labrador eating dog muck

[Baby02]

my 7 month lab has a thing for eating other dogs poo ive spoke to other dog owners in the park and their dogs dont do it with the exception of 1 another labrador who does it, is this a labrador thing? i'm trying everything to stop him doing it but apart from keeping him on the lead at all times im not having much luck!

[lankeela]

Or you could try the more modern way of thinking -

http://www.petbehaviourcentre.com/articles/a_p oo.htm

[bigmamma]

My labrador has never done it Baby , but my Jack Russell puppy has only just got out of the nasty habit at last . So it's just a phasenot always with labs , and you can train it out of them .x

[barb1314]

My labrador has never done this either but I know of others who have..it's not a labrador thing just a dog thing.My pup used to go towards sheep poo but a firm 'leave it' and a sharp tug on the lead (if she was on it) did the trick. We found we just had to watch her all the time and be very consistent. She doesn't bother now.
Good luck.

[sandmaster]

It is general I think. My Boxers both liked horse poo and one liked sheep poo. I cured one from eating horse poo but could never cure the other - and sheep's poo is poisonous to dogs. As much as I loved them I could never let them lick my face!! They have both passed on now and I do miss chasing them away from the stables!!

[leelapops]

Zacsmaster-I never expected to hear that as a training suggestion from you!
Baby, given that its not his own poo, the usual preventative method suggestions are pointless. Constant vigilance is probably your best bet! If you see him having an excited sniff, you could tempt him back with his favourite treat (not poo!). It might be good for you to keep him on an extendable lead while you try this.
Apparently eating poo (coprophagia) (sp?!) is really common, especially in young dogs. I suppose being a Lab doesn't help, as anything edible is fair game! They usually grow out of it.

sand, I heard that working Collies were often fed sheep-poo as part of their diet...Our Collie loves cow pats, especially the liquid that gathers on the tops of them. Yak!

x

[Velvetee]

Yet people still think it's ok for their dogs to lick their and their kids faces!

Unfortunately, it's something alot of dogs do. Maybe you should speak to your Vet.

[happy_face]

My staffie girl started off eating her own poo as a puppy but I managed to stop her by using Deter tablets.
But then she started on poo in the park and it would be everything from dog, duck, fox, you name it.
We tried everything even having her on a really short lead but it just turned into a game for her. She would see how quick she could grab it and then run. In the end I was so frustrated that I bought a spray collar and that did the trick straight away almost. You have to be extremely vigilant as you want to spray at just the right time. It's ok for the dog to sniff another poo but as soon as I saw the intention of something more I would spray and then say "Leave it". After 2-3 walks like that she stayed well clear of the poo and now 8 months later she's fine, she'll sniff and then walk on. It's just a case of breaking the habit and she can now run free off the lead at last.
The spray collars are a bit pricey but well worth all the money especially as my girl picked up a bacteria from a poo and needed vet treatment.

Good luck... there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel