Got a Question....

[Deacon]

Ok I have a 3 month old lab, and sometimes, when it does #2(goes poop) it will also eat the poop, if I don't catch him in time....is this normal? I think its absolutely gross, and I washed his mouth out with the toothpaste my vet gave me....what should I do so he doesn't this anymore...

 

[Dagna]

There's not much that can be done other than working on obedience training and watching your puppy as much as possible. Some dogs simply do this. I have heard that it could be related to the quality of food that the puppy is eating, the higher the quality, the less a dog will do it. Not sure if there's any truth to that but it's worth a shot.

 

[Crofter]

Yes... sometimes t is because the dog is not getting the neutrients from food thsat he needs. But It is also a throwback from ancient the wild dog who could ulilise any nutrents he could find... just as they roll in poo to disguise the dog smell for hunting.

Training is the key... a firm 'no' to teach this is not a polite social habbit! Over time your perseverance in training will pay off and you will forget this was ever a problem.

 

[ridesawhitehorse]

We have raised a few puppies and I think you might want to consider looking at this as a mild behaviour problem that can be corrected by adjusting puppies schedule. This may mean more work for you.

Any animal will do best in living in as close to his natural enviroment as possible. Is your puppie confined in a small place, or is he kept in a kennel, does he get to be outside much? Does he get to be around other animals? Is he left alone very often? Is he ever lonely? Is there any abnormal stress in his life.

Stress can cause these kinds of behaviours. We are very fortunate that we raise our puppies outside and they are never alone, and are never confined to a small space. This way they rarely exhibit behaviour problems.
Be sure you clean up after him as soon as he does his jobs.

Do pay attention to the diet... but also - Take a close look at puppies daily schedule and consider where he may be stressed. Good luck!

 

[ridesawhitehorse]

Also - be sure he is on a consitent feeding schedule. And that you get in tune with the times of day he has to go - so you can take him out to the correct place to go - then really praise him when he does it right. If he has to go in a confined place where he lives - he will be more likely to continue that habit.

 

[Deacon]

Thanks for all the tips....Me and run and romp outside as much as possible...the problem here is other dogs around my apartment are huge...or little itty bitty puppies...I give him as much attention as possible.

I will look into the higher quality dog food...thanks again.