273. Any solution to older puppy's coprophagia? Ad lib feeding of puppy

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

This puppy was very smart. When the owners are around, he would not eat the stools. But overnight, he passed stools and ate them!

"How come he passes stools after 10 p.m?" I asked the young couple. "He eats only 1 time per day as he is over 6 months old. Normally, puppy passes stools after eating."

"He passes a few lumps," the young man said. "We feed him at 6 p.m. He will eat some food and then eat all after 10 p.m. After passing the stools around 7 p.m, we would remove the stools. He would know we disallow him to eat. So he would not do it. However, the next day, we can see stool stains but no stools."

"Giving ad lib eating may cause this puppy to poop more than one time," I said. "If he continues this way, he will eat stools past adulthood."

"What's the solution?"

"Probably, take away the feed after 1 hour. No more 'supper' after that."

When the puppy is younger, a restricted feeding schedule encourages stool passing after meals. A free feeding schedule means the puppy poops many times and has the opportunity to eat his own stools.