We have a Joel 5 yr old Golden Retriever wonderful and beautiful?

Question

He is well fed but, when we let him out in the back yard he eats dog poop. When he goes for walks if he finds poop he eats it. We love him but cannot stand his breath. His brother Brandon is more discrete --- doesn't eat poop atleast not as much as Joel. What up Dog people????

Answer 1

Eating poop goes back to ancient times with wolves. Food wasn't always plentiful, so wolves ate poop because it contains undigested nutrients. My dog does the same thing, and when I'm walking him, I pay attention if he starts sniffing the ground.

Answer 2

Dogs eat dog poop because they like it. Very simple. Oh you'll get answers that will say they do it because of a deficient diet or lack of minerals. Poppy cock, they just like it. This is one of those behaviors that you can correct but that is not the best, not for you or the dog. They best way is avoidance. That is pick up the poop before the dog has a chance at it. Is your dog trained? So if on a walk and the dog sees poop you can give it the "leave it" command and it will? If your dog is not reliable in basic obedience then you can enroll in a class and help him to be reliable. "Sit, stay, down, come" are all useful commands and the dog should be reliable in them but, I use "leave it, quiet, stop" (as when walking and you don't want to put the dog in a sit/stay you use this command to just have the dog stop in place) and a few other commands more often.

Answer 3

According to The Monks of New Skete (the leading source on dog training and behavior), Joel may have a nutritional imbalance. They have written several bestselling books.

"The Monks suggest feeding your dog a dry food that is at least 23% meat protein, and about 25% raw meat. In addition, either an egg, or a tablespoon of vegetable oil every few days. They also think that eating feces may involve a dietary deficiency." - http://www.k9web.com

Answer 4

Make sure you keep your yard clean and punish him every time you catch him. It's a very hard habit to break. When I worked at a doggie daycare, we spent more than 6 months working to break a dog of the habit. My own dogs haven't responded to any other usual Behavior Modification Training techniques. The biggest thing is keeping the yard clean so they can't find as much to eat. Walk them on a leash with a choke collar (Lupine brand Combo Collars are best) and keep the dog away from poo. It's a natural behavior for mother dogs keeping a den clean and for Alphas removing other dogs' scents but some dogs go overboard and it's very bad for their health. Make sure your dogs get their anti-worming treatments on time at least until you break them of this habit.

Also, if you're going to use treats containing parsley or any of the other breath fresheners, don't give it to them after they've eaten poo because then you're rewarding them for bad behavior. You have to wait until they do something worth a treat or give them one at an appointed time each day.

Answer 5

My dog does the same thing. The breeder said he'd grow out of it, but he never did. We just sort of put up with it. I've heard that the reason they do it is because they actually *like* the smell, so they think it's food.

I think there are different things you can do to get them to stop...but none of them worked for my dog. And they also wouldn't work if the dog is eating other dogs' poop besides his own.

Answer 6

I read on the internet that putting meat tenderizer on the dog's food would help to break that habit. It is a habit/behavior. There are also powders in Foster & Smith that can be put into food that is supposed to help with that problem

Answer 7

hi Gerald,i have golden retriever too,actually that is the attitude or characteristic of golden retriever but you as owner should know how to discipline your pet..everytime she eat poopps or something ..you have to punish him so that it will be inculcated into your pets mind that eating poops is not good.

Answer 8

I don't know what it is, but, some dogs do that. I know it's totally gross. But, all you can pretty much do is: pick up his pooh as soon as he goes... and don't let him walk close to the grass or bushes.

Answer 9

Read this:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_ask_dogpoop

Answer 10

some dogs just do that! at the pet store you can buy special treats that help treat bad breath. for example: http://www.petsmart.com/global/search/search_results.jsp has a couple!