Think I need to muzzle my dog :(

[HangingOver]

My beautiful rescue is a poo eater. Not animal poo, human poo.

We live in a seaside down that doubles in size over the summer, and until I got my poo eating hound I had absolutely no idea what an epidemic of public shitting we have.

Earlier the week he was in the vets all day with THC exposure from a poo he found near the beach. Today he was sniffing in a hedge in the fields where we walk, and pulled out a turd covered in wet wipes. He was on a lead both times.

It happened once last summer too (again, with wet wipes and that involved a lengthy vet stay and lots of scans in case of a blockage).

"Leave" doesn't seem to work in these scenarios. Once he gets a tiny whiff of it he's like a ninja.

He even once found one at the dog walk we hire.

I'm watching him like a hawk now because he's burping.

I'm at my wits end with this. He needs loads of exercise but I'm so scared of him getting ill and hate coming back from walks with shit on my hands where I've tried to get it out his mouth. The only thing I can think to do is muzzle train him (which he will absolutely hate).

Does anyone have experience with this? Can all dogs be muzzle trained?

Pic of the poo eater in question for tax

Sorry to say it does sound like some kind of soft muzzle would be better for his safety and health. Poor guy looks so innocent too!

Oh he’s gorgeous with the most magnificent ears! Do you know his breed?

Not much advice here but sounds like a muzzle might be a better option that worry, vet bills and pooey hands.

He's a Podenco but for some reason he's black and tan instead of white.

Aww I bet no one will want their dogs to play with him if he's muzzled 😢

Pod’s still as exceptionally handsome as ever then!
I have had to train my saluki lurcher X to stop him killing wildlife especially at this time of year and I can recommend The Muzzle Shop online because they’re very helpful and you will get one that fits him properly which means that he’s more likely to accept it. Think racing basket muzzle, not flexible though. Some have a guard to prevent scavenging.
But honestly, what is the matter with people??

We have to muzzle our dog after two emergency surgeries to remove a blockage from eating items on his walks.

Basket type muzzles allows them to drink and pant but be warned if it’s soft poo he likes eating then your dog can shove it through the holes so the front of the muzzle will be caked with it.

And yes other dog owners (unless they are regulars and know your dog) will automatically think your dog is aggressive 😭

I had to use a soft muzzle on my sprocker when she kept scavenging then getting colitis from it. It was costing me a fortune at the vets. She hated it so much that she quickly cottoned on that if she ate something she shouldn't, it was on again. Soft muzzles won't deter other owners, it's always indicative (to me at least) that the dog is a scavenger. It's the cage type muzzles that give off dangerous dog vibes.

I thought soft muzzles stop them panting so shouldn’t be used when exercising but happy to be corrected.

I have a “beep” collar for one of mine who snaffles poo (although animal, not human). It’s NOT a shock collar, it only makes noise. It is remote control and you can “bleep’ it when he heads for poo. It’s enough for mine to have stopped doing it completely. I tried it when I was at my wits end because he WILL NOT accept a muzzle.

I had to muzzle a bichon and a beagle as both liked to eat seaweed and our daily walks all year round are on a local beach.

Luckily I only needed to put the muzzles on at the steps leading to the beach and took them off once we were back up the steps so they could enjoy the rest of their walk muzzle free ( we walk through a park to get to the beach )

Yes I was asked why they were wearing muzzles and off lead, once explained and the regular dog walkers recognised us no one asked any more.

Put a cage muzzle on him. They're better than soft ones as they don't stop them panting, can still drink in them if needed and he physically won't be able to stick his tongue on anything questionable.

I have seen mesh jackets for dogs on etsy with customisable print. You could get him one with something like 'I don't bite, I eat gross things' or something to that effect.

My horse has a headcollar from there that says Don't approach me, I make bad choices.

At least this has given me a laugh. Who invented this? 😂

We have to muzzle one of our spaniels when out and about as he’d eat allsorts. He would eat a whole banana skin, inside of a tennis ball etc.
He accepts the muzzle but he’s the gentlest boy and people assume he’s aggressive.
Much better than him being ill or ending up at the Vets though!
Gorgeous boy with his “ wasn’t me “ expression.

Tbh when he catches a whiff of poo I could throw a bucket of water over him and it wouldn't put him off 😔

The muzzle up pup group is great

Lots of advice on muzzle types, safety and how to get your dog used to one

We used the group for our awkward shapped dog for training for emergencies

Please don’t use a soft muzzle as suggested , these are for shirt use ie a vet visit, you need a basket muzzle where your dog can pant and drink and take a treat whilst wearing. A soft muzzle keeps the mouth closed and is not a safe option.

Is a basket muzzle the same thing as a cage muzzle?

Urgh I feel your pain, I'm also in a tourist area and until recently (dog is now in the big field in the sky) I had a dog who'd seek out and snaffle poo / dirty wet wipes / toilet paper. Some humans are revolting. I had places I wouldn't go from the first sunny weekend in Spring through to October because of the sheer quantity of human shit. I wondered about a muzzle too but decided not to because my dog loved people so much he'd of been sad if people avoided him because they thought he was dangerous. Plus I'd seen that the poo can get smushed into the muzzle. But I could (mostly) manage it when my dog was on a short lead and by avoiding several areas. We also didn't have to go to the vets. I may have made a different decision in your shoes. It sucks a dog has to wear a muzzle because of human disgustingness.

could it be a vitamin or mineral deficiency and hes trying to cure himself? has the vet run tests?

A muzzle is perfectly warranted in this situation.
And yes, with plenty of time and gentle training, most dogs will accept a muzzle happily. Make sure you buy a muzzle that fits, with plenty of pant room, and make training short and fun.
I recommend a clear enclosed muzzle, like a Jafco, so you can still see his pretty face.
There's a group on Facebook called Muzzle Up Pup! Which helped massively when I needed to muzzle train my dog.

Yes dogs can be muzzled train - chirag patel has an excellent video on it.

Muzzle movement or baskville muzzles allow the dog to drink and pant which is vital. Soft muzzles should not be used when the dog is exercising (really should never be used)

Muzzle will NOT stop him snaffling poo. You will just have to clean it off the outside of the muzzle or he willl wipe it on your clothes as he walks next to you. It may give you a spit second of timing to get him away but you will still be dealing with the poo. Humans are horrendous

I had to muzzle my dog. He had Pica and multiple allergies. He once snacked on human poo and then panted over my shoulder for the whole car journey home. 🤢🤢
I must have been lucky, because no one ever mistook him for being aggressive and always let their dogs play with him. Most took one look at him and said, "Eats things?"

You need something like this. We had a Baskerville one and it wasn't pleasant cleaning poo out of the gaps.

https://www.themuzzleshop.com/product-page/guard

Thanks everyone. I knew you'd all understand. I'll have a think about what to do next. His best friend if muzzle trained so maybe we can do some sessions together and make it fun.

Muzzle training a dog who’s ok with normal handling is honestly a fairly easy thing to do - they don’t know it’s a muzzle, it’s just a thing you put on that they get rewards for - it takes a bit longer with some dogs than others depending how they feel about something in their face, but you just make sure you don’t go too fast and he’ll be fine.

My current real sensitive about things dog took about 3 or 4 weeks, but I’ve done it in a few days before.

People generally ask why they’re muzzled rather than just assume it’s to stop biting IME anyway….and, you’ve the option of taking it off for a bit if it’s somewhere he’s not found something - like, you can a walk round a park or beach to check then take it off if you wanted I’d think?

I’ve not used one for that reason but as someone else pointed out, they can still eat and pick things up with one on, it’ll just slow him down a bit.

There was a fairly recent episode of Dogs Behaving Very Badly about a poo eating dog. Might be worth watching it on catch up.

My dog started eating other dogs poo from when he was around 5 months old, to my absolute horror and disgust.
I researched everything from his diet to training solutions to muzzles.
The poo eating continued. It was impossible to prevent when he was off lead. Difficult even when he was on an extending lead. Our walks became me scanning ground for dog poo.
I realised that it simply could not go on. For all the obvious reasons and also because it was affecting my bond with him because I found it so beyond disgusting.
I called his breeder for advice and what she said worked. She has decades of experience breeding, showing dogs, leading breed clubs. She knows the breed so well in a way i cluld mever learn from books. She reasured me it's not uncommon. I've since discovered she was right. Several dog owners I know have experienced it.
Her solution was to set him.up for it. With him on a short lead look for dog poo. When he shows too close an interest tell him firmly to leave it. If he leaves it,.high praise and reward. If he doesn't he's disobeying and I could easily remove him from situation and prevent it. I did this for months. At the same time I changed where I walked him off lead to places where I could be pretty confident there had been no dogs. I live in Scotland so trespassing isn't really a concern. But it still wasn't ideal. I let him off lead after hours in places like grounds of public halls, territorial army, even enclosed grounds of bowling greens (not the bowling green itself). It was far from ideal but I was desperate and determined. I simply couldn't risk growing to dislike my dog over it. I knew it wasn't his fault. But I respected how I felt too. And the health risks for me and him and anyone he licked. I also couldn't risk people he knew starting to dislike or avoid him.
To this day I've never told a yone but my breeder that he did this.
It took at least 3 months of this. And he learned. And it stopped. In the years that followed he's never shown any inclination towards this again touch wood.
In the short term I used.effective anti parasite treatment for him. And if always give him either a large dental stick or raw carrot after to clean his mouth.
I appreciate your situation is different but I know how distressing this can be and how common it is and didn't want to.withold what worked for us if it could be of any help to you or anyone else reading.
I've name changed for this one because I still don't want anyone who knows me judging my dog by this.
Hope you find solution. Good luck.