# Henry eats dog's poop



## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

Unfortunately dogs have a different relationship with poo than do humans. We see it as waste product and want to stay as far away from it as possible. Many dogs see it as a viable food source. My own dog has an obsession with kangaroo poop and cat poop in particular. The only reason his cat poo eating has reduced in any way is due to the fact that one of our cats has passed on.

If you are determined to get the poo eating under control then you will have to keep your dog on a leash to limit his opportunities. As you have seen, getting upset with him only makes him faster, more nimble and more secretive in achieving his goal. I don't want to worry you further but some dogs eat their own poo and love it. So your situation could be worse.

If it is any consolation, my vet (who I have untold admiration for) has said to me "Glynis, it is just another level of probiotic". Of course there is the possibility of contracting worms but if your dog is on a worming programme or if you actually see worms you can address that if it should arise.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I agree, you should be keeping Henry leashed so he doesn't have the chance to eat other dog's waste. If he's leashed, you can take him to areas where other dogs have not gone to the bathroom, you can control where he's allowed to go avoiding those areas. 

I would check with your building to see if there's a policy about pet owners picking up their dog's waste, most cities have ordinances regarding this and some have fines for owners who don't.


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## Wicky (Aug 27, 2015)

I feel your pain! Sona will do this also. It got better as she got a bit older mainly through limiting opportunity. I could never take my eyes off her in the garden as she would eat her own ?
Now she will eat the fresh poop of her doggy friends when we are out walking so what I really have to do is keep an eye on all the dogs we are walking with and if I think their owner won't get to it before Sona would, I head in that direction to gaurd it! Thankfully the owners I mostly see are aware of our issue and move rapidly to avoid Sona getting access. I assume the owners are just slower than Henry and it's not just lying around especially as it is you building dog park? I agree running and shouting will only make it worse. I walk briskly but calmly toward a poop source and if Sona heads that direction it's a low but loud rather authoritative 'leave it' command. Works 99.9% of the time unless I've made an error and let her get a bit too far away


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I know this is gross but you might ask the people what they are feeding their dogs. Since he is being very selective there must be something in their food he really likes.


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## DeborahL (Mar 26, 2014)

Good insight. 

Unfortunately, leaving him on a leash is not really an option since this is the dog park, he would hate me if I would be in the way of playing. 

Furthermore, people do clean up after their pets, but he literally eats it straight from the source, meaning licking their backside as soon as it start coming out. Sorry for the graphic details, it makes me sick also. 

I was thinking of bringing a spray bottle and spraying him in the face when he does that. Do you think that would help? It certainly helped when trying to prevent barking.


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## DeborahL (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi,

I am hoping for more tips... It is driving me crazy...

Henry ate other dog's poop 3 times in about an hour. He will not listen if I call him and if I come running, he will just hurry up to finish it. If I get mad and give him a light spanking and yell, he will think I am trying to play.

What can I do to discourage this? 

Also, i went to the vet to see if it was a vitamin deficiency thing and the vet told me there was no test or anything that could be done to figure it out... And Henry is allergic to practically everything.

Thank you for your help on this!


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## Wicky (Aug 27, 2015)

Can you not let him drag around a long training leash? This is common where I take my dog when owners want to work on weak recall etc. If you monitor closely and stay in the vicinity of the leash you can pick it up and call him in when you see another dog poop. You will have to be on alert at all time. As was said above when you ramp up the situation by yelling etc that will make things worse. When you said you can't bring treats is that because he is begging all the time? He can get used to you having treats without getting them all the time when out. What do you want him to focus on? Personally when my dog is off lead I want her focus on me - so when playing wth other dogs or running around she returns quickly and is rewarded by the treats. So in addition to a leash I would bring treats and work on recall constantly throughout his play time.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

DeborahL said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am hoping for more tips... It is driving me crazy...
> 
> ...


Try having some food in your hand when you call him. Chloe would eat her own poop. But when we call her we have some bananna or something and she comes running. Works everytime.


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