Hi Sandy,

When we got Pepper at about 10 weeks old we noticed that she would turn around and eat her feces. We corrected her by saying no and putting "forbid" in her food. She never ate our other dogs feces (Coco) only hers. She improved over time and would only eat her feces when no one was around. Our dogs are trained on training pads in our laundry room. As of a while now (Pepper who will be 1year on Oct. 1 ) she only eats her feces when she goes on the pads and no one is around. She does not eat her feces if we are on a walk, if she is out in our fenced in yard or if someone is in the room adjacent to the laundry room. We tried crating her when we left or when someone wasn't around to prevent her from eating her feces thinking if she did't do it for a while she would stop, and that worked, temporarily. We then stopped crating her and she was good for a few days and then ate her feces again in the morning when I was bringing my daughters to school. Everyone (2 different vets and the breeder I got her from) are telling me that at the point it is not due to her missing something in her diet. I've thought about getting a remote control shock collar out of being desperate but I have to try to figure out how I can use it (possibly standing outside the laundry room window and waiting) since she does not do it if someone is around. My concern with this is I wonder if she would associate the shock with going on the pads or if I timed it right and did it when she actualy was eating her feces if that would work. Any advise at this point would be helpful. Pepper loves to give kisses and I can not allow that until she stops eating her feces.

Annette
South Carolina









Annette,

This is a condition called coprophagia. It is quite common. Unfortunately, no one knows precisely how to cure it.
Also, your vet is probably correct in that diet and health are rarely a cause.

I have had success in about half the cases I've treated by advising clients to not allow the dog around it's feces. In your case,
I would suggest that you abandon the training pads and only allow outside use of the potty where you can immediately dispose
of her droppings. This is a problem where pro-active prevention can be a solution. It has also been my experience that if you break the cycle of coprophagia that the dog can eventually be rehabilitated from this behavior.

I would advise against the use of a remote collar. Timing of the shock and other factors are extremely important. If used incorrectly,
unexpected outcomes can be dire. I have treated cases where dogs had developed severe psychosis from improper use of remote collars.These unexpected outcomes can range from severe phobias to unmanageable aggression. I personally don't approve of there use by non professionals.

Good Luck!

Sandy