We encourage our readers to reach out to our very own celebrity dog trainer Inger Martens for their own doggy problems!
Anita from Canada is having an embarrassing problem with her rescued puppy, let’s see how Inger can help her!
Question:
I have a 5-6 month old rescue puppy that has recently started to enjoy eating frozen dog poop! I live in Alberta Canada, and it has gotten VERY cold here so everything freezes very fast. As soon as I let her outside she immediately sniffs out some frozen dog poop and starts chowing down. She has never done this before, and has started this in the last week. The dog poop is picked up once every day, but I have 3 dogs including her so it adds up quickly, anyways she will even find poop that is buried under the snow. HELP this is so gross and embarrassing, I am stressing out every time I let her outside.
Also do you have any suggestions for ways to exhaust her when it is to cold to play outside? For example, today it is -31F here and to cold for me and the dogs to play outside.
Answer:
Yes I get it. An embarrassing and gross problem to have and believe it or not, quite common. Puppy’s that eat poop, if not stopped, can unfortunately make it a habit!
Here are a few tips that can help!
First, check with your vet, poop eating can sometimes stem from a nutritional deficiency of some sort. Maybe your puppy needs a different kind of diet. You could also ask your vet about a product called For-bid. It’s a product that you can sprinkle on your pup’s food that can make the poop taste bad, therefore stopping the habit. You can also try cutting up a very small piece of fresh pineapple. Sprinkle a very small amount into your dogs food. The pineapple enzyme called Bromelain can often help solve the problem.
I would also separate play from bathroom breaks. Take you pup outdoors on a potty break, on a leash, for two minutes often. I know it might seem like a pain but well worth the victory in solving this issue. Using the leash and taking your puppy on a quick potty break will teach your pup to go to the bathroom on command! That way all of your dogs will learn to go potty fast and then you can designate party time off leash in the yard. Scheduling this into your daily life for a few months will help break the cycle.
Thanks Inger and good luck with the puppy poop, Anita!
Have a question???? Email us at Tips@TeddyHilton.com or check out more tips from Inger on her website!
[Image via AP Images.]