Won't stop eating poo

[joanna84]

Ah my life would be so much easier if people just picked up after their dogs….

I have probably mentioned before that Daisy is a poo eater but more recently (this morning) it is becoming a bigger problem.  Our usual walk consisted of some training…heel, recall, wait, ‘away’ (when passing poo) she eventually listens and moves away but you can tell she really wants to munch on it.  We then bumped into two other doggie walkers who I see most mornings and after a chat and the dogs having a play (she was doing so well up to now) Daisy obviously got bored and decided to take off after the ‘poo’ we had passed before……no return to recall, no wait just gone like it was matter of life or death that she got to it.  Now this could have been worse if it involved a main road but thankfully was a field then a parking area then onto another field - although I am now tearing after her with the other doggie walkers following me.    I not only look like a terrible owner who can’t control their dog but I’m at a loss as she does have a good recall and generally behaves but when it comes to other dogs poo she turns into a bit of an animal (like it’s the pepperami, c’mon finish me off!!)  Anyway I just wondered if any of you have had the same problem and if it’s a food issue/grow out of it/habit etc…..
I have asked the vet before and he suggested a muzzle which we are now thinking about (more due to the fact I don’t want her picking up any bad bugs) but before that I think I’ll just have to keep her on the lead and try and discourage the poo eating again.  Also she doesn’t eat her own anymore (she would if I wasn’t standing over her) only other dogs.

Sorry for the long story, I know it’s going to be a case of working on the training but I just wonder if it’s food related as she seems so obsessive over it.

[Black Red + Yellow]

Maybe you could try some 'leave' training incorporated with high reward treats like sausage or cheese spread?   It's not the most fabulous thing in the world to do because it will involve finding poop and sitting her up and using the leave command and offering the treat as a 'swop' but it might improve things more.

I do have a touch of the same problem with poop in the undergrowth because that's where my guys will sneak off to munch on fox poop.,...they know I'm not fitting in that gap and their sense of smell is just so great they can smell it and I don't even have a visual on it to try the swap before...they loves the stuff

[BADGER1]

My 9mth pup has the same dog pooh obsession and like you I'm finding it really difficult to control when shes off lead .I'm  teaching the leave it command but I'm experiencing limited success when shes not on the lead even tempting her with high value treats. I'm now resorting to walking her individually without my older dog and to limiting her offlead time to many short sessions throughout her walk and maintaining her attention on games and training with me whilst shes off lead , but its really hard work  and intensive from my point of view. Hopefully she'll overcome her obsession eventually, i really don't want it to become an ingrained habit

[joanna84]

Thanks guys.....looks like I'm going on a poop hunt to swap it for something yummy    It seemed to calm down for a while but she is determined to get to it now.  Do you think it is food related or is that a myth?  The vet did say it is not a deficiency in anything but you read things that say it is then it's not 

[Black Red + Yellow]

Thanks guys.....looks like I'm going on a poop hunt to swap it for something yummy    It seemed to calm down for a while but she is determined to get to it now.  Do you think it is food related or is that a myth?  The vet did say it is not a deficiency in anything but you read things that say it is then it's not 

I don't think it's a deficiency - I think sometimes it is because the poop they are eating comes from a particular diet - maybe a not very good digested one so it seems yum.......not for us thou eh!

[joanna84]

I don't think it's a deficiency - I think sometimes it is because the poop they are eating comes from a particular diet - maybe a not very good digested one so it seems yum.......not for us thou eh!

Yes this makes sense, must be like an assortment buffet to her but  to us! 

[Black Red + Yellow]

I don't think it's a deficiency - I think sometimes it is because the poop they are eating comes from a particular diet - maybe a not very good digested one so it seems yum.......not for us thou eh!

Yes this makes sense, must be like an assortment buffet to her but  to us! 

This is the reason part of my dog walking kit consists of tic tacs or chewing gum...just in case cos it turns your stomach a bit if they tuck in

[The crazy hut]

Thank DOG for this thread.  I thought I was alone 

Wispy, for some reason, has an obsession for our rotties poo! All three of them get the same food but he only ever tries to eat hers (maybe its because its the biggest    )  I have to watch him like a hawk when they're out in the run or in the garden.  When we're out on a walk he has no interest in poo.

[KatieJean]

Our Daisy who we had many years ago never grew out of it I'm sorry to say it was a case of keeping a strict eye.
Our vet said feed them pineapple, obviously you can only do that to your own dogs, and then it seems to stop them doing it.

[doughy]

Our Daisy who we had many years ago never grew out of it I'm sorry to say it was a case of keeping a strict eye.
Our vet said feed them pineapple, obviously you can only do that to your own dogs, and then it seems to stop them doing it.

I`ll try the pineapple my Gypsys terrible for eating poo its disgusting !

[Noodle]

Ahh poo eating    Tess just loves to eat poo, i have been working on the" leave it" and food reward for doing so and sometimes she
will leave up to 6 poops on walks and i think ah my training is working and then she ruins it by eating the next 6 poops she finds    
At the moment i am trying to ignore the bad behaviour and reward the good, this also makes me less stressed about the situation.

[joanna84]

I was armed with some yummy treats this morning ready for the big training session, we headed out on our usual route and did some long lead returning to the whistle and Daisy was being an  not interested in looking at the poo and keeping her attention on me so we returned home feeling good and Daisy had a full tum of yummy treats instead of poo THEN.................later in the day we went out the back and onto a bit of enclosed sandy ground near our house where I let her explore and have a bit of fun off the lead (since she'd been so good  ) and she managed to sniff out a big poo !!  I grabbed her collar but she really did just wolf the whole lot in one mouthfull......I couldn't believe it happened and/or who left it there as it's usually a non poo area although is used by a couple of people 
Anyway me and OH went out for lunch for a couple of hours and returned to some diarrhoea in the kitchen.....   Poor Daisy but it won't put her off I know that.
We have decided to keep her on the lead at all times unless we have completely covered the area as it's not worth her getting an upset tum. 
Early days but we'll keep working on the training......glad to read we're not the only ones either as it really does feel as if it is sometimes.

[puddsmum]

Well, unfortunately I too have poop eaters!
Out of the 4 of them, there's only Daisy (sprocker) that doesn't touch it at all.  Roly is an avid 'recycler', & Barkley & Molly (Labrador) occasional munchers ... Moll's all time favourite being horse poop!!
I've tried feeding them pineapple, but it made no difference - Roly still munched it!
Fortunately, when we're out, they don't touch any other dogs' but will participate in the occasional munching of bunny currants.
At over 5yrs old now, I'm not sure he's likely to give it up - I just try to manage it by picking up in the garden asap.

[Catie74]

Archie is a bit of a poo muncher too.  I really struggle with it and find it totally gross.  If only other owners would pick their dogs poo up.  It makes me so cross.  He never eats his own though, or my other dogs

[minimoo]

its been a constant battle with ella since ive had her, if im close enough to say leave she will, but she know now to keep ahead of me, its the one thing that makes me angry at her, as she know shes not to do it but will gulp it down anyway, and its any poop,cats, dogs sheep hooman  , and now Bailey does the same so ive got two monster munchers in the family now  , its costing me a fortune in wormers