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Canine Behavior/Puppy eating something other than food

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Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 10/14/2006


Question
I have a female, German Shpeherd & Keeshond mix that is almost 7 months old named Jelly. I'll have her 5 months, tomorrow. Soon after I got her we started to notice that she will eat her feces after going to the bathroom, or she will play with it and run around with it in her mouth. But it's getting on my parents nerves because she keeps bringing in the house to play with or to eat. We feed her twice a day, morning and evening. Should we add another feeding period in there or is this normal?

Answer
Thanks for the question, Laura. Jelly is normal. About 20-30%  of dogs I have met will eat feces. It is a normal behavior for  mama dogs  - they eat their very young pups' feces in order to keep their bedding clean. Some people think it is also an  evolutionary survival behavior. Predators and competitors  search for feces in order to find their dinner (the animal that carelessly left-a clue about their whereabouts) or to outsmart their competitors.

Pick up the feces, she will probably grow out of it. Happy Training?
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Alan J Turner, SATS LL1

Expertise

Puppy questions about House Training, Crate Training, Play-biting? Please visit my website. Site address is http://www.howsbentley.com.

I will answer all questions about canine behavior and training, training methods and equipment. Be ready to provide dog's name, age, sex, breed and how long you have owned the dog. In addition, it'd be great for me to know how long the problem has been occurring, what you have tried to solve the problem(s) and what were the results.

The more information you provide me - the better equipped I will be to offer sound, helpful advice! Thank you.

Experience

13 years as a trainer, the most recent 6 years as a canine behavior counselor specializing in abnormal behavior modification (i.e. fear, aggression, et cetera).

Organizations
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)

CredentialsAttend workshops and seminars for professional trainers / counselors regularly
Member: Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Certified Syn Alia Training Systems, Lay Level 1 Trainer

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