A stinky habit

Gillian Law of Pretoria writes Why do some dogs/puppies have the awful habit of playing with or eating other dogs’ or their own poop? We have a 10-month-old rescue pup and she plays with the poop of our other three (male) adult dogs (she doesn’t do it with her own.) It seems this is a common problem with puppies but how do I stop it?

Dr Denver Mudie, a member of the South African Veterinary Association, replies

Eating stools is often considered a game by the pet and the more fuss you make about her doing it, the more it stimulates and excites her. So try not to make a big deal of it if you see her do it. Instead, try calling her and give her a treat when she comes so that the reward for coming is bigger than the reward for eating the stool.

There is a product called Copronat available on the market which you can use to help eliminate coprophagia (the medical term for when a dog consumes its own faeces or eats the faeces of other dogs/ cats). It’s a natural food supplement that contains Yucca schidigera extract, which has been shown to help with the problem while also eliminating the offensive odour associated with flatulence in cats and dogs. It needs to be used for at least six weeks.

You can also put lemon juice on the stool itself or use a product called Avert, which is an extremely bitter solution. Avert is usually used to discourage pets from chewing, licking and biting wounds, bandages, stitches and household objects, but it may also deter her from eating the stools when applied directly on them.

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