I know there have been previous posts on this topic, but I am getting to the end of my tether with this and am driving myself crazy! I have done lots of reading on the topic but just wondered if anyone has managed to stop the 'poo eating'? Phoebe isn't picky - she likes any poo although for me the issue is really dog poo and I am struggling to accept it. I have worked really hard on the 'leave it" command and sometimes this works - she will leave it and come back to me for a treat. Sometimes she will go a whole walk without eating poo, but this is rare. Other days she will eat every single piece she passes and completely ignores me. I know this is affecting my relationship with her and in all other respects she is brilliant, but this is hard as I find it disgusting (although I know it's normal to her). I know other dogs who eat cow/ horse /sheep poo, but not dog poo. Does anyone else's dog do this? I have also tried a bottle filled with stones which I shake or sometimes throw (not at her!!!) to distract her when she is going for poo- this can sometimes really work well, however the next time she might ignore it!!! It's making walks stressful and not very relaxing. I am careful about where we walk and try to avoid places where I know there is lots of dog poo and I keep her on the lead until we get to a better area, however nowhere is poo free! Does anyone have any other techniques or tips I could try?
Lots of dogs do this, I have a friend who has three Flatcoats and they all do it; thank heaven mine don't (yet!). I think it is very difficult to cure, have you tried finding one pile before your dog (or setting it up) and covering it with something nasty so that it puts her off for ever?
I can really understand that this is distressing, it really would get to me too. I don't have this problem, but I think that if it is spoiling your enjoyment of your dog, I'd consider a muzzle (carefully introduced so she is happy in it). And then train a range of cues that are strong enough to overcome the poo. Your leave it needs to be very strong. Strong so it's an instant response to you and train it so she will come away from amazing things like fresh meat etc. Also train a stay close cue, so you can have her off lead but close to you. Plus, have a range of things to do with her on walks so she is focused on playing a game with you, not sniffing out poo to eat.
I have had several poo eaters over the years and I don't believe there is any absolute guaranteed cure BUT there is a lot you can do. One of the problems that our anxiety seems to convey to dogs is a sense of urgency. So you find that dogs who eat poo, become quite panicky about 'getting it down' before someone 'whisks it away'. So however horrible you find it (join the club ) you need to relax about it. And this can be done. You really do need to accept that this is virtually normal for dogs, and that probably up to half of all Labrador will do it at some time. Having said that, I have found several things that greatly diminish the habit. One is to give huge rewards for coming away from poo. Not just a bit of old biscuit, but something really special. Many people fail on the rewards front because they are not prepared. They don't have a great reward on them when it is really needed. (don't forget when you first start to interrupt poo eating using rewards, the dog may pick up the poo and bring it to you to get his reward. Just throw your wonderful treat in the other direction and pick up the poo quick while she is eating. With practice, the dog will stop bothering to pick up the poo and just come to get his reward when you call. For dogs that mainly eat their own poo, raw feeding often resolves the problem. There is more information in the link below. But please, be firm with yourself and don't let this come between you and your dog - she really is just doing what dogs the world over do, even if most owners don't talk about it. More info: Poo eating
Thanks everyone for your replies. I am really trying to relax a little more as I do agree that on occasions my reaction has made her run off with the poo! I am going to concentrate on strengthening the "leave it". Will try an extra extra special treat I think. I know it's affecting my relationship with her and my enjoyment of having her so I do want to keep working on it all. It makes it more difficult as I have a young child and so can't help but think about health risks. I have been careful though to make sure he understands about hand washing / no licking etc and we have continued to worm monthly. Will let you know if I have any positive steps forward!
I sympathise as Juno liked to pick up poo, whether it be dog, cow or horse - all very common on our walks. A tip I read was to introduce a new word together with very high value treats and as soon as you see your dog anywhere near anything use you new word - I used "bingo" in high happy voice and reward with a treat for coming to you. The key is to try and pre-empt them picking up to begin with and coming to you. Juno very quickly came to the conclusion that my treats were better than the poo so I gradually went back to using "Leave". Juno relapsed a bit on the poo eating while on restricted exercise as we didn't get to do any walks where we might come across some poo but we've just about cracked it again with "Leave" and tasty treats . Vigilance, for me, is key to the success - stop them by interrupting before they get the chance to pick up. Good luck, but remember it does get better, it's just part of their training
The three Flatcoats who eat the poo have been muzzled but all that happens is you have a muzzle caked in poo
