How Do I Stop My 6 Month Old Jack Eating His Poo!!!!??

[eingana]

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What they need to learn as they age is that however determined they are, their humans are MORE determined

 

[chasmeister]

Oh I think he's just beginning to realise that!! We gave him a bone from the butcher the other day and when either of us went near him he was ready to kill to defend his treat!! So we took it away, then later he had it back then we took it away after a little while and now he just lets us :thumbsup:

 

[banana]

How are things now?

I was telling my other half about your doggy after he caught one of mine having a snack out of the litter tray - yuk!! :lol:

 

[chasmeister]

I know people say it's common or natural but it is disgusting to see and even worse when he comes in and wants a kiss!!

He actually has not eaten anything he shouldn't for a long time now but that is purely because he has a chaperone every time he goes outside!

 

[eingana]

Have you tried teaching him a really strong 'leave' command?

Molly learned 'leave' really early on and I maintain that if I can make her walk away from a dropped chicken chow mein on the pavement (we live near a whole bank of takeaways) then I can call her away from anything,

Teaching a 'leave' is really simple. Put a fabulously smelly treat in your hand (have others close by) and then close your hand so he can smell the treat but not get it. Offer him the hand and then let him lick, nuzzle, nibble and attempt to get the treat until he works out that he's not going to get it. As soon as he works out that he's not going to get it and pulls his nose away tell him 'leave' and give him another of the treats (along with fuss). Repeat until he knows that he's not going to get any sort of treat until you say that he can have it, both with closed fists and open hands (giving him a different treat rather than the one in your hand).

From that progress onto sitting on the floor with him and putting the treat on the floor between you and him and then getting him to leave the one on the floor to come and have the one out of your hand. For this to work he really does have to have the basic work done so he knows what you're expecting him to do when you say 'leave' so no skipping to this step first.

When you have that one then you should be able to call him away from poo eating on the promise of the lovely treat in your pocket. This is also a really great trick for focussing your dog's attention in all sorts of ways, as sitting politely and not eating the treat on the floor in front of him can be extended for any amount of time.

When there's nobody else at home and I'm working with Molly she will sit motionless for at least half an hour with a treat on the end of her nose until I tell her she can have it. The only things that move are her eyes looking from treat to me and back again and the drool muscles, then when I tell her she can have it she flicks it up in the air and catches it before it hits the floor.

Is this something that you could work towards with him?

 

[chasmeister]

I have been doing this, though with a 'wait' command. We do it with treats, the way you suggest, and with food as we were hoping the command would work when keeping him from eating anything he shouldn't.

It works beautifully with everything but the poo!! I am trying now to say nothing, just be there, watch and clear up without making a fuss in the hope he will get bored and realise he doesn't get a reaction.

Don't think Charlie will ever have a treat on his nose and leave it alone though! What a fabulous girl Molly is!!

He hasn't even looked at his mess the last few times but then he's been too interested in the inches of snow lying around!

Thanks again for the continuing advice and support though :thumbsup:

 

[AnMadraMór]

Hi,

I deal more with the practical stuff so here goes

1. Checkup with the vet (worms/mineral deficiencies)
2. Teach him "leave"
3. Once he's pooed, call him and give him a treat, then clean up the poo (Teaching - walking away from your poo is good)
4. Don't leave him unattended.

His is his general behaviour, eg nervous dog, separation anxiety? What's his provenance, how young was he taken away from mum etc?

 

[chasmeister]

Just wanted to pop on and say thank you again to everyone who gave advice or just gave a damn!

8 1/2 months and still on his favourite diet! Determination on both sides still going strong though so still very hopeful he will get bored as I am giving him no chance and standing over him every time, he has to get fed up with that eventually, right???!!!!

He has stopped destroying my beautiful wooden floorboards now though and the door frames, so that's something to celebrate, though think they are all beyond repair.

Every other training session is working beautifully so hopefully with age will come wisdom and he will be the perfect little dog! :thumbsup:

 

[Jasp]

You haven't actually mentioned what food he is on and despite what your vet says, this can have a big impact on this problem. I know what food most vets recommend and tbh, it ain't great.

It can be caused by incomplete digestion, ie the dog is unable to extract all if the nutrients that it needs from the food first time around so may be lacking some particular element which is abundent in the poop. This is what happened to me, changed to a higher quality food and the problem disappeared. I once saw a famous mexican dog trainer who thought he was gods gift for curing this problem by rewarding the dog with a banana, when in fact the dog was suffering from a lack of pottassium in its diet which happens to be plentiful in bananas, and pineapples, which is why they often seem to work.

Even if this is the root of the problem it can also be a learned behavior, either from having to eat it for nutrients or from watching mum do it to clean up after littermates, it can soon become a well ingrained habit. Training is the only way to break the habit but until you identify the cause of the problem, you are going to be fighting a losing battle.

 

[chasmeister]

Hi Jasp

He's on Pedigree puppy food and a puppy mixer. We feed him the amount it advises and he eats twice a day.

I don't know about his habits before we got him at 10 weeks, he wasn't with his mum then, she was in a separate pen, so he was running around with his siblings.

Someone is with him every time he goes outside and if stood there with 'poo bag' in hand he will do his business then walk away and we can clear it. If one lot gets missed, for example if he's been let out late at night and we haven't seen it, or my husband says 'I'll clear that up later when it stops raining' etc, then doesn't, pup will still head straight for it as soon as the door is opened and try to grab it.

The only breakthrough I am beginning to see is I can recognise his behaviour when we go into the garden if he is about to sniff some out, so I with him watching like a hawk and if he finds it first and I shout 'NO' he sops and backs away.

 

[Jasp]

With all the best will in the world, I think you need to do more research into what you are feeding your dog. His food is without a doubt the source of your problem and probably the reason he chews door frames and floor boards as well.

There is an awful lot of hype surrounding dog food so you have to learn what to look for, but I would put money on changing him to a proper diet solving your problems overnight.

All of the manufacturers want you to buy their 'healthy' food so they make more money, vets have limited nutrititional training which is often sponsored by the industry and every dog snob and armchair expert will tell you that this food is better than that food, so you have to do the leg work yourself I'm afraid.

I do not recommend any specific foods because all dogs are as different as all people, but I can tell you what to avoid, eg - the first listed ingredient (and therefore the largest component) in Pedigree Puppy is corn. How many carnivores do you know that can survive on a diet of corn?

 

[chasmeister]

Thanks for that Jasp, am about to embark on in-depth research :geek:

 

[Jasp]

Rough guide - ingredients should be listed in order of quantity, largest first. Look for a specific type of meat as the first ingredient, not a non-descriptive derivitive. Cereals are used as a filler and are hard to digest, avoid large amounts of corn, wheat, maize etc.

If cost is an issue always work out a daily cost based on the manufacturers recommended feeding amount, you often find that more expensive foods can be fed in smaller quantities, so can actually work out cheaper.

 

[chasmeister]

Working on food change but now we have the added problem of him eating cat poo!!!!

I have 2 cats so know when they go out and where they go but there are a million cats round here and cannot know where every pile is hidden! We have loads of gravel areas and bushes and concealed areas and it is impossible for me to check every inch of the garden before letting him out!!

Have I bitten off more than I can chew??!! Forgive the pun!

Guilt has now set in as I find myself wishing I hadn't got a dog at all!!

 

[Jasp]

If you are dealing with that level of ingrained habitual behaviour then the only 100% guaranteed prevention is to muzzle him before you let him out, certainly not ideal but it will stop him from eating anything (or at least slow him down enough for you to intervene) and might just break the habit.

 

[chasmeister]

Have tried muzzling and he just gets it all over the muzzle!

Thank you by the way for your continued perserverence in helping me!

 

[irishlady76]

i had this problem with my pup i have just bought some pills at the pet shop which are meant to deter him they do seem to be working its called STOOL-REPELLUM from pampured pets hopeit keeps working and works for your little fellow .