Well Becca is still addicted to poo. We have come to an understanding when she is on leash. I have to see it first and say 'leave it'. Off leash is whole other problem. If there is poo available, I don't exist. We now have a bobcat in the area. Becca is in heaven when she finds a pile.

I don't like the idea of a shock collar, but have been debating a vibrating one. Does anyone have any input on them? I need to break her focus on the poo.

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we have the same problem. on lease remmy is great. off leash she always eats it. i dont like shock collars but maybe thats a good idea. i never thought about that. Maybe an obedience class? We are considering putting remmy in one because when we are outside she has the worst ADD ive ever seen in my life. She doesnt listen well at all. But inside she's perfect. so im not sure. 

Becca is well trained and has many classes. We compete in rally and agility. She is just totally addicted to poo. Two trainers I know have suggested a basket muzzle. I would like to fix the behavior as well if possible though.

A friend of mine suggested getting RX Vitamins for Pets Rx Zyme, found on amazon I believe.  I have yet to try it for Lance but really want to.  I finally have forced myself to be very vigilant about picking up right after the dogs, hoping he will stop when there isnt anything to eat.  You should see him trying to find it when I let him out...hes on a mission, in fact some times I believe he pretends  he needs to go out, just for that very reason!! :O 

I really need to try the enzyme stuff.  I feel your pain, Im not big on shock collars either but if it stops the behavior, it may be worth it!!!

It would almost be easier if she ate her own poo. She doesn't, she seems to like predator poo (cats, fox etc.) Becca will ignore deer poo and then go for the big pile left by a bobcat.

The neighbor who refuses to clean up after their dog is another whole issue. Their dog attacked Becca last year, since she wants to eat its poo. She doesn't bother with that of other dogs as much.

You could try it.

I know of a lady I see at the dog park that her American bulldog LOVES to eat poop. He'll come into the park and eat any poop that wasn't picked up or sometimes if he catches a dog going, he'll wait to eat theirs.

Recently, I heard that she got him a shock collar to use whenever he ate poop and it worked at first but, gradually he got used to it and it didn't affect him anymore whenever she pressed it. So, he continued on his poop-eating ways.

I'm just grateful I was able to nip my Chucky's poop eating ways!

I would suggest trying to play leave it games in the house and then outside using really great treats and human food. If you can call Becca off of a piece of steak, call off of poo may be just a step above that? I think the collar would work at first, but you'd have to have the collar on all the time. Dogs are pretty clever about that sort of thing. If it isn't on, she'd probably go for it.

I would fear the bobcat, not its scat.  There is someone on this site who lost a corgi to a bobcat.

Think about it from the bobcat's point of view:  that door opens twice a day at the same times, and a nice meal comes out.

You MIGHT be able to use a shock collar to train a dog to avoid poop, but usually, if you slap a kid's hand when he reaches into the cookie jar, he learns to keep his hands out of the cookie jar when you're watching.

I have been careful since I figured out that it was bobcat scat. It is on an access road near my house. I'm only letting her off leash there now when we have a bunch of dogs with us. The slowest one gets caught right? She is not the slowest by far. Becca is always accompanied by me for yard breaks.

I want to use the vibrating collar to break her focus from the poop back to me. She hates my phone when it vibrates, so I'm hoping she will dislike the vibration of the collar. I will not shock her, do not agree with it. I also do not want to go to a basket muzzle. 

I worked with a trainer once who used a shock collar on one of my dogs because he wouldn't respond to distance recalls when we were at the dog park.  I wasn't thrilled about it.  He used it once-one mild zap (I zapped myself with it first-it stung but was about the same as the dermatologist).  It took months after that for that dog to leave my side at the dog park.  I think each dog has a particular response to something like that and the response isn't predictable. 

I would worry about the bobcat more than the poop eating.

Beverly, David, and the boys post reminds me of the dogs that become "porch sitters" when put on an invisible fence; one shock and they decide the best option is never to leave the yard at all. I considered an invisible fence (my yard has steep hills and there are not many fencing options) but chose not to because one of my Corgis is very sensitive. For instance, once we were out on the deck and two squirrels (really!) got in a fight in the tree. It was very noisy and Jack would not even go on the deck for weeks after that.

On the other hand, many, many hunting dogs have been trained using various e-collars with great results. You need to know your dog. Basically you are just using an aversive so she associates the poo with bad things, but you have to be careful she doesn't associate something ELSE with the bad thing. In the dog park story, their dog associated leaving the owner with the shock, while the trainer had believed the dog would associate ignoring the recall with the shock.

Aversives are very effective but if the dog gets the wrong idea, it can be hard to repair the damage.

If you DO use one, she must wear it a lot when you are not using it so she does not learn that the shock only comes when she wears the collar. I believe you are meant to leave the collar on the dog most of the time for a period of time before you ever introduce the aversive mode.
One of my neighbors has invisible fence and the dog now a barker and stays only on the driveway. I don't want her harmed, but she is so totally tuned out when she is after poo. She was the same way the day she found chicken bones. I worrynthat she will get something worsevthan poo. A neighbor has a deaf puppy, so if the collar doesn't work for me, she may be able to use it.

There is a trainer about an hour away who has corgis. I may contact her for suggestions.

This probably sounds idiotic, but could you go scout the area without Becca first, and douse any piles with cayenne pepper or something similar? Perhaps if she got a nasty taste a few times she would be more inclined to leave it alone.

Would she respond to a squirt bottle or a can of pennies maybe?

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