Yes, I agree. It’s not a lack of nutrition or anything. Puppies watch their mothers clean up after them in the litter, and some puppies continue the habit. We just had this very conversation with the vet. She said many puppies just grow out of it, but sometimes they don’t.
The best thing you can do is try to break the habit, but that is tough. So, for example, muzzling and then cleaning it up might help break that cycle and maybe eventually would diminish the behavior.
The only other thing I can think of is he is doing it out of boredom? I have never had this issue and we have always had multiple dogs but my dogs are able to run free and are never kenneled or penned up and no fenced yard.
That means they go away from the house to do their business. Dogs in outside pens and fenced yards are in direct access to poop all the time. Might just be something to do. Just wonder if that makes a difference?
If the older dog can handle some raw pumpkin, a teaspoon if little dog or a tablespoon or so if big dog, that tastes horrible in poop for some reason.
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