Help! My 5 month mixed pup has started eating poo. Hes been in the litter at my mums and he eat some on walks, if I don't catch him in time. What does this mean? I have a weak stomach and the poo in his teeth makes me want to throw up.

I have heard that young dogs eat poo to set up the natural "good" bacteria in their stomach to keep out harmful bacteria. Kinda like when we drink that foul Yakult stuff and eat yougurt (flavoured is OK ).

Is there nothing I can do? Will he outgrow this behavior? Can I feed him something to add good bacteria that's better than poo?

Hi daphne
What your dog is doing is called coprophagia and people used to think it is caused by poor diet or poor health. Now they are not so sure. some researchers think this is because dogs are naturally scavengers and this is caused by that behavior.
Also according to one doctor, the mother teaches newborn pups to wee and poo by licking their bottoms and the pups respond by going to the bathroom. Mums then eat the poo to keep the area clean and not attract predators. Some puppies learn this behavior and will consume their poo. Most stop by the time they are weaned.
In your case it may never be know why your dog is doing this. it could be a learned behavior, attention seeking, or boredom. You may never know, so try and prevent the problem by keeping the yard clean of poo and keep litter boxes out of reach and keep a close eye on walks.

I read somewhere that you can feed the dog pumpkin or garlic and its supposed to make the poo taste bad to the dog. only thing is, I can't remember whether it affects the taste buds which would make all poo taste bad or just make the dogs own poo taste bad. I think it makes all poo taste bad. Haven't helped much, have I

Hello all.
Just wanted to let you know that I have been keeping a close eye on my pup and keeping the litter box out of reach. Hard work but maybe he'll get used to NOT eating poo. Its late, but thank you all for advice!!