Marlo Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 My puppy is almost five months, he has been well socialised I have another border collie at 15 months. But he is very shy, hides when we have visitors. I have a lot in the house as I work from home and always encourage him to say hello. Few prob with him , he gets off lead twice a day for long walks he is great recall but recently taken to eating other dogs poos. I give him a stern correction telling him leAve and no putting him back on lead as soon as he does it..but he keeps doing it..I don't want to have him on lead all the time so help and advice I'd appreciated. Also he used to bark at other dogs, now he doesn't but sometimes he goes up to the dogs fine but then snaps in their face, it is like a playful snap ..not aggresive ..but it does not look right. I tell him off . Hold his snout tell him no..but again he does it. He has been doing so well with housetraining ect ..but these probs are setting him back..he does not do the snapping to my other dog they get on really well but I need. Help in sorting this out. They both go to training classes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlo Posted April 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Come on ..someone out there must have some advice to give ..I need your valued opinion .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Um, it's afternoon on Easter and you are a bit touchy that no one has replied between noon and five pm (depending on your time zone)? Give them time. Most people are either celebrating the holiday with family, with their dogs, and/or enjoying the afternoon. I'm sure that someone will reply to your questions. Meanwhile, work on teaching a solid "leave it" command. Sit on a chair in the kitchen, drop a mid-low value treat on the floor, and when he approaches it, put your foot over it and say, "Leave it" in a no-nonsense but firm voice. When he stops either trying to get at it or looking at your foot, and looks at your face, tell him he's good and immediately give him a higher-value treat. You can use a clicker for this if you do any clicker work with him rather than a "Yes!" when he turns to look at you. Many young dogs go through the eating-poo stage. It usually passes in fairly short order. So, while you don't want him on leash all the time (and that's understandable) it might just be the right thing to do for now as you continue to train "leave it" at home (where there are no distractions and you can control the situation) and give him some time to grow past this stage, which is a common puppy stage. I hope someone else will help with the snapping issue but that is not uncommon in young dogs, particularly those entering the months of adolescence. What I would do is not to "tell him off and hold his nose and say 'no'" (my paraphrasing of what I understand you are doing) but rather look at the whole picture. Is he off-leash when this happens? If he is on-leash, is your leash taut (tight) or slack (loose) between the two of you? You said you are taking classes. Have you worked on teaching him what we call "meet and greet" where you start out with passing by another person (dogs on the outside, people on the inside), and work your way up to stopping and your speaking to the other person, and then your contacting the other person (a handshake, for instance), and then letting the dogs greet each other? If at any time he shows the inclination (and that's the key, to spot the time at which he's just *thinking* or *about to think* of doing the behavior, then firmly turn and walk away with him. He doesn't get to greet if he's not going to be polite. If you can, do these exercises initially with people and dogs he knows and gets along with, and work up to people and dogs he does not know. He's not mature at all at this age, he's entering adolescence with all its issues, and he's done this multiple times (apparently) so he is on his way to a bad habit. I had one dog with a similar problem, and there is no reason for my dog to react that way. Mine growls. When it happens, he doesn't do anything but growl and I step between him and the other dog (who is usually totally non-offensive), turn him, and walk away with him. He can be very playful but sometimes there is something about another dog that pushes his button (or he pushes his own button), so I have to manage him to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, give folks their Easter Sunday afternoon and expect some replies when they have the time to be on the internet and read and reply to your questions. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Happy Resurrection Day everyone!! You can try feeding everyone digestive enzymes on their food to make the poop not so enticing. The only thing I know of that works 100% of the time is to scoop immediately though. Often scolding only causes the dog to gulp it down faster, so prevention is the way to go. Good luck on this difficult and disgusting habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach BCs Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 I have two poop eaters. I scoop as soon as I can but sometimes I miss one or one of the girls beat me to the punch. And yes, scolding only hurries them up. It's a gross habit, but I guess dogs will be dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 My impression was that this is an issue on walks where he finds "other dogs'" poo, rather than at home where it is his or his housemate's leavings. I could be wrong. If it's other dogs' (not at home dogs') poo, then enzymes won't help. I've tried that with my dogs back when I had a pup, and found it could upset some dogs' digestive systems. At home, the answer is scoop, scoop, scoop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandysfarm Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I'm feeling faint again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlo Posted April 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 So sorry for being impatient forgot about the holidays ..Ix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlo Posted April 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Thanks for the comments yes Sue you are right it is when I am out walking. I constantly scoop up their mess and it's not their poo I have the problem with..it's other dogs poo. Kept him on lead quite a bit this morning , every time I saw a poo I would say leave..if he did I would say good boy and walk on..it's a woody area so there can be quite a bit of poos. I think we will have to watch him closely as he goes through this stage. My older pup went through this stage with little stones eating them constantly as she went along. I will try and work on the leave it at home see if it helps more. As for the snapping it is on and off lead that he does it. Again my other pup was the complete opposite who thought everyone was her friend and ran up to everyone. He is different he seems to be getting more wary the older he gets..he does not do it with every dog ..but as u said I don't want to be giving him mixed signals. Yes at class they do the passing one another greeting etc..although the way it has worked out he has missed couple of classes due to my other dog getting speyed and my mum going in hosp. He is a great wee boy just wanted to know some tips in how to handle things bit better. There are lots of different dogs nearby maybe I should curb his freedom at the moment until he can be trusted. I don't like to shout at him, so appreciate the advice x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 There are lots of different dogs nearby maybe I should curb his freedom at the moment until he can be trusted. I don't like to shout at him, so appreciate the advice x I wish I could offer some practical advice regarding the snapping, but I don't have a lot of experience with your particular situation. I will say though that you are spot on with curbing his freedom until he can be trusted. The snapping is a bad habit he's developing and the more often he has a chance to practice that behavior the harder it is going to be to "fix". I'd make sure if he's ever in a situation where another dog is around you have complete control over him to prevent him from practicing the unwanted behavior. You may also want to consider attaching a very long, light line to his collar or harness. This way he could romp and play "off leash" but if you need to get control over him quickly you can just step on the line. A lot of people use a long line with young dogs/puppies to help prevent them from making poor decisions while also allowing them a bit more freedom. Good luck and I hope others with experience can give you better advice on squelching the snapping behavior! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlo Posted April 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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