Ok I am totally freaked out by this but for the last few nights Rolo has been eating his own poop. He only seems to do it with his late evening poop. He doesn't stop at his own poop either, I caught him eating what looked like cat poop and when we go for a walk he eats bird poop. I am feeding him enough, it's not that he's hungry. Also, even though his water dish has plenty of water in it he will always try to find his own! Puddles, upturned lids, anything that can hold water. (I always make sure the water is clean and not stagnant) is it only Rolo that has these strange habits or is this totally normal?
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! Sorry to hear this, it can be upsetting. There is an article here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/why-dogs-eat-poop-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/ Charlie astounds me with water - unless the water in his bowl has just been refreshed, he won't touch it. I have to make sure the bowl is scrubbed clean and the water changed 4 or 5 times a day. If it's not fresh enough, he'll take one slurp and glare at me. Muddy puddles, a disgusting bucket at class with several dogs jostling to slobber in it, bird baths, paddling pools - they are all just fine though. :
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! Fantastic article. I am always with Rolo when he poops so will make sure I carry my poop bags with me and stop the chance of it happening again. I don't like to pick his poop up when he is watching, I read this in an article about showing who is in charge. This is why I return once Rolo is back inside.
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! [quote author=Rolokris link=topic=8350.msg118051#msg118051 date=1413669040] I don't like to pick his poop up when he is watching, I read this in an article about showing who is in charge. This is why I return once Rolo is back inside. [/quote] Ok, that's a bit nuts. Dogs don't think like that. He doesn't care that you pick up the poop.
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! [quote author=JulieT link=topic=8350.msg118052#msg118052 date=1413669176] [quote author=Rolokris link=topic=8350.msg118051#msg118051 date=1413669040] I don't like to pick his poop up when he is watching, I read this in an article about showing who is in charge. This is why I return once Rolo is back inside. [/quote] Ok, that's a bit nuts. Dogs don't think like that. He doesn't care that you pick up the poop. [/quote] Ah, Julie, Rolokris is quite new....be gentle with her I do suspect the article you read to be...well, a bit suspect! Dogs don't bother about the poo picking up. You are more likely to irritate people around you for NOT picking up than to upset your dog. It must be REALLY inconvenient to retrace your steps to pick up poop! Go out armed with your baggies and do it there and then - much better all round. As for the water - in our case, a muddy puddle is far far superior to clean water in a dish. Only thing that beats it is a good stream out of a bottle or waterspout
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! Yes, he loves that which I have decided is a fantastic thing cos if you do ever forget to have water with you or water but no dish he will drink as you pour. Very clever. The don't let your dog see you pick his poop up came from a puppy book I bought. It also said always eat before your dog does and stand over your dog regularly to show it your the boss. It's hard to know which nuggets of information to ignore and which to follow. Kris and Rolo
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=8350.msg118053#msg118053 date=1413670106] Ah, Julie, Rolokris is quite new....be gentle with her [/quote] Ooops! ;D ;D ;D There is lots of nuttiness around! And Kris seems like a sensible person. [quote author=Rolokris link=topic=8350.msg118056#msg118056 date=1413670737] It also said always eat before your dog does and stand over your dog regularly to show it your the boss. [/quote] That's nuts too! ;D ;D ;D Here is the non nutty article you need: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/is-your-labrador-in-charge/
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! Yes, there is a lot of info out there, much of it conflicting. It's hard to make sense of some of it! But you can definitely take it as fact that 'dominance' or status based models of dog management are outdated and wrong. That means: - it is definitely ok to pick up poo while your dog is watching And as Jacqui said human onlookers might get upset if you don't pick it up right away. - there is no need to stand over your dog to show it anything - it is perfectly fine to feed the dog before you eat - it is fine for your dog to go through a door first (although it's totally up to you if you want to train your dog to wait anyway) - letting your dog on the sofa or bed won't make him bossy or naughty (up to you whether you think there is room for the dog!) - it is ok for your dog to win games with you (like tug of war games) Good training is important so our dogs become polite members of society but it's more about showing our dogs what we want, using kind methods, not trying to 'be the leader'
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! It sounds like the artical you read was from an old book from when it was thought you had to instill a pack mentality in your pouch, eg a hierarchy. Opinions have moved on a lot since then.
Re: Yuk! Why is Rolo eating his own poop! Gypsy was doing this when she first came to me. I was told to have tasty treats ready, lure her away from the poo. Then go straight inside ignoring the poo. Go back and clear it up afterwards without the pup seeing you. It worked! She has never eaten her own or other dogs poo since (She's 5 months now)
