poo eating

Madge is 10 months and a dream pup in nearly every way; except the dreaded poo eating - not her own or big brother's in the garden, but when we're out walking and she's off lead. Horse poo is popular and we find a lot of it but also other dogs. I just hate it but only remedy appears to be a muzzle - and I really hate this idea too. Any ideas ???

Maybe you could squirt her in the face with water when you catch her at it as well as firmly saying no? If it were me, I'd try to make eating poo an unpleasant exp for her. Pups eat poo, but you want to sort it now before it becomes a habit if it hasnt already. Habits are hard to break.

To be honest i think they all do it. Kaos is a real hoover, he litterally hoovers up rabbit poo! I think making him wear a muzzel is a bit extreme though. I just distract kaos with treats or a toys and that works for me! x

Bandit always used to eat cow pats & sheep poo.

Dempsey LOVES runny cow pats, sheep poo, horse poo, badger poo....the list goes on. I'd try aversion therapy (water squirts etc) but he only does it off lead & I'm nowhere near enough to squirt!

I'd just try to make the 'leave it' command a really strong one!

squirt them with water in this weather you croul croul people lol
if i tell memphis to leave he leaves hopfully he will carry on doing it

What's the point in this weather? As soon as you press the trigger the water turns into ice anyway - it never gets to the dog!

I love reading all these post makes me realise wot I have got to look forward to

Oh, my! It's only just beginning.......................

I know that in adult dogs eating other feaces can be sign their lacking a certain vitamin which is usually patasium could try giving her some banana, but as a puppy just like kids they try everything with their mouth and dogs have weaker taste spuds than us so if they find it nice tasting it'll turn into a habit and then you have a problem, a halti on walks could also be good you got alot of control of a dogs head with them it loose and the dogs can pant and play but when its pulled shut it turns into a muzzles

Still won't help if the dog's off lead, though.

Caryll wrote:Still won't help if the dog's off lead, though.

If a dog does not listen to you completly off the lead (so should stop whats he/she is doing immediatly) I don't believe a dog should be off the lead, you need to control a walk on the lead before they get let off the lead. thats where accidents happen i prefere to have complete confidence and trust in my dogs.

Kaiseer use to eat poo but he grew out of it its a horrible habit

MissRogue wrote:

Caryll wrote:Still won't help if the dog's off lead, though.

If a dog does not listen to you completly off the lead (so should stop whats he/she is doing immediatly) I don't believe a dog should be off the lead, you need to control a walk on the lead before they get let off the lead. thats where accidents happen i prefere to have complete confidence and trust in my dogs.

Just because you have control on lead doesn't necessarily mean you'll have control off lead. And you won't know until you try! Dempsey is often let off lead, it's only fair as he's a high drive dog who needs to let off steam, but he's only off lead when I know there's no dogs around because I know he won't come back. Even then, if there's an interesting scent, or something he wants to eat, then he doesn't always listen.

Anyway, I prefer to have a dog than a robot. Been there, done that with the Border Collies & Shepherds.

Caryll wrote:

MissRogue wrote:

Caryll wrote:Still won't help if the dog's off lead, though.

If a dog does not listen to you completly off the lead (so should stop whats he/she is doing immediatly) I don't believe a dog should be off the lead, you need to control a walk on the lead before they get let off the lead. thats where accidents happen i prefere to have complete confidence and trust in my dogs.

Just because you have control on lead doesn't necessarily mean you'll have control off lead. And you won't know until you try! Dempsey is often let off lead, it's only fair as he's a high drive dog who needs to let off steam, but he's only off lead when I know there's no dogs around because I know he won't come back. Even then, if there's an interesting scent, or something he wants to eat, then he doesn't always listen.

Anyway, I prefer to have a dog than a robot. Been there, done that with the Border Collies & Shepherds.

I don't just mean he must only listen on the lead, you need to control the walk, the whole thing from the front door onwards. letting dogs off the lead in a control evironment mess should be picked up so you should practice there. just because you have control over your dogs does not mean its turned into a robot i don't know how you can say that to be honest it just means they respect you by listening. let off the lead they can still play and be a dog just when their in the wrong like eating mess they get corrected. Your dog should listen most deffinatly when it comes to food whether its on the floor outside or in a childs hands, I purposely walk down this alley way to mentally train them the kids are always tipping rubish bins over down there. my dogs offlead don't give it a second look because i have control when walking my dogs.

I agree Caryll. I had a greyhound who was brilliant, very obedient, except when he was off the lead if there were other dogs for him to play with. That was the only time he wouldnt listen to me. But he still needed to run and blow off steam. I wouldnt keep a dog on the lead unless the area wasnt secure, or the dog was human or dog aggressive. Its just not fair on them. Dogs are dogs at the end of the day, we gotta let them be dogs. No dog is 100% perfect 100% of the time.

Sure, in an environment like that, so will my dog listen. But there are times when they won't. A controlled environment is no indication as to what they will do 'in the rough' so to speak. That's why I said earlier on, if you'd read it, that a strong "leave it" command is essential!

And yes, I do think that a dog that instantly obeys every command unthinkingly is a robot. I have certain commands that I expect to be obeyed instantly & one of them is "leave" or "leave it", but these commands will only become strong 'in the field', not in a controlled environment.

Shontelle wrote:I agree Caryll. I had a greyhound who was brilliant, very obedient, except when he was off the lead if there were other dogs for him to play with. That was the only time he wouldnt listen to me. But he still needed to run and blow off steam. I wouldnt keep a dog on the lead unless the area wasnt secure, or the dog was human or dog aggressive. Its just not fair on them. Dogs are dogs at the end of the day, we gotta let them be dogs. No dog is 100% perfect 100% of the time.

I agree dogs should be dogs but dogs have pack leaders and should listen to their pack leaders you should be able to put a steak infront of dogs and they leave it until you say so. they shouldn't run after another dog animal or person while completly blanking you like you don't exist, thats when accidents happen and having gladiator breeds its even more important.

My dog would ignore a steak if I put it in front of him and told him to leave it. Like I said, he was a fantastic dog and extremely obedient. The ONLY time he wouldnt listen was when there were other dogs for him to play with off lead. Seeing as he was so good, I didnt make too big a deal of it. He only ever played with dogs once I'd checked with the owner that their dog was happy to play. There was never any risk of an accident. If an owner wasnt sure how their dog would react, I kept mine on the lead.

Caryll wrote:Sure, in an environment like that, so will my dog listen. But there are times when they won't. A controlled environment is no indication as to what they will do 'in the rough' so to speak. That's why I said earlier on, if you'd read it, that a strong "leave it" command is essential!

And yes, I do think that a dog that instantly obeys every command unthinkingly is a robot. I have certain commands that I expect to be obeyed instantly & one of them is "leave" or "leave it", but these commands will only become strong 'in the field', not in a controlled environment.

Of course is good leave it command is a must but you said your dog wont even listen to that if another dog/person is around which is why you only let them off when people are not around so it can not be that good of a command. listen without thinking willingly absolutly not they should be thinking alot they should be thinking the pack leader has spoken out of respect i should listen.

MissRogue wrote: you should be able to put a steak infront of dogs and they leave it until you say so.

I can. I can also put a steak in front of my dog, tell him to leave it & then take it away & he will accept that. Food is one of the things I always have control over. If I'm out & there's some stinky dead thing lying around I can say "leave it" and he will. BUT. Dogs are dogs, and even in the wild a dog will challenge its' leader or ignore its' leader. That's nature. It happens, unless your dog is a robot, so conditioned that in cannot do anything at all without your say-so.

Oh, and I don't not let him off when there are other people around! Only when there are other dogs. He is dog-dominant, and to let him off around other dogs would be totally irresponsible. If another dog goes stiff legged or raises its hackls or growls, Dempsey will put it in its place quite forcibly & that could result in a fight.

You say you have studied animal behaviour. Well then, you should know that many pack animals challenge the pack leader on a regular basis. It's how you handle the challenge that counts, not absolute robotic control.

Shontelle wrote:My dog would ignore a steak if I put it in front of him and told him to leave it. Like I said, he was a fantastic dog and extremely obedient. The ONLY time he wouldnt listen was when there were other dogs for him to play with off lead. Seeing as he was so good, I didnt make too big a deal of it. He only ever played with dogs once I'd checked with the owner that their dog was happy to play. There was never any risk of an accident. If an owner wasnt sure how their dog would react, I kept mine on the lead.

but dont you think if he is allowed to disobey you when it comes to play it can lead to alot of problems especially when play gets over the top which is can and will you should be able to call them back those are the kind of problem i am talking about about a dog at a high level in play can quickly turn play into something nasty.

I think, MissRogue, that you live in a perfect world, where theory reigns true.

Many dogs will play quite happily with others, but if something goes wrong and a fight starts no "leave" or "come" command is gonna work. They'll just get on with what they're doing and ignore you - that's if they even hear you in the first place!

Don't forget that we're talking about the bully breeds here; once they start to fight they won't hear your commands, no matter how well you train them. So, from what you've said, none of them should ever be off the lead because they may disobey you.

Caryll wrote:

MissRogue wrote: you should be able to put a steak infront of dogs and they leave it until you say so.

I can. I can also put a steak in front of my dog, tell him to leave it & then take it away & he will accept that. Food is one of the things I always have control over. If I'm out & there's some stinky dead thing lying around I can say "leave it" and he will. BUT. Dogs are dogs, and even in the wild a dog will challenge its' leader or ignore its' leader. That's nature. It happens, unless your dog is a robot, so conditioned that in cannot do anything at all without your say-so.

Oh, and I don't not let him off when there are other people around! Only when there are other dogs. He is dog-dominant, and to let him off around other dogs would be totally irresponsible. If another dog goes stiff legged or raises its hackls or growls, Dempsey will put it in its place quite forcibly & that could result in a fight.

You say you have studied animal behaviour. Well then, you should know that many pack animals challenge the pack leader on a regular basis. It's how you handle the challenge that counts, not absolute robotic control.

my dogs do loads of thing without my say so but if it gets out of hand i can snap them out of it. and dogs challenging pack leaders in the wild is extremely rare and the only fighting that goes on within a pack is within the dogs below the pack leader beta's omega's fighting each other but a good strong stable fair alpha would never get challenged its only the weak alpha's who would and thats for the good of the pack.

Thanks everyone. I had thought of the water pistol but a dog trainer told me that you should only use it when they don't know it's you - like from behind a bush. And when she's off lead, I'm not close enough - I'll just keep on with the firm No and putting her back on the lead for a while. Hopefully she'll get the message.

MissRogue wrote:


my dogs do loads of thing without my say so but if it gets out of hand i can snap them out of it. and dogs challenging pack leaders in the wild is extremely rare and the only fighting that goes on within a pack is within the dogs below the pack leader beta's omega's fighting each other but a good strong stable fair alpha would never get challenged its only the weak alpha's who would and thats for the good of the pack.

So how does the pack leader change?

Wolf pack leaders are regularly challenged - it keeps their leadership strong. It continually proves to the others that they are the rightful leaders. Any sign of weakness will be taken advantage of.

lovemystaffies wrote:Thanks everyone. I had thought of the water pistol but a dog trainer told me that you should only use it when they don't know it's you - like from behind a bush. And when she's off lead, I'm not close enough - I'll just keep on with the firm No and putting her back on the lead for a while. Hopefully she'll get the message.

Yes, that's true, if they know it's you, they'll just watch out for it & it loses its effect!

Do try the "leave" or "leave it" command though, it can work wonders.

Caryll wrote:I think, MissRogue, that you live in a perfect world, where theory reigns true.

Many dogs will play quite happily with others, but if something goes wrong and a fight starts no "leave" or "come" command is gonna work. They'll just get on with what they're doing and ignore you - that's if they even hear you in the first place!

Don't forget that we're talking about the bully breeds here; once they start to fight they won't hear your commands, no matter how well you train them. So, from what you've said, none of them should ever be off the lead because they may disobey you.

This huge monster of a red male staff and Taz were standing each off, hackles, snarles and posture everything pointed to fight, owner and my self called them and the dogs listened his dog more than Taz but Taz still listened.

During in fight calling them would be useless but thats where you have to catch it early.

Yes, but don't you see, it doesn't always happen that way. If two staffs are posturing, they probably won't fight anyway. Fights can start so suddenly, you wouldn't believe it, and with little or know obvious signs. You can't always catch it early.

I know that you mean well, and I'm sure that your dogs are obedient, but don't fall into the trap that they will 100% obey you 100% of the time. What would happen, for instance, if another dog attacked yours without provocation while your dog was off lead? Would your dog listen to you & run away? Or would it immediately see red & defend itself?

You haven't had staffords long enough to be able to say that you have full control over a situation like that.

Caryll wrote:

MissRogue wrote:


my dogs do loads of thing without my say so but if it gets out of hand i can snap them out of it. and dogs challenging pack leaders in the wild is extremely rare and the only fighting that goes on within a pack is within the dogs below the pack leader beta's omega's fighting each other but a good strong stable fair alpha would never get challenged its only the weak alpha's who would and thats for the good of the pack.

So how does the pack leader change?

Wolf pack leaders are regularly challenged - it keeps their leadership strong. It continually proves to the others that they are the rightful leaders. Any sign of weakness will be taken advantage of.

changing the pack leader regulary like you say puts the pack through hell its not done regulary unless all the alpha's have been weak which is why they must be stopped only the strongest will make a good leader and others would see this and not challenge them. the most common reason why they change is health if one is not producing pups for any reason/ not controling hunts to feed the pack, not chosing a good location for the pack. then they will get defeated and replaced but during the change the pack goes through hell and if pups are around or due they wont survive nor will lower ranking members which is why the the change is put off until desperate.

MissRogue wrote:

changing the pack leader regulary like you say puts the pack through hell its not done regulary unless all the alpha's have been weak which is why they must be stopped only the strongest will make a good leader and others would see this and not challenge them. the most common reason why they change is health if one is not producing pups for any reason/ not controling hunts to feed the pack, not chosing a good location for the pack. then they will get defeated and replaced but during the change the pack goes through hell and if pups are around or due they wont survive nor will lower ranking members which is why the the change is put off until desperate.

I didn't say that the leadership changes regularly - read the post - I said that there are regular challenges. The alpha male must meet these challenges to remain strong.

Caryll wrote:Yes, but don't you see, it doesn't always happen that way. If two staffs are posturing, they probably won't fight anyway. Fights can start so suddenly, you wouldn't believe it, and with little or know obvious signs. You can't always catch it early.

I know that you mean well, and I'm sure that your dogs are obedient, but don't fall into the trap that they will 100% obey you 100% of the time. What would happen, for instance, if another dog attacked yours without provocation while your dog was off lead? Would your dog listen to you & run away? Or would it immediately see red & defend itself?

You haven't had staffords long enough to be able to say that you have full control over a situation like that.

I know there is situations you can not control like another attacking mine or whatever else i know i'v not own staffies for very long but iv been brought up with gladiator breeds rotties/dobermans/staff crosses etc

Then you should know that they have inate agressive dominance, even in the most submissive ones. If they are challenged/attacked they will retaliate, and not all fights start with the classic signs of posturing etc. Sometimes they just come out of the blue.

Same as the original question about eating poo. It isn't always your textbook lack of minerals or even habit. Sometimes it's simply because a dog likes it. And, as I've tried to tell you, no dog is 100% bomb proof when you are 50 yards away & there's something very tempting on the ground! Remember that Madge is not yet fully trained but that doesn't mean she should be restricted totally on lead all the time. That would just be cruel.

She will learn, but it can be a slow process to teach a dog not to do something it really likes to do!

Our new ( to us) 12 month old staffie bitch has started the "poo eating" thing, but only when she goes in the garden. I try to distract her with treats although sometimes she is too quick. She just goes, turns round and tucks in. This is something we are keen to stop quickly as not only is it ( at least to us ) a disgusting habit but prevents us from wanting to get too close to her in case she tries to give us a kiss, which was cute until her breath started to smell of poo!!!!

We have tried the suggestion of pineapple chunks which only seemed to make the poo more appetizing

Your dog sounds exactly like mine Caryll

A lot of young dogs eat poo they learn it from there mother she makes sure everywere is clean for her puppies.
horse poo is very nutricious especially in summer when the grass is rich and is very good for digestion for the dog.

My 2 would not take a blind bit of notice of me if in the situation of being attacked or challenging for a fight. I believe a typical stafford there is a point of no return and however much they respect me instinct would kick in no doubt about it !!!!!

As I live on a farm with several horses we obviously have a lot of poo about..piggy does eat it but not so much these days... the vet told me to giver her brewers yeast which I did in the early days of her poo eating career.....it didn't seem to stop her but it did make her coat nice and shiny (or that may have been the poo) she does stick with horse poo..... I think I agree with Gem it is only digested grass and my dog has come to no harm...she does get wormed regularly which should be done anyway....

Dempsey always takes his chance to eat cow pats or horse poo. Then he wants to lick us! :-&

Caryll wrote:Dempsey always takes his chance to eat cow pats or horse poo. Then he wants to lick us! :-&

That is the only problem Piggy has it stuck between her teeth sometimes @-)

Oh, nice! You'll have to teach her to rinse her mouth out in the horse trough!

piggy wrote:

Caryll wrote:Dempsey always takes his chance to eat cow pats or horse poo. Then he wants to lick us! :-&

That is the only problem Piggy has it stuck between her teeth sometimes @-)

gotta love em!!

memphises fav food at the minute is the rabbits poo he cant get anough lol

gem wrote:My 2 would not take a blind bit of notice of me if in the situation of being attacked or challenging for a fight. I believe a typical stafford there is a point of no return and however much they respect me instinct would kick in no doubt about it !!!!!

oops think I meant to post on another topic sorry

my macks is partial to munch on horse poo every now and then. he loves it.

Poo eating in females is somewhat of a maternal instinct, a dam will instinctively eat the pups poo (den behavior) keep the den clean so no predators will smell where her pups are.
Also my Vet. states could be a vitamin defiency, possibly change dog food to a better brand. The cow,horse or sheep poo smells better than what they are eating at home.

Keep the dog on lead until the behavior is controlled, even practice walking next to the favorite poo and as the dog lunges towards it give a quick correction tug away from it with the command "leave It" with much praise and a small treat to redirect the dogs attention.
I believe and will only allow my dogs off leash when they will recall to me every time or go on a down and stop when given a verbal command again with much positive praise and treat if needed.
Good Luck.

Most of this thread gave me a chuckle. My puppy has the naughty habit of eating cat poo. I try to keep the cat boxes clean but somehow she manages to get in there and find a cat crunchy treat. Makes me gag.

Ewwwww why do we love the nasty little sods so much!!!!!!

lol, all that unconditional love they give with poo licks to boot.