# I admit right now I hate my dog.



## KcJames (Dec 16, 2014)

He eats his poop for fun to get my husband to chase him when it's fresh.
He never ate my poodles poop and now suddenly he does.
He can be in his kennel for a couple of hours and let outside and goes straight to the chihuahuas potty pad to eat hers. This all changes from week to week. I pick it up right away and spray the ground with a mix of habanero, Texas pete and water. He stays away. My husband follows him with the shovel and fights him for it. He LOVES to be chased. That's his favorite game. 
He eats wellness dry food. He gets a mixture of it with organic chicken broth, coconut oil and yogurt. He cannot have pork and he never does. He takes pet tabs daily and has a clean fecal. I even sent it to be centrifuges to check for any infinitesimal trace of a parasite. We say leave it, other than poop he leaves everything. We have tried various medications and holistic treatments. It took a long time to find a food that he could tolerate and have firm stools. We have it right and I guess he is even happier with the taste. He lives a lavish life and I cannot for the life of me understand why he does it. At least he isn't a face licker.
My final option is a shock collar. Any recommendations?


----------



## KcJames (Dec 16, 2014)

I'm on mobile and cannot edit sorry!
To add. Recall is not an issue unless there is poop. He will come to me without eating it in the morning or cold/rain or my boots aren't nearby. I ALWAYS get it before I let him out. My husband doesn't spray it so he will rip the grass out to get every speck. He is a submissive/excited urinator. If my husband leans over him he pees. Leash is out because he thinks it's time to run and walk and he pees. I limited his water to stop that but it's slowly improving since I've shown my husband that we have to be united in our approach at all times. 
On walks he doesn't do it. At the dog park he doesn't mess with any of it.
His or anyone else's. I got him as a rescue at 16 weeks and he had some abuse issues so I know that the collar isn't the best idea but I've tried everything possible. I won't just accept him as a poop eater forever IMO that is giving up on your dog.
His obedience is not an issue. He has his commands and behavior down.


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

If you picked up the poop on the pad before you let the dog out, he would not be able to eat it. I can only conclude that, despite your statement to the contrary, you are not picking up poop as soon as it hits the ground. 

All that aside, I know the frustration of this. My 1 yo just reverted to gobbling down dog feces after she needed to be on limited excercise for a week. Joy. 

They do out grow it. 

And they could be doing something much worse. Yes. Could to!


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

PM me. Give me your address. I have a full package of "potty mouth" no more poop eating.


----------



## JoanMcM (Dec 5, 2013)

You are not actually getting a shock collar for this.

Pooper scoop.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

It's a constant battle in my house with one or the other dog doing this. Just five minutes ago I was half asleep and the pup went, I flew out there and carried him with me to get the scooper(he wasn't thrilled) but I won

With Midnite I tried the stuff from the vet, hot sauce, pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar--nothing works except picking it up.?


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

I have learned that there are a LOT of poop eaters! Fritz is my first 'pooper-scooper' dog.. When he poops, I scoop, and if I can't get to it, I make sure I get it before he goes out again. Right now we are at the stage of when he poops, he walks away from it, but he is checking it out the whole time.. so, I guess it does get better...


----------



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Some dogs are raised eating poop as puppies - they are in a setup where poop eating is easy, and they never stop, so that could be a thing, depending on your dog's background. 

Some dogs just like poop. 

Some dogs like winter poop (the poopsicle) and will snack on that. 

Some dogs eat poop as a snack because they are hungry during the day between meals. Think about how we go to the cupboard, my vet said, when we are feeling a bit hungry, dogs can't. So they pick up a cookie, that just happens to be poop. 

Dogs with GI issues especially can have issues if not fed and with that feeling hungry feeling. I think it helps dogs with GI issues to have their daily intake at the highest level it can be without making them sick or overweight, and splitting that up throughout the day if possible. 3 feedings, 2 snacks, that kind of thing. 

And yeah, no shock collar. You can condition your dog to a muzzle if you are not able to pick up the poop before he goes out, and he can wear that. Italian Basket Dog Muzzles This has to be introduced slowly and positively so that muzzle = good stuff. This is fairly easy to do. My 12 yo GI GSD is wearing one now for potties because she is eating the winter poop. She sticks her nose right in and out she goes, comes in and gets a substantial treat - even though she didn't have a choice in not picking the poop up (note - they can still mush it with the muzzle, or lick it, so work on a positive leave it) she's getting the snack.


----------



## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Hm.... I live in apartment so i dont have the luxury to leave the poop on the ground outside for more than 10 seconds . But my puppy did once.. He pooped in the car then ate it... It was horror....


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

If your dog is on a leash you can easily avoid the poop eating.

It's really quite simple, your puppy has created a fun game by knowing the reaction.


----------



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Yes! Even simpler than a muzzle - the leash until you've checked that all poop is up!


----------



## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

Saphire said:


> If your dog is on a leash you can easily avoid the poop eating.
> 
> It's really quite simple, your puppy has created a fun game by knowing the reaction.


my dogs for whatever reason don't like pooping on leash. they will if they have to go really bad. sometimes it's easier to just watch them and call them back soon as they go or scream if they start eating it, go out and drag them to their cage for a time out. both my dogs were poo eaters but quit after a year. however one still likes the catbox turds and both like geese tuds.


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Saphire said:


> ?..
> It's really quite simple, your puppy has created a fun game by knowing the reaction.


I agree, its a game! Was like that at first with Fritz...dang devil!


----------



## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

you guys might not believe it but i'm pretty sure one of our dogs will only eat dog poop if her or the other one have an accident in the house in an attempt to hide evidence. she knows the humans will not be in a happy mood if they find poop so she tries to eat it before we see it.


----------



## sehrgutcsg (Feb 7, 2014)

The dog runs the roost, what a novel thought and reality. I can see your husband chasing the dog with poop on the dogs breath and saliva on your husbands chin. What a game this dog has played on you both.. Seriously, you need to be more defensive, my dog eats his crap too, she runs for the crate when busted, same with water 5 lg. ss water bowls and the darn dog has her head in the toilet, same thing.. Make a change in the mirror, the dog won't change, you need too........................................


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Ace GSD said:


> Hm.... I live in apartment so i dont have the luxury to leave the poop on the ground outside for more than 10 seconds . But my puppy did once.. He pooped in the car then ate it... It was horror....


So you didn't like either the "air freshner" or the "breath mint?"


----------



## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

there is stuff that you can get from your vet to sprinkle on the food that will stop it, also in the pet store, poop eatting is gross.


----------



## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

*Doggie see doggie do*

Try to make sure the dog does not see you clean up the poop... About the pee, try leaving a short leash on him [only when your with him] in the house so the act of the leash signal is not as strong.


----------



## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

sehrgutcsg said:


> The dog runs the roost, what a novel thought and reality. I can see your husband chasing the dog with poop on the dogs breath and saliva on your husbands chin. What a game this dog has played on you both.. Seriously, you need to be more defensive, my dog eats his crap too, she runs for the crate when busted, same with water 5 lg. ss water bowls and the darn dog has her head in the toilet, same thing.. Make a change in the mirror, the dog won't change, you need too........................................


I agree with this. I had a related chasing issue and I was to blame. 

Linus was stealing the newspaper and running around the house with it. I made the mistake of chasing him. Game ON! Being chased for  is great fun.

I had forgotten my old lessons of trading something for the newspaper when he snags it. I also became more vigilant about where I left the newspaper so he couldn't steal it. Yeah, I lost a few newspapers in the process but at least the chase game is over.

I suppose you may not want to trade for poop. But chasing him is definitely not the answer. I would suggest 3x daily training reinforcing the Leave It! command in case you cannot get the poop up before he goes for it. A strong Out! command is also useful when he does pick it up.





middleofnowhere said:


> So you didn't like either the "air freshner" or the "breath mint?"


:spittingcoffee:


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

middleofnowhere said:


> So you didn't like either the "air freshner" or the "breath mint?"


Okay Middle..got me on the black dogs..now I am laughing...


----------



## Regen (Mar 8, 2007)

I had a rescue who did this. He would literally poop, turn around and eat it all, or eat the poop as my other shepherd was still in the process of eliminating . Yes, so very frustrating, and he never grew out of this. A shock collar is not the answer. We just worked around it so to speak. I never leave my dogs unattended anyway, but we literally had to watch and follow him around with the scooper. Follow both the dogs around actually. It really sucked, especially when they both pooped at the same time, and the race was on to pick it up before he managed to eat one pile. I am sure our neighbors enjoyed watching the comedic show of me running frantically around the yard with a pooper scooper, following the dogs. 

This pup came from a hoarding situation, was in terrible condition when we got him. I think that is where this behavior became ingrained. This pup also died at the age of 2 from lymphoma  I miss my silly poop eater so very much, and would gladly run to clean up his poop just to have him back.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

*Sailor*

Sailor used to be interested in eAting other dog's poop when we were on walks. He was really sneaky about it too. Sometimes I would catch him mid-chew and be like, "sailor drop it!" And he would drop the poo. Grossss. I actually think looking back on this that the reason he ate other dogs poo is because he liked to take away their presents that were left on what he believed was his property. Sailor thought he owned the whole darn neighborhood. I think that's why he tried to hide any trace of other dogs. If he smelled pee too, he would cover it up with his pee. What a bad boy. Hahaha


----------



## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I get that it's very frustating to deal with a dog that is enamoured with poop. Let's face it, it's gross. 

BUT from all I've read, you guys have made this into the best freaking game ever for your dog. Replace poop with a toy, and there's no difference in the dog's mind ... it's all about fun. 

A couple of things:

- the products to stop them from eating poop CAN work, but not always 
- you need to stop the behaviour ... not "prevent" it or be reactive
- YOU GUYS need to calm down and take a very calm approach to this - quit chasing him!

Use the leash ... really, it's not that complicated - sorry, I'm not trying to sound harsh ... but you need to train the dog to stay away from it ... your voice and chasing him every where is not cutting it

Put the leash on in the house and go out to the yard ... yeah, it sucks - you can't just open the door, pop the dog out, let it do it's business and then it comes back in. 

Unfortuately, training takes time, commitement and effort and LOADS of patience, and changing tactics when needed. 

I've read that he doesn't like to go while on lead ... really? Who's in charge here

You've got some great info here ... but the best three?

Clean it up INSTANTLY
USE a leash
Stay calm and teach a new behaviour

Good luck,


----------



## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

Ewwwww I see I'm not the only one with this problem. Add into that; cat poop. Kitty kibbles. I take my 2 to the local fair grounds for a run every day. I get the dogs back in the car and I feel something poking me in the um behind. I reach down and one of them had picked up a frozen piece of eeeewwww. I threw it out and thank god I had wet wipes in the car. ewwww


----------



## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Kyleigh said:


> You've got some great info here ... but the best three?
> 
> Clean it up INSTANTLY
> USE a leash
> ...


I completely agree! Definitely the best advice, and would eventually fix the problem.


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Nikitta said:


> Ewwwww I see I'm not the only one with this problem. Add into that; cat poop. Kitty kibbles. I take my 2 to the local fair grounds for a run every day. I get the dogs back in the car and I feel something poking me in the um behind. I reach down and one of them had picked up a frozen piece of eeeewwww. I threw it out and thank god I had wet wipes in the car. ewwww


OMG, I don't know which dogs win..the man driving the car or you, sitting on it... :wild:


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Try this: dog on leash. As soon as he is finished pooping, have him sit right next to it and give him a treat. Then turn him around with a happy "let's go!" and clean it up if he doesn't see you do it. All this will take away the attention from his treasures and gets his focus back on you. It doesn't take many tries to condition a German Shepherd.
Another one to teach is "leave It" for the times he is not on leash and you see him approach or smell it. I have had two poop eaters and they both outgrew it.


----------



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

The only thing that worked for Nara, other than picking it up immediately, was when we switched her off kibble to a 100% raw diet. She has never eaten dog poop since, and it's been years. She will still eat other animal's (cats, horse, geese, etc.) poop if allowed (which she isn't), but she lost all desire to eat dog poop now that her body is getting everything it needs. Plus, raw is less processed than kibble, so there is some connection to the fact that raw food is more easily broken down, whereas kibble can't be broken down all the way. I've read where dogs will re-eat kibble poop because it still somewhat smells/tastes like food to them. I'm not some pro-raw Nazi, but it worked for us, and it's rare to hear about raw-fed dogs eating their own poo. Most of the poo-eating dogs are on a kibble diet, so that might be part of the problem. It was for us! Problem solved, thank goodness. It used to drive me crazy!


----------



## KcJames (Dec 16, 2014)

I hadn't thought of it being completely my fault. Better to be in the know I suppose.


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Raw is not a guarantee that she gets all the nutrients she needs. Raw itself is not balanced by default.


----------



## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

as said, you need to get a reliable "leave it" instilled in all your dogs.


----------



## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

Yeah, the only reliable way I break it in client dogs is with management and well-enforced commands. Some dogs will stop eating it when you change the food or add something in, but most won't.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have been working with really high value treats for leave it and drop it. It is working as long as I stand guard over the poop


----------



## KentuckyFenway (Jul 27, 2014)

One thing that worked for me getting my dog to poop on a leash was getting a flexi lead to use JUST in the back yard. He never never goes for an actual walk on it because I think those things are of the devil, however, having space from me really did help but I still had some control if he decided he wanted to eat poop or whatever.


----------



## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I totally understand how you feel. I posted the same a few months ago.

*Ignore* the posts that tell you "its simple, just pick the poop up right away" "don't give him the chance".

Or the ones that say "well, it's because you'r feeding him crap" (in other words - if you don't feed your dog what I feed my dog...it's crap).

Or the ones that tell you to only let your dog out into the yard on a leash. (that's about the dumbest one to me - there's no way to convert to off leash).

Many don't understand it is more of a compulsion than just a little bad habit.

The only thing I have found to work with mine is to be at the door watching and as soon as she's done - shake that box of treats, you have to catch the attention before they can turn around and the scent sucks them in beyond all reason and hearing. Make the waiting treat of more value then the poop.

I throw a piece of milk bone near her when she's almost done. She hears it, she will grab that one piece and wait, I throw another closer to the door and so on and so on. One small milk bone broken into 4 pieces will get her far enough away from the scent of the poo and towards coming in the house. Then you can get her in the house so you can go spelunking for the poop to get rid of.

Give it a shot. It's like fishing - will they bite or not? Once you get the timing down - you'll be able to "reel" him in on a regular basis.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Stonevintage said:


> I totally understand how you feel. I posted the same a few months ago.
> 
> *Ignore* the posts that tell you "its simple, just pick the poop up right away" "don't give him the chance".
> 
> ...


How are you going to tell the OP to *IGNORE*suggestions like leashing the dog and/or cleaning the poop up? Yes maybe tossing a treat works for you, but how many dogs do you have? Did you read the post and the OP states that not only does the dog eats it's own but will run out there and eat the other dogs as well? It would be nice to get to the point of just tossing a treat, but other stuff will have to be done in the OPs case to get to that point. Her dog is going outside to specifically eat poop, any poop. 

I don't understand how someone can come on here and actually tell someone to ignore what people say when multiple people are saying the same thing?

Since you feel there is no way to convert to off leash, please do tell how to convert to not giving a treat. Please tell me how giving a treat is any different then leashing? I have successfully converted to no leash without issue and I can tell you first hand that giving treats is and will be harder to stop. Can it be done? Yes it can, but it will take a long time and if the dog starts eating poop again, you are back to square one giving a treat. The chances off the treat option working is great, if your teaching a command with it, like leave it or drop it.


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

8


Stonevintage said:


> *Ignore* the posts that tell you "its simple, just pick the poop up right away" "don't give him the chance".
> 
> Or the ones that tell you to only let your dog out into the yard on a leash. (that's about the dumbest one to me - there's no way to convert to off leash).
> 
> Many don't understand it is more of a compulsion than just a little bad habit.


Weird that you think your more qualified than others here but ok.

Guess what?? I've had several poop eaters, in fact, my current GSD is one of very few in my life that has not gone for it. Soooooo, I DO understand!

There really is no need to make this a giant issue. This dog has now learned that eating his poop initiates a fantastic game of chase me which for most dogs is great fun. If I were to chase Gus, it would result in immediate zoomies and a giant smile.

A leash not only eliminates the ability to eat poop but also the ability to grab it and run. You now have the opportunity to mark and reward the "leave it" or use a correction if the dog goes for it....whichever is your thing. Using a leash allows you to teach "leave it" which can be used in all kinds of situations. Silly to suggest you won't ever be able to let your dog be leash free again, none of my dogs have left this world still eating their poop.

Not sure what OP is feeding but.....

Crap food = more fillers = more profit but also = more poop = more opportunities to eat it ?


----------



## Ellimaybel (Mar 16, 2014)

Can't we all just get along? Guys and gals, one says ignore this, the rest get offended by that wording. We all have different approaches and methods. Arguing each other over our wording or tactics is not helping the OP. What helps is not getting into debates with each other but instead finding the common factor between all posts that may help. Let's focus on that, ok?


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Ellimaybel said:


> Can't we all just get along? Guys and gals, one says ignore this, the rest get offended by that wording. We all have different approaches and methods. Arguing each other over our wording or tactics is not helping the OP. What helps is not getting into debates with each other but instead finding the common factor between all posts that may help. Let's focus on that, ok?


Where is the argument?

We all have a right to our opinion. Nothing here is personal for me. Anyone who takes the time to post here is usually attempting to help as we all probably could stay busy doing other things.

I don't understand why people are so easily offended. I'm not a child but thanks for the advice.


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Ellimaybel said:


> Can't we all just get along? Guys and gals, one says ignore this, the rest get offended by that wording. We all have different approaches and methods. Arguing each other over our wording or tactics is not helping the OP. What helps is not getting into debates with each other but instead finding the common factor between all posts that may help. Let's focus on that, ok?


You first.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Saphire said:


> Crap food = more fillers = more profit but also = more poop = more opportunities to eat it ?


I have had raw fed dogs eat poo and kibble fed dogs not ... It does not seem to have any correlation in my own life. It sounds like, as far as kibble goes, the OP is feeding a quality diet.

The muzzle kind of worked or us with Cyra but one day she came in with a big turd stuck on the end of it. Eeeeeew. 

I just kept it picked up and trained "leave it" and did not loose any sleep over it. In the scope of things. I always kept the litter boxes in areas the dogs could not reach.

It is probably a revert to a normal behavior of picking up beneficial bacteria from the poo of wildlife. Even Beau, who is the most poo averse dog I have had, to the point of looking at me in disgust after a poo (he usually has a ball in his mouth, puts the ball down, then bats it away from the poo area before he will pick it back up) will try to snack on deer poo.


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

jocoyn said:


> I have had raw fed dogs eat poo and kibble fed dogs not ... It does not seem to have any correlation in my own life. It sounds like, as far as kibble goes, the OP is feeding a quality diet.
> 
> The muzzle kind of worked or us with Cyra but one day she came in with a big turd stuck on the end of it. Eeeeeew.
> 
> ...


Gus is my first raw fed dog so I'm unable to make a comparison to raw vs. Kibble for those poo eaters out there lol. I was thinking more along the lines...if feeding a crappy food ie dog chow etc. They is more poo per day and more opportunities to either eat it or on a positive note more opportunities to train them to leave it lol.

Like you, I didnt freak out about it. I just made it more difficult for them to get it. They did stop doing it with training. 

Poopy muzzle.....ewwww


----------



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

wolfy dog said:


> Raw is not a guarantee that she gets all the nutrients she needs. Raw itself is not balanced by default.


I was just offering the OP a suggestion that no one had mentioned yet. We fed kibble, both average and later high end grain-free, and no matter what kibble Nara ate, she still would eat her poo. The only thing that got her to stop was switching to raw. It was an overnight fix. I even mentioned above that I was not a "pro-raw Nazi" like some people are, and it's those people who seem to directly or indirectly offend the kibble feeders. Well, I was once a kibble feeder, and I could relate to what the OP was going through. There are multiple threads on here right now about dogs eating poop. I bet 99% of them are kibble feeders, if not 100%. I was one of them too.

I also did a ton of research into the raw diet before we switched to make sure Nara was getting a balanced and proper kibble-replacing diet. Being strict vegetarian/vegan for 20 years, I've had to learn a lot about nutrition and what to eat to replace whatever is missing by switching off meat/fish/eggs, etc. I was willing and dedicated to take the same approach when changing my dog's diet.

I see you offered advice to help the OP. Did you notice how I did not criticize what you wrote? So please don't criticize what I wrote. We are both trying to help the OP by relating what worked for us and our dogs. There is no reason to attempt to shoot down someone else who found something that worked just because it is different than what worked for you. If I was the OP, I would try each person's suggestion until I found something that worked for me, so the more proven suggestions, the better.


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I like the idea of chasing your pup around after it picks up a piece of dog crap in the yard...most Americans need more exercise.

SuperG


----------



## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Saphire said:


> 8
> 
> Weird that you think your more qualified than others here but ok.
> 
> ...


:thumbup:


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

SuperG said:


> I like the idea of chasing your pup around after it picks up a piece of dog crap in the yard...most Americans need more exercise.
> 
> SuperG


Yes and some chiropractic care after they fall right on their .....


----------



## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I believe teaching your dog to be able to go while on a leash is important as there are times when you may be out with your dog and there is no free running fenced in area. How do you get your dog to go if he only has experience running free to poop? The leash helps to train your dog not to eat the poop because you can remove the dog from the area quickly. Makes it a lot easier to teach leave it. That does not mean you have to remain taking your dog on a leash forever but it is a necessary thing for the dog to learn to be able to eliminate while on a leash. My trainer told me of a time when he was on a ride along with another K9 officer. The officer had to find a fenced yard for his dog to poop because it would not do it on a leash. My trainer was not impressed. He told us this story to emphasize how important it is for the dog to be able to go whether leashed or free. With my girl, I no longer have to leash her but I do pick up her poop immediately as she will go back to check to see if I picked it up. She also looks for cat poop but the cat conveniently uses the same spot every time so I scoop that before letting Raina out. Good luck on training. Never give up.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Regen said:


> I had a rescue who did this. He would literally poop, turn around and eat it all, or eat the poop as my other shepherd was still in the process of eliminating . Yes, so very frustrating, and he never grew out of this. A shock collar is not the answer. We just worked around it so to speak. I never leave my dogs unattended anyway, but we literally had to watch and follow him around with the scooper. Follow both the dogs around actually. It really sucked, especially when they both pooped at the same time, and the race was on to pick it up before he managed to eat one pile.


Welcome to my world! :help: Keefer was a poop eater when he was younger, then finally outgrew it. UNTIL HALO CAME ALONG. She has always loved poop, and I don't think it has anything to do with most of the usual reasons. She eats quality food, had great stools (except for a bout of giardia when she was a puppy), and didn't grow up in a messy environment where poop eating could become a habit. Halo is the most food driven dog we've ever had, and I think she just sees it as food. Food is good, no matter if it's been predigested or not.  She would turn around and immediately eat her own poop, and she would stick her head under Keefer's butt while he was pooping, hoping to grab it before it even hit the ground.

I tried using one of those poop eating deterrents that you mix into the food, for 2 or 3 times as long as recommended, and it did nothing. I spent a lot of time training her and she had a good "leave it",_ except when it comes to poop_. Totally blows me off. Along the way she seems to have taught Keefer how yummy poop is, because he'll now eat it again too. Yay.  The only thing that's worked is to go out with them, and scoop immediately. That doesn't work when we're gone and the dogs are in the garage pen, with a dog door to their outside run. 

I agree that it's a good idea to teach your dog to poop both on and off leash, starting when it's young. Mine will also poop on cue, as long as they need to go. That's come in very handy when I have Halo at a flyball tournament and I need to take her outside on leash before a race and get her to do her business promptly. It also helps to know when she's likely to need to poop, so I can keep her out there and get her to do "other potty" after she's already peed.


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Welcome to my world! :help: Keefer was a poop eater when he was younger, then finally outgrew it. UNTIL HALO CAME ALONG. She has always loved poop, and I don't think it has anything to do with most of the usual reasons. She eats quality food, had great stools (except for a bout of giardia when she was a puppy), and didn't grow up in a messy environment where poop eating could become a habit. Halo is the most food driven dog we've ever had, and I think she just sees it as food. Food is good, no matter if it's been predigested or not.  She would turn around and immediately eat her own poop, and she would stick her head under Keefer's butt while he was pooping, hoping to grab it before it even hit the ground.
> 
> I tried using one of those poop eating deterrents that you mix into the food, for 2 or 3 times as long as recommended, and it did nothing. I spent a lot of time training her and she had a good "leave it",_ except when it comes to poop_. Totally blows me off. Along the way she seems to have taught Keefer how yummy poop is, because he'll now eat it again too. Yay.  The only thing that's worked is to go out with them, and scoop immediately. That doesn't work when we're gone and the dogs are in the garage pen, with a dog door to their outside run.
> 
> I agree that it's a good idea to teach your dog to poop both on and off leash, starting when it's young. Mine will also poop on cue, as long as they need to go. That's come in very handy when I have Halo at a flyball tournament and I need to take her outside on leash before a race and get her to do her business promptly. It also helps to know when she's likely to need to poop, so I can keep her out there and get her to do "other potty" after she's already peed.


Pica maybe? 

The eating of feces actually has a name lol! 

Coprophagia

I found this very interesting and disturbing at the same time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprophagia


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Saphire said:


> The eating of feces actually has a name lol!
> 
> Coprophagia


Yep! I think Halo eats poop because it's yummy. Or so she says....:wild:


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Yep! I think Halo eats poop because it's yummy. Or so she says....:wild:


Haven't figured out why Fritz eats it either, but I am dreading spring...we have wild turkeys that roam our property, and let me tell you, they poop ALL OVER!! Not only does he try to eat it, he rolls in it.......


----------



## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Debanneball said:


> Haven't figured out why Fritz eats it either, but I am dreading spring...we have wild turkeys that roam our property, and let me tell you, they poop ALL OVER!! Not only does he try to eat it, he rolls in it.......


Oh, it's so nasty when they roll in it! Frankie only ever rolls in bear poop, and that is nasty, greasy stuff to try to wash out. (Sorry, I know this doesn't help the OP at all, I just had to comment about the rolling.)


----------

