Lululemon, 17 weeks

[Lululemon619]

I just caught my 17 weeks old puppy eating my 5 yr old Lab / pitbull's poop in the yard. I was furious and I spanked her. Did I do the right thing? She seems very defiant compared to my lab mix. Any thoughts?

[Pinoy51]

Absolutely wrong reaction !!!
eating poop is not usual among dogs but normal under certain circumstances.
Most common a mineral deficiency or anemia.
Instead of spanking your poor pup you better have a blood test done.
A healthy well fed puppy doesn't need to eat poop.

Nothing wrong with being disgusted by your puppy eating poop, but it should not trigger this kind of reaction. Give him a stop command, pull him away if at leash, but never spank a puppy specially not a Chow. You damage your relationship with your furry companion.

[DrewBear]

Welcome to the forum. It is generally not a good idea to become angry with a puppy, especially a Chow. In this particular instance, she is not being defiant. Don't take her actions personally. She is a baby dog and you need to patiently teach her what is and is not appropriate in a human family/pack. Chows tend to be more independent than other breeds.

My puppy is almost 16 weeks old and I used a spray bottle to distract him from doing things I did not want him to do. I did not let him see where the spray was coming from and followed the water with a firm "no!". He learned very quickly and it took only two or three uses of the spray bottle for each particular lesson. I have not needed to use the spray bottle now for about three weeks.

[Rory's Dad]

To follow a bit on what Pinoy said, not the best reaction.

Trying not to get too technical or to gross anyone out...but the facts are what they are...lesser quality foods or dogs that aren't processing their food correcty will result in undigested bits. More than likely, that is what your pup is finding. Yes it sounds more than just a bit nasty to us, but that is what it is. To your pup, it's still a food source.

So, as Drew said, you can approach the behavior and attempt to curb it, or you can look to the source. High quality foods will reduce 'waste'. Mine do very well with a holistic bison mix...it is very digestible with no fillers or byproducts. Some sort of a raw diet may also work in this situation.

[DrewBear]

I read the following recently, but didn't keep notes on sources so you'll want to confirm with another source. Wolf and wild dog moms supposedly eat their pups' poops when they're still too tiny to leave the den. This is her way of keeping their home clean. I don't know what breeders do, but if they leave that poop-cleaning task to the mom, it's possible some pups learn it from mom. That said, the most likely explanation has already been mentioned: there is unprocessed protein in the poop that your puppy can smell, so she thinks it's food. Is it possible to quickly clean up after your other dog poops?

[Constantina]

She does not know why you spanked her and will now be wary of you. She was not doing anything bad intentionally. We correct dogs firmly but calmly now. Screaming and hitting them is old style and will lead dogs to shut down. Change her food to grain free puppy food. She is not getting enough protein that is why she is resorting to poop.

[Ursa's daddy]

There are additives you can add to your dog food to make poop distasteful. Punishing your puppy will not get the results you want. Chows definitely have their own view on things, and you have to work with their personality, reinforce positive behavior and try to redirect inappropriate behavior.