Nasty potty habit

jgarrett said:
My 5 month old Dixie is progressing on her potty training BUT if you don't watch her (inside only) she will pick up her little "Tootsie Roll" and want to play with it!!!
The fun part is trying to take it away from her!!!
What can I do???
Click to expand...
Coprophagia is a really disgusting and dangerous behavior. Our pup did this and we tried all the tricks. Nothing worked. Finally, we outfitted her with a discipline collar. We set on et it on lowest level static shock and when she went to pick up her poop, we zapped her. She howled like she'd been struck by lightning. But she has never gone near her poop since. Moreover, by setting it on buzz, we got her, over time, to avoid other dog's poop as well.

I don't like using the shock setting. But I feel if she is endangering herself, it's warranted. We also used it to keep her from running into the road to chase cars. It seems like one time on shock is enough to instantly terminate a dangerous behavior.
 
robertllr said:
Coprophagia is a really disgusting and dangerous behavior. Our pup did this and we tried all the tricks. Nothing worked. Finally, we outfitted her with a discipline collar. We set on et it on lowest level static shock and when she went to pick up her poop, we zapped her. She howled like she'd been struck by lightning. But she has never gone near her poop since. Moreover, by setting it on buzz, we got her, over time, to avoid other dog's poop as well.

I don't like using the shock setting. But I feel if she is endangering herself, it's warranted. We also used it to keep her from running into the road to chase cars. It seems like one time on shock is enough to instantly terminate a dangerous behavior.
Click to expand...
How is this a dangerous behavior? Many dogs eat their own poop, I've never read or heard from any vet that this was dangerous.
 
Last edited:
Katy came to us from her previous home with this problem and the only way to avoid for us has been to clean up as quickly as possible when the dogs go or if the dog has the habit it can be an issue.

I would never resort to shocking with her so watching has been our only option and when we fail it has had consequences.

It can make her sick to her stomach as it doesn't always digest easily. It has also lead to digestive issues the vet has had to treat over the years. We tried distracting with treats but she had preferred poop to a treat and taking her out on leash to eliminate has never been a consistent option as she resists eliminating on a leash. She will pee but she prefers freedom to wander when pooping. It was a real treat when we took her on vacation until we could find an off leash dog park.

One of the few advantages to her aging is that she seems to have lost interest in poop eating. It might just be harder to find Annie's poop as Annie wanders farther while pooping and she has always preferred the other dog over her own poop. I'm not complaining.
 
Bailey's Mom said:
Katy came to us from her previous home with this problem and the only way to avoid for us has been to clean up as quickly as possible when the dogs go or if the dog has the habit it can be an issue.

I would never resort to shocking with her so watching has been our only option and when we fail it has had consequences.

It can make her sick to her stomach as it doesn't always digest easily. It has also lead to digestive issues the vet has had to treat over the years. We tried distracting with treats but she had preferred poop to a treat and taking her out on leash to eliminate has never been a consistent option as she resists eliminating on a leash. She will pee but she prefers freedom to wander when pooping. It was a real treat when we took her on vacation until we could find an off leash dog park.

One of the few advantages to her aging is that she seems to have lost interest in poop eating. It might just be harder to find Annie's poop as Annie wanders farther while pooping and she has always preferred the other dog over her own poop. I'm not complaining.
Click to expand...
Minnie used to try and eat her poop as a pup, she grew out of it.
 
We had a doxie that did this. Very gross habit and unfortunately dangerous in that, it's one thing to eat their own poo, but they can pick up all sorts of things eating other poo as well as the vomiting or diarrhea that can come from eating other poo. He never grew out of it, unfortunately.
 
KarenCurtis said:
Minnie used to try and eat her poop as a pup, she grew out of it.
Click to expand...
Katy was a rescue and this was one of several issues she arrived with at the age of two. I'm not sure it was ever addressed prior to rescue and by the time we had her she was pretty attached to the custom shall we say. So our diligence in clean up has until her senior status made it less interesting for her was really our only out.

Bailey was the only dog we had as a puppy, also rescue, but at 4 months he never developed the interest thankfully. Annie was a breed placement at 2 and she thankfully doesn't seem to have a taste for it either. So, in that sense we have been very fortunate.
 
Disgusting yes…dangerous? No
As much as I agree that different training methods work for some I couldn’t even consider using an electric shock collar to train a certain behaviour in a dog. Anything you can teach using a shock collar you can also teach without causing pain to the dog. It may take longer but the end result will be the same except you haven’t scarred the dog or caused any other behaviour problems.
My middle dog will at times try to snack on his poop in the winter…yes I find it disgusting and yes I get mad at him but it’s not going to hurt him. It certainly makes me be more observant and clean it up faster!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top