[dogfriendly]

My boss recently got a beagle pup for his mom's birthday. Snoopy (yes, you heard me right) was every bit as cute and adorable as any puppy out there, always curious and sniffing around the office when my boss brings him around. I love cuddling him, even though he smells quite a bit and everybody likes him. Everybody but my boss' mom. Apparently, Snoopy has this habit of eating his poop everytime he deposits it somewhere and she doesn't like it. They've already taught him where to pee and poop, but he still eats it. I had the same problem with our male lab when he was still a pup, but he stopped after we switch to a brand of dog food which had lower protein content. It has already been months now and Snoopy still has this poop-eating habit. My boss' mother is really annoyed now and has stopped taking care of the pup. She wants to give it away instead but my boss has come to love Snoopy and wants to keep him. But he also doesn't want to deal with the poop-eating. Is it normal for beagles to eat their poops? Or is there any other underlying problem?

[bandit_starr06]

I'm not sure if poop-eating is normal for beagles, but I do know my mom had a puppy that did the same thing until she switched to a lower-protein dog food. I used to have cats, and Mom's dogs would always eat their poop. I did some research about it when I was in school & discovered that dogs eat cat poop because cats don't digest all the protein in their food.

So I'm guessing, just a guess is all, that the reason Snoopy (and your lab when he was a pup) is doing it is because he's not digesting all the protein the first time through. Have you suggested to your boss switching dog food, to the brand you use? That may clear it up.

[opokki]

There are also additives, such as Forbid, that can be sprinkled over the dogs food to break him of the habit. Its common for puppies to eat their own feces, most of the grow out of it but it can become a habit for others.

[crassus]

You can also walk the dog, and pick up the deposits when dropped.

[DoxieMomX2]

My dog s almost a yead and a half and she still does this sometimes if she goes in the house. We think it is because she is trying to hide the evidenece, but don't know how to stop it.

[opokki]

Originally Posted by DoxieMomX2

My dog s almost a yead and a half and she still does this sometimes if she goes in the house. We think it is because she is trying to hide the evidenece, but don't know how to stop it.

Ask your vet about the food additive....this is supposed to make the feces very unappealing to eat.

[crassus]

Originally Posted by opokki

Ask your vet about the food additive....this is supposed to make the feces very unappealing to eat.

I have never heard of that. Are there any side effects involved? I have always combatted the problem by just disposing of all the deposits right away.

[PugLuv]

I'm not sure what the reasoning is, but definitely seek some professional help like a dog handler or dog trainer to figure out if it's a deficiency in his diet or just a behavioural problem!

[danelover]

My dog ate poop as a puppy and grew out of it. She stopped eating poop when I put Lawry's Seasoned Salt on her food. Dogs like the seasoning, and it makes the poop smell and taste bad to them. I gave this to her for several months. She never ate poop again.

[DoxieMomX2]

Originally Posted by danelover

My dog ate poop as a puppy and grew out of it. She stopped eating poop when I put Lawry's Seasoned Salt on her food. Dogs like the seasoning, and it makes the poop smell and taste bad to them. I gave this to her for several months. She never ate poop again.

Is this regular seasoning humans use, or do I get it at the pet store?