if we don't get there quick enough to clean it or if we're out of the room. Please can anyone tell us why and how to stop it. Obviously if we see her do it we intervene but if we're out of the room she just eats it.

That's definitely a first from what I've ever heard. Unless someone else has an idea, I'd see what the vet says... Wow!

XenoSapien

Okay I'm not an expert or anything but we use to have a dog that did the same thing. I think your dog will evetually grow out of it... our dog did and we took her to the vet and the vet said eating her own poop will not hurt your dog. The best way to keep her away from it is to clean it up as fast as you can and the sooner you train her the better.

Maybe she is under stress, My dog when I first adopted her ate her poo. In fact our first meeting she poo'd in the visiting room and ate it. Yuck But the lady at the rescue said that a lot of the dogs do that and then settle down once they are in a home and on routine and less nervous. Must have been true because she never does that now. I am sure some of the people that are more experienced with this and training puppies will come along and give you some ideas/answers so check back in. Btw my dog was an adult not a puppy.

Just why is poorly understood, but many dogs do it. Cleaning it up first is the best control, best not to let the puppy see you. Getting to it first will be easier using good housebreaking methods as found at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809

You can also try food additives that are susposed to make it unattractive, pineapple juice or canned pumpkin and the commercial products Forbid and Deter.

My dog had the same problem but she got over it with me always watching her when she did poop and I made sure she moved away from it as soon as she is done so I can clean it up, the times when I would catch her I would show her what she started to do and tell her "NO" but the main thing is to be on them and make sure you are right behind them to pick it up and they soon grow out of it