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I adopted a beagle almost 2 weeks ago. He was a stray and they guessed him at 2 years old. He is a small dog (15 pounds) and I keep him indoors and he is very well behaved.

In the last week and a half, while outside to elminate, I have caught him eating his feces (from a previous day) on two different occasions.

1. Why would he be doing this?

2. How can I get him to stop? I like to leave him outside for awhile when the weather is nice, but I don't want to stand at the door the whole time to make sure he doesn't do this.

Any advice?

>>I adopted a beagle almost 2 weeks ago. He was a stray and they guessed him at 2 years old. He is a small dog (15 pounds) and I keep him indoors and he is very well behaved.
>>
>>In the last week and a half, while outside to elminate, I have caught him eating his feces (from a previous day) on two different occasions.
>>
>>1. Why would he be doing this?
>>
>>2. How can I get him to stop? I like to leave him outside for awhile when the weather is nice, but I don't want to stand at the door the whole time to make sure he doesn't do this.
>>
>>Any advice?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is normal dog behavior, probably because the mother dog does it in the nest to keep the puppies clean until they're done nursing and are walking well enough to get out of the nest to potty. The best way to handle it is to supervise your dog and pick up the poop before the dog can eat it. After awhile the habit usually passes if you do this.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

This is almost a breed trait with Beagles. Many believe it has to do with being mainly a kennel breed during their development, and having a great sense of smell.

Many Beagles are habitual stool eaters, their own and other dogs as well. It can be a terrifically tough habit to break.

There are many products out there to try...cheapest methods are adding a small amount of crushed Pineapple to the food, or Adolph's meat tenderizer to the food. Both these items make poop less palatable when it leaves the dog. Some people have used rabbit alfalfa pellets in the food with success...and others swear by For-Bid or De-ter or other such products available thru catalogs and Pet shops.

I personally use a product made by Solid Gold,...it is called "S.E.P." "stop eating poop". It works well for my pack...stopping them within 10 days or so. It's a powder you place in the food daily...2wice daily for the first 2 weeks. Again works on the enzyme principle, making the stool less palatable. This product can be expensive, at $10-15 a jar, one jar lasts me and my 3 Beagles, aprox 2-3 months. Here is a link to the S.E.P.
http://www.adamspetsupplies.com/store/index.php/cat_269

Good Luck!
RWB

RyngWrayth Beagles Homepage

RWB, I just have to tell you, that picture of the posed puppy in your signature is way beyond adorable! I trained a Beagle puppy once for someone else. Only time I ever tried the job of training for others, and found it wasn't to my taste, but I learned a lot and so did the puppy. They are a neat breed. I call my dogs "my four-footed anti-depressants," and I expect a Beagle would be aces at that job!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com