Poo Eater

You'd never suspect a poo eater.

Poo eater, caca eater, caca mouth, or poopy mouth however you want to write or say it I have a doo doo eater. Lucee that sweet faced puppy eats her poo.

I’ve done all the standard things to discourage her from eating it. You know the frantic, “Nooooo! Don’t eat that…” Trying to body block the fresh poo only to step right into the warm fresh mess, I’ve even fed her pineapple because it supposedly makes the poo smell or taste icky, doesn’t poo already taste icky. Apparently, Lucee found her doo more appetizing and she ate with gusto! Then I moved onto herbs. I fed her herbs that should have helped deter the eating but again, I think they made the poo more aromatic and savory. Finally, I tried a medication from my vet to no avail!

I started to think I was going to have to live with a poo eater. YUCK! Then it hit me, and it shouldn’t have taken me so long to think of this…Training! I could train her to leave her poo alone, all I need to do (ha, ha) is find something she values more highly than her doo doo and I can proceed to train an impeccable off. So, I switched gears, while sits and downs are important, I’ve decided to elevate the “Off” command to the same level as “Stay” since the whole poo thing grosses me out.

Training the “Off” command has also done wonders for her “fangness” (her mouthy/biting) I started by using the highest value food treat to her fresh boiled chicken and held it in my closed fist close to her nose. I let her get a good sniff going and then I would say, “Off” and the moment she removed her nose from my hand I said, “Yes” or used my clicker to mark the behavior. Then I would say, “Take it” and click or say “Yes” when she took the chicken from my hand. After five to ten minutes, I would stick my chicken smelly hand out for her to nose and she wasn’t even engaging, she turned her head or laid herself down. And by the end of the day after a few more five to ten minute sessions I hold the chicken on the palm of my hand and when I’d call her to me she would come, sit and look to me for direction. She sat for two minutes without paying attention to the chicken on my open hand before I told her to “take it.”

Lucee & Josie after some running.

As of today I can put a high value item like the chicken on the floor call Lucee to me, tell her off if she shows any interest and she leaves it and proceeds to me. I’m close to 100% indoors, nearly 50% outdoors, so if she poops twice in a day she’s only eating one! Not bad for one week of intensive training of one of the hardest headed puppies I’ve ever owned. Another thing I’ve done is upped her exercise, the idea being that she’ll be too tired to eat her poo.

It’s all a work in progress and while the poo eating is gross to me, it is quite natural for her. While she is with me, in the yard, there will be a no poo eating rule and I am cleaning the yard at least once a day. And for those of you wondering I do not feed her a grocery store brand food. We feed a completely natural diet.

I’m shooting for close to 100% with off outdoors by the end of next week.

Until next time, Woof!

In Search Of...

Josie being Josie

Josie my basset hound/pointer mix and I are in search of a new friend to fill the silence in our home. She wants someone to take the meet and greet pressure off her as well as someone to take over the long walks. I like five-mile hikes, Josie is more of a mile, and I’m ready for the couch.

Josie misses Wyatt. He was the first one to the door to meet everyone and now that he’s gone, I realize she used him to make sure the humans entering were okay. I run a daycare and Josie loved being with the kids, but now I realize she liked it because all she had to do was meet, greet and retreat to her chair and she and the kids were happy. Now that Wyatt is gone, the children expect Josie to stay and play.

On Thursday, I went to the local SPCA with my daughter Madeline to meet a six-month old female Labrador Retriever. She was a total cutie in her photo and her description sounded perfect. I want an active, easy to train dog and retrievers fit that mold for me. I am also partial to retrievers so that made it easier for me to take the step and meet this beautiful young pup. This isn’t the first dog I’ve looked at since Wyatt died. I checked out a few puppies that were lab/chow mixes but decided against one of them because I didn’t think the chow breed was appropriate for my life and daycare. I looked at another lab mix and he was a wonderful dog but not quite motivated by toys or food. He wanted to be a house dog and I want active. I also checked out a six-month-old Cocker Spaniel and while he was active and toy motivated, he kept humping the tech’s leg, not exactly a good mix with a house full of children.

 I want to train my dog for Canine Good Citizenship, I’d like my next dog to do therapy work and for playtime I’m hoping my new dog will love agility. Could I have  met my wooftastic match?

Stay tuned…Until next time Woof!