I have a 1 1/2 year old Golden Retriever. I got him 3 months ago from the Humane Society. He is a chewer so I provide him with lots of rawhides and toys. The toys (including the Kongs he finds a way to chew up and destroy). All of this I take in stride, but recently he started to eat his poop. We live in a cold climate so it freezes. He never ate it before it when it was soft. I now try to pick up after him as soon as he does his thing but can't always follow him around the yard. How can I break this habbit and will he grow out of the contant chewing?

The issue here is that the chewing is a symptom of a bigger problem. The chewing and eating poop could possibly be a result of separation anxiety, boredom, or quite likely on the top of the list, lack of exercise! You really shouldn't give him an array of chew toys. He should only have a few that he gets used to. If he is totally destroying Kongs, they are out! He could be swallowing pieces of it, and you will have bigger problems!

Concerning eating his own poop. This is called coprophagia. He could be doing this for several reasons, but this combined with the chewing would again indicate boredom and lack of exersise. It could also be a vitamin/mineral deficiency, but in this instance I would go with the first instance. This is also common with separation anxiety.

The best thing you can do with him to stop this behaviour at this point is to get him out for more exersise. I know it's cold! I'm in Canada! But get him out for shorter periods then. Do you have a treadmill? If you do, you can train him to walk on there to release his excess energy! It might be a little hard to get him on at first, but it's totally do-able!

If you want a quick fix in the meantime... and I DO mean the meantime, you can put hot sauce or something unpleasant to him on the things he has been chewing, and use a sharp firm, but calm (no anger) command, and a firm "bite" with your hand, to redirect his attention.

Good luck! :)

He will NOT simply grow out of this. This sounds like a nervous/obsessive behaviour to me. He needs training.

There are products available to help with this. Forbid and Deter are two that I know of. When added to their food, these products can actually give the poop a less appetizing taste, and can really help! Labman has often recommended adding pineapple to their food which can have the same results. I actually know of several dogs who have outgrown it. It sounds like your dog might just be looking for a frozen treat! Maybe you can prepare some other type, which is healthier and less offensive to you.

My dog used to do this the first week I got her. I put pineapple juice in her food. Just a quick splash over her food. She tried to eat her poop after that, and immediately threw it back up.

... problem fixed for me.

Have you tried the BLACK kong? It is very tough and meant for the heaviest chewers. I had to get mine online, didn't have black at my pet store. By the way, freezing some peanut butter in the kong might satisfy several "needs". :)

Your dog needs more fiber I know that I watch a show about what your dog they he needs more fiber

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by candycare26

your dog needs more fiber i know that i watch a show about what your dog they he needs more fiber

---

How is this going to stop him from chewing and eating his poop may I ask? Sounds like her dog is pooping just fine to me! I don't know what this answer has got to do with the qjuestion?

My dog does that too but they get into the litterbox what we do is when we catch them doing it he tap there nose not so hard but not so light

I've heard that some dogs eat their own poo because there may be undigested food remaining. This can be caused by your dog inhaling his food at meal time. Does your dog eat slow or fast? If he's satting too quickly, try slowing him down. There are products you can purchase which force the dog to slow down because of obstructions in his bowl. Others have simply put a couple of rocks in with the food. Obviously rocks which are too large for him to swallow. One other possibility, consider switching dog foods. I would speak to your vet for further information if problem persists.

A dog will eat it's own feces for a number of reasons. One may be intestinal parasites, which will cause a nutritional defeciency in the animal. Check his poop.
The other is a poor quality food. If there is TOO MUCH fiber and filler in the food the animal can't get the nutrients it needs before the food passes through it's system.
In both cases, the dog is trying to make up for the defenciency by eating feces, which contain undigested food (nutrients).
Dogs were meant to eat a substantial amount of protein. You could mix some canned food with the dry stuff and throw in some vegetables. You could also buy some vitamins for dogs.