Sib. problem

Question
I recently took a trip up north with my siberian husky for a week and he was in
heaven he loved it up there. When we came back home, all he did for the first 4
days was lie around and not really want to do anything unless you were the one
to bring him a toy or ask him to go outside and get excited. This past weekend
which would be 7 days since we got home he has been going to the bathroom in his
cage and eating it. Then he gets sick because of it then a couple hours later he
will eat his dinner. Since about the 5th day home he has now been refusing to go
to the bathroom in the backyard (where he has went since he was a puppy) and so
we just let him go in the front so he would actually go. Now he has started
refusing to go on the front lawn aswell even though we can tell he really has to
go. He use to go on command and now he won't go to the bathroom unless I take
him for a walk or he holds it and goes in his cage and eats it. I really have no
idea what to do. We make sure to clean up every week, so there isn't that much
of his "feces" anywhere. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. Also, he is only 10 months old.


Answer
They makes tabs for stool eating that you can buy at your local pet store. It makes the stool taste terrible. There are a couple reasons for stool eating.
1. Not getting proper nutrition. (Might want to bring a stool sample to the vet to see if he has worms.)
2. Boredom, yes this entertains some dogs for some reason...
3. Habit. Check with the breeder if this has been something they did before you bought him. (They watch their mom clean up the poo after them and copy mom.)
I would start with Nutrition it is the easiest one to fix. Check for worms, Check the food mix it with a canned food, give the pup Vitamins.
For boredom get the pup a Kong stuff it with peanut butter, Mix in some dog food put pieces of lunch meat in it. This will also give the pup something tastier to chew on so he might not even think of the poo. Ziggies, raw hides, Nylabones cow Hooves etc.. change them around and switch them up. The excitement of what he might get will also help to occupy his mind, which will limit the bad behavior.
Now habit is the hardest thing to break. You are going to have to be a step ahead and watch him when he goes in his crate. Snag him out of there right away so he can't consume the poo. Use the stool tablets I mentioned earlier. You will still need to Correct him with a "no" or what ever you use coupled with the pill. It is only a deterrant and the dog can still get used to the taste if the habit is strongly ingrained in the dog. Also make sure the dog stays clean. I had to break this habit in a puppy I had gotten and she was hard to re-train. A dog doesn't have any concept of why they do something they just do it because they feel they need to. You will have to rain the urge out of him using all of the techniques I mention above if it is habit hit it consistently and hard this can do real damage to their teeth and general health. -Michelle B ^^