We had a dog that would eat her own poops too. Cat poops, dirty diapers, and feminine hygiene products.... anything she could get into. Yuck, I know!! Definitely not a dog you want licking your face!!!  Maybe your puppy has a temporary appetite for it... Maybe he doesn't want it in his pen. I know crate training is recommended because dogs don't want to go potty where they sleep... so maybe he is trying to keep his "bedroom" clean.  I would make sure you are getting the poop out of there as quickly as possible and give him many many opportunities to "go" outside.

I've never house-broken a puppy, so I don't know how long it takes :(  We've always been very fortunate to get fully house-trained dogs! One of the many benefits of adopting adult dogs!

Good Luck!!

I think alot has to do with the control a dog has, kind of like a child. 

At first I take them out frequently (once an hour at least for 10 minutes at a time).  I also have the puppy walk itself to the door I don't carry it, I call it as I go out.  This seems to give them the additional idea of letting you know when they need to go out, they know to go to the door.  (I've never used a doggy door because of having indoor only cats and there are skunks and other varmits I don't want in the house)

I then walk the puppy to the area of the yard that is acceptable for doing its business, otherwise you wind up with it all over the place making it harder on yourself to clean up after. 

I was lucky. For years when I had my Miss Priss (Aussie/Husky mix) I didn't want it in the grassy part of the yard because my youngest was a toddler.  She did it once in the grass, I pointed at it told her NO! and walked her into the high grass down in the front of the property.  She never did her business in the grassy area again and she seemed to teach all my other dogs to do the same.

Watch the pup's demeanor just before they do their business, this will give you a clue as to its "body language" and you can tell when they need to go out that way too. 

Consistency is the pay off.  Be patient.  Just like kids each is on its own schedule.  As to the eating part.  Clean up quickly until they outgrow it.  Most do, but some don't but again consistency is the pay off.  When they do it act disgusted (no acting really needed) let them know you're not happy, but don't spank.  They want to please you, so usually they get the idea.

Good luck and stay with it.

Californiabeso, the behavior you describe is known as Coprophagia.  Here is a good article that explains it:  http://www.veterinarypartne...

There are a number of natural remedies you can try to stop the behavior, including feeding the pup some pineapple or pumpkin (not spiced - regular canned) on a regular basis to make the poop taste bad.  (Funny, you'd think it would already taste bad.  LOL)  There are also commercial products on the market you can try, such as Forbid or Deter.  Puppies naturally have worms, but this activity also contributes to that, so please sure see your vet to have the puppy de-wormed, in addition to a regular series of puppy vaccines.  Lack of a proper diet can contribute to Coprophagia, so please don't hesitate to come see us if you need samples of quality puppy food.  Congratulations on your new fur baby!

 Thank you everyone for your info.  I was carrying her outside since I got her...I hope hat doesnt delay her learning to be house trained.  I have 2 other dogs and just couldnt train them so they live outside and sleep in the bathroom in the night.  I feel so guilty about that and dont want that to happen to the puppy.  Once I train her, I am going to train the other two.  They dont do their business inside in the night and they are 3 years old so I know that will help. 

I have tried the forbid and the pineapple chunks and that didn't work.  I did get samples from Canine Creek (thank you!) and I found a food that she wont eat all of her poop.  I forget the name and my husband threw the package away on accident.  Its an all ages food so that will work for the other dogs too.

Again, thanks everyone!

No, carrying her outside should not affect her ability to know where the "proper" place is to go.  If you are not already doing it, I would highly recommend crate training to help with housebreaking.  I will be in the store this afternoon if you want to stop by to talk more about it.  Or, you can visit with Shellie, my manager, any weekday.  She has Chihuahuas and can offer good advice specific to the small breeds, especially litter training your dogs, if that's an option for you.  As far as food goes, it was probably either Canidae or Natural Balance.  Both are all-life stages foods that you can feed to any age dog.

 Coprophagia may be a learned behavior since mother-dogs will eat the pup's feces to keep the whelping area clean, if the humans aren't doing the job.  Coprophagia can also be an indication of a digestive disorder resulting in poor nutritional absorption, but as long as the puppy is growing normally and is normal weight then this can probably be ruled out.  The behavior could also be a result of boredom and stress.  The pup should have a crate big enough to stand in and turn around. The crate should be within the pen.  The crate gives the pup a feeling of safety and security.  There should be a couple safe toys in the pen.  The people at Canine Creek can help pick out safe-to-chew toys in the correct size for your puppie. 

The pup will have to potty after every meal (which should be at least three meals a day until 6 months old), first thing in the morning, and last thing before the lights go off at night.  Otherwise, if it's been three hours since the last potty time then she needs to be placed "on the spot" outside.  Every time she is placed on the potty spot encourage her softly with whatever pgrase you'll feel comfortable saying around friends or neighbors, like "go potty" or "time for potty" or "hurry up".  She'll learn to associate the phrase with the action, which can be wonderful if she goes visiting or traveling with you or when you need to get going and want to hurry the process along. 

Anytime she is in the house she must be observed or in her pen.  If she has an 'oops' in the house, outside of her thickly papered pen, she mustn't be punished unless you catch her doing it.  If she squats and you are looking then a loud 'NO' as you scoop her up (yes, you'll get wet hands - they'll wash) then immediately place her outside on her spot or on the pen papers.  When she finishes relieving herself in the proper place give lots of praise, "what a good potty! clever puppy! good potty".  Puppies her age can be house-trained on a 3-day weekend with the rapt attention of everyone in the house.     

She's a chihuahua?  They have miniscule tummies and high caloric needs so meals need to be small, packed with nutrition, and frequent.  Again, potty after every meal.   

Even when she is trustworthy about her potty habits, she should never be left alone loose in the house.  She can get into more trouble than a human toddler, and we don't leave them unsupervised!  Good luck with the new little heart-stealer.

 Thank you for your advice...It has helped!  She is now walking to the door and getting right to business.  I had been using my phrase so she knows what we are doing outside so its comming along.  She's a good little dog..just a poopee Chalupee!  I also emailed a request to get her into the puppy kindergarten...I hope they still have available spots!  I want to try the crate again...I saw some at Canine Creek that were like her pen.  Maybe she wont cry her eyes out with one of those.