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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

Muzzling for poo eating

21 replies

Beggingforsleep · 20/07/2022 16:11

My flattie won't stop eating poo and it's giving her awful diarrhea. We've been working really hard on 'leave it' and that works 50% of the time but if it's really tasty there's no stopping her.

We cut out all treats from her diet a few weeks ago and started walking her in areas with less poo where if I was unlucky she'd eat max 1-2 pieces of poo a walk (a huge improvement on before!) and we finally consistently got poos you can pick up out of her for the first time since we brought her home (she's 9 months now). But with the heat we're having to walk her closer to home and this morning she ate at least 10 pieces of poo and then this afternoon she had diarrhea and I had to hose the area down.

Has anyone had any success with muzzling for poo eating? I've not considered it before as I thought I'd just end up having to clean poo off the muzzle after every walk but I'm getting a bit desperate now. I'd probably live with the poo eating if it wasn't affecting her digestion but sloppy poos that you can't clean up all over pavements/in other peoples gardens/where my young kids play isn't manageable.

OP posts:

Yodaisawally · 20/07/2022 16:13

What sort of poo and where are you that there is that much poo around?!

I wouldn't muzzle but I'd keep her on a lead.

Wolfiefan · 20/07/2022 16:15

I would think carefully about where you’re walking. I have used a muzzle for a different reason. With most of them they could still shove their head into the pile and eat poo!
Longline on a harness to reinforce leave?

rainbowandglitter · 20/07/2022 16:18

Why are you around so much poo? We see one or maybe 2 poos on a 2 hour walk.

Ivedonethisthreetimealready · 20/07/2022 16:27

Blimey the replies on here!

OP best muzzle is a baskerville muzzle. These allow the dogs to pant drink and with care take treats.

However you are correct do be prepared to have poo on the outside of the muzzle which can then be wiped on you!

Podenco1 · 20/07/2022 16:29

I think if you don't have a poo-eating dog you don't realise how much poo there is around. Sympathies OP, my dog will "innocently" sniff some grass and hunt it out. She has a good diet but still seeks it - luckily she isn't affected by it and we worm her regularly but it's very gross.

Original poster

Beggingforsleep · 20/07/2022 16:33

@Ivedonethisthreetimealready thanks, I think I'm just going to give it a go, luckily her favourite poo seems to be crunchy poo or maybe that's just the weather at the moment. I don't want to keep her on a lead, she loves playing with other dogs and having an explore. I can't keep her on a lead for the next 9 years.

@rainbowandglitter the north downs way in surrey, full of poo, especially Denbies Wine Estate and surrounding NT land. But as I said, I can drive further afield which I've been doing but in this weather it's not possible. I'm also frustrated that I'm surrounded by NT land but have to get in the car to avoid poo.

@Yodaisawally dog poo, maybe a bit of fox, loves her own but we've trained that out of her, not interested in horse or cow poo so at least there's that!

OP posts:

TabithaTiger · 20/07/2022 16:44

My springer is the same OP. He eats cat poo every time we're out. Even on the lead he manages to grab it before I can stop him. I've thought about muzzling him but can't quite bring myself too.

MRSAHILL · 20/07/2022 16:57

My lab was the same all his life. We always put a baskerville muzzle on him. Yes, he did try to wipe it on us to get it off him and we had to jump out of the way quickly and yes it was pretty gross cleaning it, but I thought better that than him eating it. I'd never heard of dogs doing this before and he did it all his life (lived to 13, lost him in February). He had an excellent diet and it was so frustrating. When on lead walks we didn't muzzle him but didn't let him root around under bushes and always kept our eyes open for poo. He was the most gorgeous boy ever but had the most filthy habits!

Original poster

Beggingforsleep · 20/07/2022 17:30

@MRSAHILL sorry he’s not around anymore but thanks for sharing your experience. It does quash my hope that muzzling for a while will get her out the habit but I think it’s the solution.

@TabithaTiger does your spaniel get a bad stomach after it? If not then just shut your eyes! Although mine licks a lot so that’s another reason to muzzle, no one wants a poo-y licking. A woman made a huge fuss of her on our walk this morning and got licked before I could warn her off my poo eating monster.

OP posts:

coffeecupsandfairylights · 20/07/2022 17:48

Muzzling won't necessarily stop him if he's determined, unfortunately!

clbj · 20/07/2022 20:20

We may have been lucky, but we did find muzzling for about a month - alongside some quite intense training on a long line for about 3 months - did help break the habit with our then-one-year-old dog. It was difficult/frustrating for both of us, but I can now walk her off lead with no muzzle and she 95% of the time she ignores all poo (and we live in a big city so a lot of it about!) Her digestion is completely transformed.

Tyrtle · 20/07/2022 20:38

Mine does the same with fox poo. 90% of walks are spent keeping an eye out to spot the poo before he does. So frustrating.

What training did you do @clbj? He’ll ‘leave’ most things for a treat but I’m yet to find a treat that’s better than the allure of fox poo!

safetylastday · 20/07/2022 21:48

Where do you live that there is so much dog poo for your dog to eat!?!?
misses the point of the thread

applegate79 · 20/07/2022 21:56

A little off your query but a friends dog did this and a behaviourist told her that dogs who were raw fed were much less likely to eat poo. They changed to a raw dog food and it stopped … migjt have just been coincidental but worth a try maybe 🤷‍♀️

Newmumph · 20/07/2022 22:03

My lab has always eaten poo, horse poo specifically which is a nightmare as he spends a lot of time around my horse. He wears a Baskerville and now associates it with his walks so it’s a positive thing for him, never had any issues with him wearing it and it stops him trying to eat anything he shouldn’t

stillherenow · 20/07/2022 22:07

Mine eats tons of cat poo in the garden. I used to muzzle him but cleaning the muzzle was disgusting. He won't leave it so now I have some trowels strategically placed and run at him hold him and sweep it away - so he gets some but not all. It's by far his worse habit !!

caringcarer · 20/07/2022 22:19

If dog is on a short lead and wound around your hand to keep dog right by your leg it can't eat poo. People who have dogs running around on retractable leads have more problems with this.

Stripyhoglets1 · 21/07/2022 14:33

Yep we have to keep chocolate lab on a lead for walks or they just eat every poo they find.
Its not great but better than the upset stomachs.
Just never been able to train it out of her :-(

IAAP · 21/07/2022 14:38

One of mine eats the pop of the other. It’s almost impossible to stop - he literally sticks his head there when the other dog squats / if I call him off he won’t go back but he won’t stop - he’s 5 now and it’s grim. Doesn’t seem to do him any harm. And they both race to eat Guinea poop when the run is moved 👀

SarahSissions · 21/07/2022 15:14

If they eat their own feed a little pineapple, it makes the poo unpalatable. Maybe if they have some that is disgusting they’ll lose the taste for others?

Original poster

Beggingforsleep · 21/07/2022 19:18

Thanks all. I came down this morning and she’d had diarrhoea in every room downstairs except the playroom because the door was shut there. I should have shut all the doors to rooms. It’s never been that bad before but she did feast on poo yesterday. It was an hour of cleaning first thing and the house still stinks and I’ve gone over the lounge carpet four times with shampoo so far but it’ll probably have to be replaced. She didn’t whine to be let out, we’d have heard as we sleep with our door wide open for the kids and we sleep light.

But that was the final straw for me! Ordered a muzzle as soon as I’d taken my rubber gloves off.

She’s fine, after a sheepish start she’s been bounding around the garden, playing fetch and begging for cuddles. She’s on rice and chicken for the time being.

I’ll have a look in to a raw food diet, my dad’s dog was on raw and it suited him really well.

@SarahSissions i had the same thought - maybe going off her own poo would put her off all poo but seeing as her stomach is so delicate I’ve never dared. Although after this morning’s scene I don’t think anything could be worse.

OP posts:

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