I know this has probably been covered many times before but I cant stop my Lab from eating other peoples dog poo.Does anyone have any suggestions as I have tried everything I can think of.
Thanks Gill

I think the only real way to tackle it is to be there when they poo and scoop immediately.  More than anything it seems to be a habit that starts in puppyhood simply from the desire to try things out.  If it's any consolation much fewer adults seem to indulge so it would indicate that it is definately something they grow out of :)

It is not his own he is eating though.
Gill

eating other peoples dog poo Don't let him get to the toilet before people have flushed :D

Sorry I will give some serious advice now ;)

How old is the Lab and what food do you feed him :)
When did he start and is it just dog poo or is it other animal poo ? :)

Lucy
xx

Wasnt sure when I posted that it would sound right.
He has just turned a year and I feed him autarky......he started doing this just before christmas and it is mainly dog.
Gill

I would perhaps look into another high quality food,perhaps try it in a rotation first,also supplement with Bcomplex capsules,probiotics,not yogurt as it doesnt provide enough bacteria for this job,and digestive enzymes. 

Very simple,but very effective. All of the above can be found online or in any health food shop :)

My 9 month old springer loves eating cat pooh!

There are a few 'theories' about why dogs do this, not sure I believe any of them personally, I think it is just one of those things we will never understand.
I have been assured that, despite leaving the dog with bad stinky breath, eating pooh does not do them any harm and they do eventually grow out of it.

I just make sure that my pups teeth are brushed regular and she is wormed at regular intervals - I wouldn't worry about it too much, just do what you can to discourage.

i'm often minded to think the explanation for "why is my dog eating poo?" is "because he can". mine wouldn't touch the by-products of another dog but views horse, cow and sheep poo as smashing hors 'douvres. he's fed home-cooked nosh supplemented with jwb (previously on burns) but regardless of the goodness sitting in his own bowl, he can still find space for poosnax.

Two of mine will only touch each others???!!!  Don't bother when out and about or with the other three's.  The best deterrant is to pick it up as quickly as possible.

I'm hoping they will grow out of it SOOON if I can stop the habit and not allow them access to do it - it's only in the garden too!

My dog used to eat other dogs' poo and I know how upsetting it can be.  Although she is still partial to other animals poo such as horse, deer and rabbit (to name but a few I'm sure :rolleyes:) I don't find this as disgusting as eating dogs'.

I discovered purely by accident that changing her diet 'cured' the 'problem'. Once her diet changed to JWB she stopped eating other dogs' poo.  I know that all dogs are different and changing diet might not work and that JWB also doesn't suit all dogs but it certainly worked for mine.

I accept many people can live with this behaviour and think it is natural but I don't think it is without hazards such as encouraging worms which obviously is a problem. 

Of my 7 dogs, 4 of them eat poo. It's all my bitches that do it, the boys wouldn't dream of such a thing. I pick up after them immediately when we are out or even just in the garden, but they also relish any pickings they can find when they are on a walk. It does my head in. They have been given several different foods in their lifetimes, and it makes not a jot of difference. I wish I could accept the behaviour, because I sure as heck can't seem to change it, and our lovely morning walks, off lead in the woods and fields of rural Northumberland are ruined by my constant yelling, and chasing them off the latest tasty titbit:rolleyes:

I so wish it didn't bother me.

Dawn R.

I found that it doesnt matter what I feed he still does it,I did try mixing his feed with tinned butchers tripe but still did it maybe not quite as bad but it affected it bottom badly
Gill

Hi Gill

The way I stop them eating poo when out on a walk is a very short, sharp loud, 'Leave it' !

Lucy
xx

already tried it works when close by but when off lead and there is abit of distance there is no stopping him
Thanks Gill

I think Lucys suggestion is the only practical one really.  You could work on obedience generally so a better recall is established or develop a closer distance maintained when off lead or simply use a long lead until the habit is broken or rather a new habit of "poo must not we sniffed at" is established.  I don't think there are any easy answers to this one I'm afraid :)

I am at the moment trying to keep him close like you say Isabel,I only hope he grows out of it as he is still a pup at 1 year old.
Gill

At that age I think you have plenty of scope for optimism that things will improve :)

I was going to suggest a long lead :) I am sure he will soon get the message that poo is forbidden snack ;)

Does he like a ball or frizbie ??

When we go to the park we play ball for a good half hr or so my girls are so obsessed with thier ball that 'nothing' will deter them from thier game.
Once they have had a good run and are completely whacked we then go for a walk .
My girls dont leave my side as I keep the ball in my pocket (looks like excellent heelwork) LOL

this is when if I was you I would then use the long line try to keep then reasonably close ...it just becomes a habit rather than running around the trees looking for poo!!

Saying that if they can get anywhere near the cat litter tray ...........yuk!

Roni

Training also plays a part but if the dog is doing this because of some slight or major indeficiency then this disgusting and potentially dangerous habit must also be tackled on the inside! The advice i gave above is almost guaranteed to work,up to you if you decide to take it or not :)

My old girl has been doing this all her life - she's now 14 and still tries to race me to any fresh offerings before I can scoop !. She's fit healthy and it does'nt seem to have done her any harm at all - we find it disgusting but I think it's quite natural for dogs :D

Yvonne

The vet told me there is nothing wrong with it some dogs do it some dont,and just to keep an eye on him and worm regular.He said there was nothing lacking in his diet just labs are born scavengers.
Gill

quite natural for dogs

Its natural for dogs to eat cow,horse,rabbit etc droppings,however it is NOT natural for any animal to eat droppings of its own species.Dogs eating dog poops is not a healthy or natural thing for them to do!

Many vets cant/wont find a reason to why their patients do this,hence why i think some of them blow it off as being normal.There are ways to stop this habit,i suppose it depends on how strongly the owner feels about their dogs eating their own and strange dogs sh*t and how much effort they want to put into curing their dogs of this habit :)
The last thing any owner should be doing is treating it as normal and adopting a blaze attitude. There is a reason why some dogs do this(if it were normal,most/all dogs would be doing it),and if it were my dogs i would be finding out WHY :)