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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

training lab not to eat horse/fox poo

23 replies

misschenko · 03/05/2011 13:46

Would be grateful for any training tips, Bailey is 9 months, obeys Leave It command for everything except horse and fox poo. If he's on lead and I try to pull him away he won't budge and gulps it down before I can take it off him, if he's off lead he's eaten it before I can get to him. Really want to try to stop this, fed up with the stinky breath and sometimes loose stools if he's had a lot.

OP posts:

Avantia · 03/05/2011 16:06

yeah have same problem with our 10 month lab , so would also be grateful for advice.

BluddyMoFo · 03/05/2011 16:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

munstersmum · 03/05/2011 16:11

If anyone has advice for 11 yr old lab where we have previously failed, happy to hear it

All I can say on the positive side is he just went off horse poo for some reason about age 3. On the downside developed liking for goose poo which I think is worse.

ExitPursuedByALamb · 03/05/2011 16:12

My springer used to eat horse poo - masses of it, and then sort of regurgitate it perfectly formed. Gross. I took him out in a muzzle a few times and he seemed to stop. Now he just eats chicken shit

fruitshootsandheaves · 03/05/2011 16:13

you could try a remote spray collar. They aren't much good to prevent much else but they work well to prevent poo eating! Bit of a last resort though. I give my dogs a really tasty treat if they leave poo alone but they do tend to have a sneaky nibble if I don't spot it!

frostyfingers · 03/05/2011 16:15

Not a hope - even if they don't do it in your presence, they will do it sneakily whenever they can. If I dont keep a very close eye on mine, they nip off to the muckheap for a snack.

Original poster

misschenko · 03/05/2011 16:20

people at at dog training class complaining about their dogs rolling in fox poo, which my dog never does. I suppose pooey breath is better than dog being covered in it (tries to look on the bright side)

OP posts:

Batteryhuman · 03/05/2011 16:25

My lab has worn a basket muzzle when out for most of his 9 years. Horse poo was easy to train him off because it is usually on the path but it is eating dog and fox poo which I failed to stop. The alternative was never to let him off the lead.

mrsgordonfreeman · 03/05/2011 16:27

Good luck, my dad's Lab is beautifully trained but she will still snack from the cat litter tray/fox/cow/whatever poo and is very interested when I change dd's nappy in her presence.

Dogs just like poo I guess, they don't care whose.

Original poster

misschenko · 03/05/2011 16:43

Maybe I'm making things worse yelling, running after him and having a poo wrestling match. Perhaps will try ignoring or running away.

OP posts:

frostyfingers · 03/05/2011 17:06

Ignoring or running away won't make him stop - given the chance they'll eat anything and everything, and sometimes it's best not to look too closely! My younger lab is thrilled when she finds something especially smelly and brings it lovingly to me as a gift - I have to be so grateful and wait until she's not looking until I chuck it away again. If she sees me, she looks deeply hurt that I've declined her thoughtful present! It's all part of having a lab.

Original poster

misschenko · 03/05/2011 17:23

thanks all, I was afraid I'd missed out some essential part of his training but it seems labs will eat disgusting things. So no point in fighting a loosing battle and trying to train him out of it.

OP posts:

multitask · 03/05/2011 18:38

It's natural!! Dogs will eat poo and there isn't much we can do to stop them, it's like somebody trying to take our favourite cream bun off us!!

It doesn't bother me, it's natural, good for them and since I don't kiss them it does me no harm at all!

Avantia · 03/05/2011 18:45

What gets me is when they then come running up to you panting away and all you see is a brown mouth

mrsgordonfreeman · 03/05/2011 21:06

Mmm, so glad I caught up on this whilst eating chocolate cake.

MotherJack · 03/05/2011 22:40

Should I be laughing quite this much?

Yours, fellow poo eating dog owner.

PS there is supposed to be a potential for a B vitamin deficiency for poo eaters.... not got that far at the vets yet as have had to take her regularly for everything else she eats (only this weekend gone, 3/4 of a dark chocolate terry's mint choc egg of all things...). I suppose I should be grateful for her breath smelling of mint for once...

Cats49 · 03/05/2011 22:54

Glad its not just my dog. She picked up what I thought was a stick in her mouth the other day and when I wrestled it out of her mouth, I discovered it was a nice crispy bit of poo which then seemed to disintegrate in my hands. It was cat poo I think or fox poo How do you know the difference? She seems to reject dog poo so thats a start... :)

sparklyrainbow · 03/05/2011 23:07

Our terrier used to eat her own poo, she appears to have grown out of it now (almost 3), think it was the arrival of DS that finally did the trick: have absolutely no idea why but we're very relieved as she seems to like trying to lick his hands... However she would still eat cat poo if given the chance :( delightful fecking cats....

Parents' lab also eats horse poo and is partial to rabbit as well but fox is for rolling in! Despite arthritis in his 'shoulders' he'll still go down and have a good roll...

Spagbolagain · 03/05/2011 23:08

Ha good luck with that. we had a lab for 15 yrs, very well trained in all respects. Apart from being able to pass up a quick chomp on a turd. Fox, horse, cat, dog, sheep, mmmmmmmm gobble gobble. You could see the guilty pleasure in her eyes as she tried to wolf it down before we pulled her away.

mrspink27 · 03/05/2011 23:11

Sometimes our lab eats the poo direct from source... before it hits the ground... if our cat is obliging... Dogs really are gross!

musicposy · 03/05/2011 23:13

The only thing that halfway helps mine is for me to spot the poo before she does (easy with a huge steaming pile of horse manure, not so much with small poo) and start the "leave it" before she knows what she's leaving, so to speak. Then I just keep her completely focused on me with lots of treats as we walk casually past!

I have to keep her completely, 100% focused, mind you, or she'll have a crafty lightning quick munch as we go past!

Rolling in liquid, runny poo you can't see until you reach it - well that's another matter entirely and one I haven't cracked!

musicposy · 03/05/2011 23:14

mrspink eeww, eeww, eewww!!!

Booboostoo · 07/05/2011 23:11

Sounds like the 'leave it' command is not completely trained and although he listens to you when it's easy to do so, he is overcome with temptation over the poo (are you sure he is eating fox poo? They usually roll in that but eat horse, cat and dog poo).

Practice the 'leave it' command more and do it with horse poo. Your local stable should be more than happy to supply you with poo, make sure you have some fantastic treats as reward for leaving the poo alone and happy training!

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