Just wondering if anybody out there can help with my mums chocolate labrador bitch. She is 3 1/2 yrs old and has a timid nature, she always walks around with her tail low, sometimes between her legs. She occasionally seems to come out of her shell if you play with the frisbee! It all started when I got my cocker spaniel. As a puppy he would eat everything including the other dogs poo! With a few telling offs he soon got the message and generally stopped doing it, unless he sees Berry (my mums dog) doing it. She never eats her own poo, only other dogs, especially Coco's (my mums other chocolate lab). Berry is very obviously bottom of the pack and seems to constantly seek reassurance. If you shout at her to stop it or try and recall her it only makes her worse. She will run away from you on a walk if she sees one of the other dogs going to the toilet. Does anyone have any suggestions? The vet's only suggestion was to use a muzzle.

Most dogs don't adhere to being shouted at at all, distraction is a much better tool to use, if you see Berry going to eat poo then try calling her to catch the frisbee or a ball or just call her over for a treat, use the 'off' command practise it at home and follow it up with a treat. Shouting really won't work. Negative reactions, cause negative behaviours, running away and the tail between the legs just being two of them, praise and reward makes a happy dog and helps them learn much quicker.

Look at it from her point of view, for a dog eating poo isn't disgusting or a bad thing it's like a bar of chocolate they do it for various reasons, sometimes it can be because something is lacking in the diet and they can get it from eating 'left overs' it's a perfectly normal thing to do and can easily become habit, so check the diet and make sure she is on a good complete food or if on BARF make sure she is having variation and all her fibres and proteins are taken care of.

Sometimes shouting can make a dog think they have done something wrong and often dogs that eat their own poo, (not in your case) think they need to rid of the evidence so will gobble it up first.

Distract her and praise her for coming to you and get teaching that off command also. :-) It has probably just become a habit and a tasty titbit you need to take her mind of it.