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Picobirnavirus (PBV) was first described by Pereira et al. (1988) who detected two bands of bisegmented double-stranded RNA genome by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in fecal samples from children. Since then, PBV has been detected in fecal samples of differents animals including rats (Pereira et al., 1988), avians (Alfieri et al., 1988; Leite et al., 1990), guinea pigs (Pereira et al., 1989), pigs (Gatti et al., 1989), rabitts (Gallimore et al., 1993), cattle (Vanopdenbosch and Wellemans, 1989; Khramtsov et al., 2000; Buzinaro et al., 2003) and giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) (Haga et al., 1999). PBV has been identified in both normal and diarrheic faeces so its pathogenicity is still unclear. This study reports the detection of PBV in fecal samples from gastroenterics dogs in the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. A total of 163 fecal samples from dogs with diarrhea were collected from April 1995 to April 2001 to investigate canine parvovirus and rotavirus infections in RJ State. Ninety-four samples were obtained at Policlínica Veterinária- Universidade Federal Fluminense, and 14 samples at a private owned animal hospital, in Niterói city. Thirty-one samples came from Recebido para publicação em 5 de novembro de 2003 Recebido para publicação, após modificações, em 13 de abril de 2004 *Autor para correspondênci