I have 2-3 litters a year and have always followed the same basic protocol.

kept in the kitchen, they have a 12 x 20 play area in the kitchen with two large potty boxes with pine pellets.

start eating solids by week 3
still nurses here and there when mom decides.
been wormed and checked for worms..clear

They are getting Pro Plan puppy, approximately 1/2 cup for each pup three times a day. I have tried to up them but they get the runs, a day backed down and they are back to tooties rolls.

filtered water available at all times.

I clean few times a day, mom still helps when she goes in.

but this litter is eating the poo before I can get it up, waiting for someone to go to eat it! not eating the pellets, just the poo. what is going on??

good healthy, solid pups...

Nothing you can do about it but be faster than they are....

Don't keep any of them.

I wonder if you added some Forbid, or other anti corphoraghia agent to their food, so it tastes horrible to them, you could nip this in the bud?

I believe that dogs who eat poo are able to smell the food that was eaten and to them they're not eating poo, they're eating food. Just a theory, absolutely nothing to back it up...LOL

I like the "don't keep any of them" response above, that was funny. I would be leery to keep one myself. I don't have a poop eater now but I've had one before and I don't like it, I try to breed away from it. My last litter I bred a non-poop eater to another non-poop eater and none of the 9 pups eat poop at 2 years old.

Maybe they aren't utilizing the food well enough. The food could be too powerful for them and the unused nutrients are pooped out and it's desirable or...they aren't able to utilize the nutrients in the food, whether it be because of the food itself or an immature digestive system, so they seek out needed nutrients. Or they could just be slow learners.

Did you say how old the puppies were, I missed that and how much is the mother "helping"?

they just turned 6 weeks old, very health pups besides the poo breath.
mom is still nursing twice a day and will pick up when she is in there.
her choice to go in or not.

hav always used PP puppy in the past and never had poo eaters. wonder if they changed the formula?

thought about adding pro bios, but will that help? break it down?
someone else mentioned meat tenderizer?

I have a couple of poop eaters - they have been at it since about 3 months old. None of my adults eat poop. The pups only try to eat the adults poop and not each others. They are on a different food so I figure they just like what the adults are eating! I usually pick up before they get to it but sometimes they manage to find what I missed!

I'll try the pro-biotics though.

I have a 7 month old that just started eating her's and the other dogs poo. I had also read about feeding pineapple and that it was suppose to help. Not sure about feeding it to 6 week old pups though. I haven't tried it yet, I've just been trying to pick up the poop before she gets to it. I might try the probiotics though. Goodluck with your babies. :)

Never had them do that at such an early age. Likely it is boredom , tired babies sleep . Can you get them outside or set up an activity area , with ramps, and bridges, and other small obstacles for them to explore? Nutrionally , maybe add some vanilla yogurt to their food , I always do that, not much .

Boredom is a major cause of poop eating but with other puppies to play with can they be bored? Do they have toys to play with?

Boredome for one litter is quite different than boredom for another. The litter temperament obviously needs more mental stimulation. The age old excuse that I do this and that , is pointless, if any dog is eating poop, it is boredom , regardless of what you are currently doing, IT IS NOT ENOUGH for that dog /litter. Do more ! Add yogurt , do the required wormings, and get those babies out of the whelping box , and into some additonal activity, once this behavior is SET , game over, its a lifetime habit.

I think dogs eat poo for no other reason then that they "like it". I know it seems ridiculous however they are DOGS not people and they like to eat it. There is no stopping them other than picking it up right away.

I have placed several for this disguisting habit and still have a few who do it. Once I had a 7 month old who ate a full load of poo off of my large pooper scooper that I just picked up. I set down the pooper scooper and let the puppy out and had to tend to one of my other dogs, not thinking she would eat it. She was sick vomitting poo for 3 days, now if you think eating poo is bad wait until you have a few poo vomit clean ups to take care of. In conclusion, the puppy was rehomed and placed in the next week. If that is what she was doing at 7 months, I was not willing to wait to see what she was going to grow up into.

I'd have to say they were quick learners! After all that's what Mom's doing!

Sorry, I'm no help.

dont think it is boredom, tons of toys and plenty of room inside and get outside for play twice a day. they tug, pull, roll and tumble all day long and sleep well all night long.

now 7 weeks and up to 1 cup per pup three times a day. loose stools but still healthy.

I am trying to pick up as soon as they go , they just like the smell I think...yuck!

The boredom happened BEFORE the habit was set. Boredom first, pooh eating starts, HABIT set in the litter, now you deal with .

IDK, I think I would change foods if possible. It doesn't sound like boredom. What a horrible situation, I feel for you. Are both sire and dam poo eaters?