A Question About My Puppy?
September 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
Okay I have a four month old cockapoo that Im potty training. The issue is when he has an accident on the floor he eats it. What could be the cause and how can I stop him from eating it? Thank you to all my responses..
Related Cockapoo Training & Care posts:
Means there is some valuable nutrient missing from its diet, Or it just likes eating poop.
There are several theories on the reasons dogs eat their feces. It is thought that some of the main reasons are:
Bitches with a new litter of puppies may eat puppy droppings to keep the area clean. In the wild this can hide the presence of her puppies from predator animals. Puppies may see their mother doing this and copy the behaviour.Dogs may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, or other medical condition which can prompt eating of feces, or they may simply like the taste or eat it out of boredom, believe it or not. Your dogs food may be too high in calories or low in fiber, affecting digestion. Try feeding a dog food higher in fiber.
Worms or disease can be spread when dogs eat the feces of other dogs. Feces of other dogs or a,nimals may also contain fly larvae, fungus, or intestinal parasites,can cause possible health implications for you or your pet. when u see your dog approach or looks like its going to eat the poop say NO! Teach your dog the “off” training command
Hi there!
I found the best way to undo this learning at home is to make the act of toileting a prelude to something more interesting to your dog than eating what it has just done. When you let your dog into your garden or yard stand near a window in position where your dog is unable to see you. When your dog relieves itself open the door that will allow it to re-enter your home and as soon as it arrives give it a titbit reward or some of its daily food allowance, then leave it indoors while you clear the ground outside. After a few repetitions of this your dog should anticipate that as soon as it has relieved itself the door will open and it will receive food thus replacing its interest in what is lying on the ground behind it. . This method will result in your dog receiving several small meals a day which in itself is a means of addressing the problem because the dog’s interest in faeces as a source food should be reduced.
Stopping the behaviour when it is displayed towards faeces deposited by other dogs away from home may be more difficult to achieve and some owners have to rely on the use of a muzzle as a means of preventing their dog feasting whenever it is let off the lead. The increasing social pressure upon dog owners to scoop their dog’s poop and deposit it in an appropriate location should help to reduce the problem. Whenever possible dogs that are coprophagic should be walked where the faeces of other dogs are unlikely to be found
Hopes this helps smooth
Rephrased correctly-
“I’m trying to housebreak my mutt pup & NOT cleaning up quickly OR confining it when not under direct supervision. & expecting a brainless baby animals to learn a behavior instantly. Will I ever be able to housebreak it at this rate?”
Answer-Nope.
You may want to give him a better food. When he digests his food its not completely breaking down so the poop taste like food. Try giving him a little pineappe after he eats it will make the poop taste bitter
Good luck
Lol my puppy used to do the same thing. Only she would eat it outside too! Basically just get him away from it as quickly as possible so you can clean it up, he’ll learn.
Most dogs eat poop at sometime or the other. Try cleaning it up before he has a chance to eat it.
taunt it
At 4-months-old you puppy should not be unsupervised, so there is no way he could be having an accident and eating his poop, because someone should be watching an potty and house training him.
I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be “fully potty trained” until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a “big girl.” This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing “no barking”, ‘no biting”, “no jumping”, and “don’t eat the furniture.” I also have to practice “playing inside” so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.
REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like “go out” for pee, or “go finish” for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vaca