We have a Great Dane that we got at a year old from a breeder. She was very thin, so we put her on Blue Buffalo large breed food and she has since gained weight. She has food to eat on demand at all times.
The problem is she has a disgusting habit of eating poop that she falls back into occasionally. I keep it cleaned up, but she seems to find it somewhere. I think from the condition she was in when we got her that maybe it was survival, I don't know for sure.
Does anybody know what I can do to make her stop this? I have never had a dog that has done this and I don't know what to do. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
By Linda from CO
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Your beautiful girl is probably an Alpha female, and she is eating her poo, because she is supposed to. According to her doggie heritage. She's probably a really good mama. I had a female dog with puppies, and she ate all her puppies poo. I think it keeps predators away from them in the wild. It keeps wild predators from smelling the baby poo.
My mother had a couple of dogs, and ate poo, and she asked the Vet, and he said "don't worry about it, they do that." I have a male that is about 15 years old now, an Alpha Male, and he lives for his pups, and if allowed to, he will eat their poo. I don't like it either, but it's what they do. And the pups aren't even his, but he will protect them to the end. Your girl sounds like an Alpha Female. Embrace her, love her, and just try to keep the poo away.
A diagnosis of coprophagia could be route issue? There could be a number of reasons for eating own/other dog poop or underlying issues. However MD said its normal and somewhat common for dogs to do this. It could be behavioral in nature, them not feeling well or having some sort of anxiety causing this. Monitoring the dog during all bathroom breaks ( clean up immediately) and when around other potential poop areas to otherwise try and break the habit.
I know how grossed out you feel, I have had the thing happen with our dogs. They are well fed, excercised, played with, and in general have a good life, but they love poo. Theirs as well as the other dogs. I've tried all kinds of additives to their food, putting tobasco, pepper etc on the poo, a shock from a training collar nothing seems to phase them.
The only solution that has worked is to put a muzzle on when they go out to do their "business". Then clean it up real quick. Then I get forgetful and they eat it. It has not made them sick. I have seen a couple of dog shows on TV and they all say it is almost impossible to cure. The owner has to be trained to clean up ASAP so the dog doesn't have access to the poop. Good luck and let me know if you discover an answer.
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