Disgusting habit...what can I do?

Jaycee

Jaycee

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My 2yrd old labrador bitch has a disgusting habit of searching out and eating faeces, be it dog, cat, rabbit, sheep horse or cow! I try to make sure I keep the garden clear but she still manages to get hold of it so much to the point that it makes her sick which in itself is revolting to say the least. She has a well balanced diet and is fed twice a day, she gets the recommended amount of food for her size. It doesn't make any difference as to which brand of food she has she will still do it. She is a picture of health and is wormed and de-flead regularly and her jabs are up to date. What can I do if anything?
 
You can try pineapple or corgette in the dogs food. There are also tablets called stool repel which might help but only for eating their own poo obviously.
It's a horrid habit but very difficult to stop. A Muzzle might be the only way.
 
There was an episode of Caesar Milan when he dealt with a dog with poop eating habit.. Might be on youtube if you check. I think he used treats as distraction. Happily it's not one of my rehab dog's vices although he seemed very interested in horse diaorrhea this morning for the first time ever :o
 
Elliesmemory1 said:
You can try pineapple or corgette in the dogs food. There are also tablets called stool repel which might help but only for eating their own poo obviously.
It's a horrid habit but very difficult to stop. A Muzzle might be the only way.
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Curious as to why giving her pineapple or corgette would help?
I did think about a muzzle but would like to leave that as a last resort if possible

Thank you I will take a look on YouTube aswell
 
It makes the poo taste nasty! Have also heard of people sprinkling olbas oil on the poo as dogs hate the smell of it.
Personally I would steer well clear of any thing ceaser Milan does, but each to his own.
 
Elliesmemory1 said:
It makes the poo taste nasty! Have also heard of people sprinkling olbas oil on the poo as dogs hate the smell of it.
Personally I would steer well clear of any thing ceaser Milan does, but each to his own.
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Honestly you would think that poo tastes nasty enough without having to add something to make it even worse wouldn't you! lol
I will be giving it a try though as clearing up after her is a nightmare, does it have to be fresh or will tinned work?
 
Tinned pineapple or just the juice will do, it works for some dogs. The stool repel tablets you can get from pets at home. Hope it works for you.
 
I hate to tell you, but my 8yr old lab bitch is still a poop eating pig given a chance. We've had to ban her from the stables and yard completely, and keep an eye on her like a hawk or she will be round to where we tip the cat litter. She knows damned well she isn't allowed, she slinks off secretly. No amount of treats would change her mind, she's just a greedy lab who would eat anything. She operates on a eat it now, throw it up later basis.
 
you are supposed to give the courgette or pineapple to the animal that does the poo that the dog eats, it is supposed to make the poo taste bad!! it is habit and distraction to break the habit is worth a try but eating the poo from a grazing animal will put good bacteria into the gut and does has beneficial effects for the dog, in fact if your dog has had the runs for a prolonged period of time eating horse poo (or similar) restores the natural balance in the dogs gut so is good for the dog.

but i agree eating dog or cat poo is rank-use a muzzle with some caution my friend tried it and the dog ended up with dog poo all over the muzzle her face/ears etc etc because she was trying so hard to get it in her gob
 
twiggy2 said:
you are supposed to give the courgette or pineapple to the animal that does the poo that the dog eats, it is supposed to make the poo taste bad!! it is habit and distraction to break the habit is worth a try but eating the poo from a grazing animal will put good bacteria into the gut and does has beneficial effects for the dog, in fact if your dog has had the runs for a prolonged period of time eating horse poo (or similar) restores the natural balance in the dogs gut so is good for the dog.

but i agree eating dog or cat poo is rank-use a muzzle with some caution my friend tried it and the dog ended up with dog poo all over the muzzle her face/ears etc etc because she was trying so hard to get it in her gob
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Thanks twiiggy2 for the info, they really are disgusting at times aren't they? I must admit I'm not too fused about the other animal poo, just the dog and the cat, and I had to laugh at the image of the dog with the muzzle! And yep widget works on the same principle eat now and chuck later!! Ewww.
 
There's a theory that coprophagia is an animal's way of topping up on benign bacteria that it needs for digestion. After all, many animals do it occasionally, including horses, but it does seem to sometimes become a habit in dogs. Lagomorphs (hares, etc) have to do it to digest their food, so maybe not such a strange one. I'm told that some small babies have to be physically prevented from doing it!

I did some work with an animal behaviourist using the antabuse drug, lithium chloride. It didn't work!

The best advice is to look the other way and remember to not let your dog lick your face. In dog terms, we do far worse by anointing ourselves with perfumes (anal excretions from the civet cat?) and odour killers which must do terrible things to animals with such sensitive olfactory senses.
 
One of my young dog's used to do this when she was a pup. She's 2 now and has grown out of it thankfully. When she used to seek out the fresh poos I wouldn't tell her off, I'd just distract her and shimmy her along the other way. I'd never had a dog do this before and when I researched it, the answers were the same as Dry Rot suggests, so I didn't panic over it and just accepted that she might do it when wandering around the farm on her own but when I was with her I used distraction as the tool to get her away from it. As said, she grew out of it, and from what I read, most do :)
 
I look after a very elderly pug that does it, I have to swoop in and pick it up the moment it hits the ground as she especially likes it freshly baked :-/ The first time she did it I couldn't stop having flash backs, but it isn't really that bad for them, it's just human perception!

I do wonder what it keeps coming out like though, like if you just let them do it days on end would it not come out more concentrated or something? Baffling!

I think with these type of dogs that put on weight easily and therefore have restricted diets they are often just hungry, but feeding them more wouldn't really help unless perhaps it was just bulky vegetable matter
 
mandwhy said:
I look after a very elderly pug that does it, I have to swoop in and pick it up the moment it hits the ground as she especially likes it freshly baked :-/ The first time she did it I couldn't stop having flash backs, but it isn't really that bad for them, it's just human perception!

I do wonder what it keeps coming out like though, like if you just let them do it days on end would it not come out more concentrated or something? Baffling!

I think with these type of dogs that put on weight easily and therefore have restricted diets they are often just hungry, but feeding them more wouldn't really help unless perhaps it was just bulky vegetable matter
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Trouble is it can cause problems such as diarrhoea, bacterial overgrowth and vomiting etc
Although it is thought by some to be a natural behaviour it can cause health issues.
 
It is very common for puppies to do it as the mum will clear up after the pups so they copy. Many outgrow it. I would suggest clearing all dog poo from the garden to prevent the opportunity as it can be a habit. Crucial thing as well is to clear it up without the dog seeing you do it. There's an argument that they watch you do it and feel they have to do it too!

Ditto the suggestions of pineapple, courgettes and I've heard of plain yoghurt might help.

It is natural for them to want to eat cat poo, fox poo, horse poo, etc, but dog poo is not generally that normal!

Mandwhy what is your pug called? I also have one! :)
 
I have three labs and they will all chow down on a tasty turd out on a walk if given the chance....revolting creatures! The only way we can curb the behaviour is simply watching them like a hawk and reprimanding if we catch them in the act and they know they've done wrong but of course they don't learn from it! I generally make sure they are ahead of me on a walk so I can keep an eye out but they invariably find ways to have a sneaky mouthful every now and then.
 
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Most dogs will eat horse, sheep and rabbit turds as they are actually nutritions - the animal's digestion is not terribly efficient and much of the starch that is broken down into sugars happens after the small intestine so is not absorbed and comes out in the faeces. Rabbits naturally eat their own droppings anyway!

Training the dog is the number 1, but this means you have to be vigilant. Remember to have the dog regularly wormed, don't let it lick your face and if you do come into contact with the dog's mouth or saliva, wash yourself well.

Adding sardines or anchovies to dog food apparently makes their own turds taste bad.
 
Avoid reprimanding the dog as all that can do is teach the dog to eat it quicker or avoid eating it in your vision!
Dont rush to pick up after poops or again they rush to eat it before you get there.
Always check the nutritional value of what the dog has for meals in case whatever you are feeding is just not suiting them. It can be caused by a lack of proper absorption of nutrients. Also it can become a habit so work on a good leave it, distractions and consider a muzzle if you are unable to always be supervising.
 
Burtyler said:
Avoid reprimanding the dog as all that can do is teach the dog to eat it quicker or avoid eating it in your vision!
Dont rush to pick up after poops or again they rush to eat it before you get there.
Always check the nutritional value of what the dog has for meals in case whatever you are feeding is just not suiting them. It can be caused by a lack of proper absorption of nutrients. Also it can become a habit so work on a good leave it, distractions and consider a muzzle if you are unable to always be supervising.
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I have to disagree here. Some of my dogs when younger had a habit of eating poo - literally as it was exiting! A stern/sharp No! Usually did the trick. And clearing up quickly after your dog is paramount - not only for inquisitive pups but for hygiene reasons also.
 
I used to think it was a habit of kennel bred dogs. In the absence of toys the pups played with turds and it became a habit but I'm not so sure anymore.
I know a few dogs that do it. My friend bought a whippet bitch pup from a breeder. She was bred in kennels, lovely heated indoor kennels but kennels none the less.
The bitch has always done it. My friend bred a litter from the bitch, in the home with loads of attention and toys. 3 pups went to friends of hers and she kept 3. Of the 6, 4 have the same habit. Actually stand waiting for the other dog to eject it and then grabbing it. It makes my stomach turn, but having watched it I get the impression the dog doing the eating finds it as disgusting as we do. They hardly devour it with gusto, its almost like they hate it but can't not eat it.
It's a mystery to me. They are all fed exactly the same and I don't think its anything more than a filthy habit. She has tried feeding pineapple but made no difference.
After 6 years of trying all sorts to stop it she now just doesn't look and doesn't let their mouth's anywhere near her.
 
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