*****Warning, this is a bit gross******
So, I have a rescue chiweenie Herman. He is just past a year and we have had him since he was seven months or so. I only know about his last home, where we rescued him from, prior to the lady we rescued him from had rescued him from somewhere else (long story). I know in his last home that while the environment was not ideal (the lady was a animal/stuff hoarder) that the lady who had him loved him and was at least kind. Before that, circumstances must have been very different. He was a sad, nervous, serious puppy and remains a bit of a "cold fish" with people other than his mommies and a few close friends he sees often. He has made huge progress and at home is a very loving, trusting guy. However, he has a lot of behaviors that I would classify as starvation responses. He rapid gulps his food and when he eats actually sucks in his belly and stops breathing (we make him stop and sit while he eats until he re-inflates himself and we use a slow down bowl, which doesn't help much). He gets so excited when it's time to eat that he actually starts to tremble. It's been over half his life that he has had regular consistent access to food but I think it must have been early on, and he was at some point one very hungry little guy
Anyway, one of the behaviors that has continued and causes concern is poop eating. Herman eats his own poop as well as our chihuahua's, anytime he can get his paws on it. We do our best to pick up the poop as fast as we can but he will actually do a poop and turn around and eat it immediately. We have tried vitamin supplements, special pills that make the poop taste bad (how can you make poop taste WORSE is what I want to know), asking the vet (who said it's a dominance thing but he is not dominant, and he eats Gertie's poop in addition to his own) and putting a muzzle on him (way too sad). When he burps it's so awful, and sometimes I guess he eats too much and every couple of months he pukes up a turd somewhere in the house
Herman has joined our forever family because we believed that he needed a home that would be his last now; we could tell he needed a lot of love and consistency and understanding of a little guy who was just so scared and had so many issues. He is doing great in the love department (he will now roll himself over onto his back for belly scratches which he wouldn't do for months) but the poop eating is a real head-scratcher. I have looked online but honestly, we prefer simple, natural, behavioral methods combined with lots of love and patience. If anybody has any ideas, I would LOVE to hear them!! (Herman is the dappled guy in my avatar pic)
So, I have a rescue chiweenie Herman. He is just past a year and we have had him since he was seven months or so. I only know about his last home, where we rescued him from, prior to the lady we rescued him from had rescued him from somewhere else (long story). I know in his last home that while the environment was not ideal (the lady was a animal/stuff hoarder) that the lady who had him loved him and was at least kind. Before that, circumstances must have been very different. He was a sad, nervous, serious puppy and remains a bit of a "cold fish" with people other than his mommies and a few close friends he sees often. He has made huge progress and at home is a very loving, trusting guy. However, he has a lot of behaviors that I would classify as starvation responses. He rapid gulps his food and when he eats actually sucks in his belly and stops breathing (we make him stop and sit while he eats until he re-inflates himself and we use a slow down bowl, which doesn't help much). He gets so excited when it's time to eat that he actually starts to tremble. It's been over half his life that he has had regular consistent access to food but I think it must have been early on, and he was at some point one very hungry little guy