Puppy problem don't know how to fix

sewchick

One Handy Chick
16 Years
Jan 7, 2009
2,126
187
406
Maine
I got a puppy last Friday. He is 8 weeks old. Here's the problem..he eats chicken poop. Not sure how to break him of this. Trust me he eats like a pig. I feed him 2 cups of puppy food a day. The recommend 1 2/3 cups but he is extremely playful and out most of the day with me. I have tried saying no and he does listen until he finds the next pile. I have free range chickens. Should I pen the chickens or is this just going to fade as he gets older. Please if you have had experience with this I can really use the advice. Also I would like to know what to use for keeping the black flies and mosquitoes off him. Anyone got ideas. I heard of some things but I really have a problem with home remedies.

He already knows sit and he gives me his paw on command. He has only made 3 potty mistakes one was poo in my bedroom. Not good. He is now on the tile part of the house and things have been much better. He is learning not to chew and doing good with not jumping on people. He has to be reminded sometimes. His name is Buddy but I call him bud. He is half pit and half labradoodle. Seems mellow pretty much and minds good. He's real sweet. I just hope to break him of the poop eating. He needs mouthwash!!!
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I saw a show once that targeted dogs that eat their own or cats poop. They say its becaue they eat their food so fast that they don't chew it properly and it is just poured into their stomach and it doe'st digest right. That is why they eat it is because it still contains the food. This may be possible with your chickens poop. NOt sure but I would put him up and keep him away from the chickens or put up the chickens.

Maybe somebody else has a better recommendation but that is what I'd do if the "NO" doesn't work. I would also slap him on thenose when he is in the process of the deed while saying "No, Bad Puppy, NO"
 
Saw a TV show about a professional dog trainer teaching a family to teach the dogs not to eat poo. The trainer said it is a very difficult habit to break. And many on here say their dogs eat the chicken poo. Mine not only eat it, they go hunting for it like a treat.

You could try teaching the "leave it" command and resarding them if they turn their head away. Good luck.
 
Sigh...maybe I will just try to keep him more busy. Soon he will be old enough to play Frisbee. He is just getting used to following the ball. He does retrieve it when he finds it. I am wondering if a obedience class might help.
 
I'm a huge Cesar Millan fan, and he says that when dogs eat poo it's because they lack something (typically a specific mineral) in their diet. He had a really bad case of a dog that ate it's own poo as well as the others in the household. He somehow figured out that the dog went bonkers over banana, so he thought it was lacking potassium. He took pieces of banana with him, and each time the dog would even bend it's head toward a pile of poo, he'd make his "SSSSHHHH!!! nose and it would snap its head up to look at Cesar, who would then offer a piece of banana. It took WEEKS of diligent work, but it got to the point that he took this dog on a trip in his motor home, they went out and were gone longer than expected, and when they returned, the dog had pooped on the floor and not eaten it. A victory!
 
There is a product called "Icky Poo" that you can feed your dog. It's a tasteless white powder that, once digested, makes their poo taste really gross, so they stop eating it. I know he's not eating his own poo, I just thought it might work if you feed it to the birds. Not sure if this woud be safe for use on chickens (probably not), but it's definitely worth asking a vet about. Other than that, if you let your chickens free range, there's not much you can do to curb this behavior. Poo will be everywhere, and unless you are right next to him every minute of the day teaching him "leave it," and reinforcing it when he does/doesn't eat it - there's no chance of correcting this. You might want to consider having a seperate area for him anyways, as he may be good with the chickens now because he's little, but as an adolescent might want to start chasing the birds.

Good luck!
 
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All he did was teach the dog a "leave it" command. He got the dog's attention away from the poo with the sound, then reinforced the dog for looking at him and not eating the poo with banana as a treat. Teaching "leave it" is definitely a long process and a very involved one. I don't think it had anything to do with a potassium deficiency. JMO
 
Chance is you wont be able to correct this. However, with some dogs that eat dog poo, feeding them fig newtons will sometimes correct this. Not sure if it would work with chicken poo. But its worth a try along with the "leave it" command. Good luck!
 
Charleston, I disagree, but appreciate your opinion. While Cesar was training this dog, he went through a period toward the end when he was almost done where he'd put a piece of banana on the ground RIGHT BESIDE the poo, and the dog would ignore the poo and eat only the banana. He wasn't "reinforcing the dog to look at him" at that point; the dog CHOSE to not eat the poo and eat the banana.
 
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I really hope he doesn't chase them. The girls have already given him a couple of good pinches. He doesn't seem too interested in the hens or the cat. He is all about the humans so far. He's submissive and calm. He really only gets hyper when he is playing. I hope this doesn't change. He doesn't eat his own poop he just smells it and then pees or poops. He does poop a lot. So far it's only the chicken poop, grass, pine cones, moss. I do say no but he's too fast for me. By the time I see him do it he's onto the next pile.
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