A lot of people will sympathise with you on this one - many have experienced the horror of fox poo rolling.... I'd say that the key thing is to be very vigilant and notice those small signs that your dog is about to roll (my dog gets a goofy expression, circles the poo/dead fish/rotting bird, drops the shoulder and circles some more, then rolls...lucky for me he puts on a lengthy pre-rolling display!). Soon as you realise that rolling is imminent, use a 'magic word' to recall her back to you. There's info on how to train a magic word here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/your-labradors-magic-word/ A magic word is a special cue to which you've trained a very strong and fast recall response. You need to build it and get it strong before you actually use it in a fox poo situation. You don't over-use it either, only when you need to pull out the big guns.
all I can say is good luck and develop a good dog washing protacol. All the training does work but they can be so sneaky about it. For Moo its an transidental expericence, I've stopped her mostly but even at a very stiff 13 year old she still will give it a go if she can. I've watched her face when she does it and she really is transported to a world of total pleasure, its a very hard one to cope with
Invest in Animology Fox Poo Shampoo. Not all dogs have the grace of a pre-roll dance that you can interrupt........
does anyone know why they have this instinct? I assume its carried over from their wolf ancestors, but why would wolves want to roll in smelly substances that could make them more easily smelled by prey animals?
Patricia McConnell thinks it's mainly because they just plain old like it She discusses the various theories here: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/why-do-dogs-roll-in-disgusting-stuff
Now this is my only claim to fame When Hattie was much, much younger she used to roll and with her long coat it was just awful so I watched for the shoulder going down, you know the signs and I would say "no rolling" she caught on quickly and responded to my cue and got a treat, happily I can report I can't remember the last time she had a fox poo roll Charlie very rarely rolls and only has about 4 times but when he has a quick dip in the river, home for a shampoo just on the offending area with Animology shampoo which really is great, a rinse with warm water does the trick x
I'm convienced its because they like it for Moo is the most blissful experience ever and she acts like she's drunk with some smells. She very good at not doing it now but she still can't resist and even now at 13 likes to be transported to the world of smell. I don't find the fox poo to be too bad its the other kinds we get round here that are terrible
