# puppy won't stop eating cat poo etc



## lovehearts (Jun 18, 2012)

my puppy will be 10 weeks on thursday and for the last week she will not stop eating whatever she can when in garden but now growling when i try to remove it from her mouth, now she got clever and eating it down mega fast. i trying to do the swap for treat but she just swallows fast then expect treat. she is so hyper so can't pick her up. 
Her breath stinks of cat poo all the time now and cleaning teeth now with dog paste.
She is extremly growly and snappy and i can't train her at all as she refused to listen. She is fed james wellbeloved.
She also wakes all night in her cage, i dont get her out anymore excpt once at 3am which half way through night as she needs toilet.
But at the mo, its her poo eating that bothering us most.


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## lovehearts (Jun 18, 2012)

Can anyone help?


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## GermanShepardOwner (Aug 20, 2012)

Its actualy a very normal puppy behaviour. Most dogs do grow out of it thankfully, it wont do any harm to her though. 

I would train a leave command, you can do this by putting a toy or food on the floor and saying leave.. if she goes for it then you say a AH AH leave it,if she does then treat, do this for a short time and then treat with something else, very high value treat, once she gets it you can extend the leave time. 

For now untill you have taught this i would ignore her and walk away if she picks any up, call her with a very exicted voice and get her doing something else. Its a very annoying behaviour but is quite normal. 

You could also whistle train, start inside, whistle treat and repeat. Then if she goes near any and you blow the whistle she should come at an instance for a very high value treat and fuss, much better than the cat poo. 

But you need to ignore the behaviour, by shouting or interacting it can be seen as rewarding to her.


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## button50 (Apr 16, 2012)

Dont panic, I had the same thing with Bubba wanting to eat anything, Saying leave everytime and rewarding when he did, Took time just like anything does with puppies but hang in there.

This may sound daft too but i got fishy treats to reward Bubba just because i though maybe if the cat poo smelt of fish he maybe attracted to the smell, Fish for dogs treats worked for me.


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## Pet Services Kent (Dec 3, 2010)

lovehearts said:


> my puppy will be 10 weeks on thursday and for the last week she will not stop eating whatever she can when in garden but now growling when i try to remove it from her mouth, now she got clever and eating it down mega fast. i trying to do the swap for treat but she just swallows fast then expect treat. she is so hyper so can't pick her up.
> Her breath stinks of cat poo all the time now and cleaning teeth now with dog paste.
> *She is extremly growly and snappy and i can't train her at all as she refused to listen.* She is fed james wellbeloved.
> She also wakes all night in her cage, i dont get her out anymore excpt once at 3am which half way through night as she needs toilet.
> But at the mo, its her poo eating that bothering us most.


I would be more concerned by this than eating cat poo (as others have suggested start teaching a leave command and try not to make a big deal out of it, you could also try having her on a long line so you can control whereabouts in the garden she is playing).

Has she had her second jab yet? If not I would mention the growling and snapping to the vet when you go, if not I would book an appointment, just to confirm it's not due to her being in pain. What situation does she growl/snap in and what breed is she? What do you do shen she growls/snaps at you?


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## Ploppy (Jul 11, 2012)

As Pet Services Kent said, the possessive aggressive behaviour is of priority here.
As for the unhealthy fixation with eating poop, my vet gave me some advice for this behaviour, at least for my puppy's own poo: Discretely put something bitter on it - strong lemon juice, or commercial deterrent spray. Nothing harmful, but not pleasant either.
That way they learn that these things just don't taste nice, and don't WANT to eat them.
I haven't seen the effects yet myself, but it seems to remove her interest a bit.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

lovehearts said:


> my puppy will be 10 weeks on thursday and for the last week she will not stop eating whatever she can when in garden but now growling when i try to remove it from her mouth, now she got clever and eating it down mega fast. i trying to do the swap for treat but she just swallows fast then expect treat. she is so hyper so can't pick her up.
> Her breath stinks of cat poo all the time now and cleaning teeth now with dog paste.
> She is extremly growly and snappy and i can't train her at all as she refused to listen. She is fed james wellbeloved.
> She also wakes all night in her cage, i dont get her out anymore excpt once at 3am which half way through night as she needs toilet.
> But at the mo, its her poo eating that bothering us most.


You could try interrupting her with an Ahh Ahh. Also try to find something she find more rewarding then the cat poo. Some dogs cant resist squeaky or squeaky fluffy toys, others it may be a tennis ball, but preferably a toy that makes a noise if you can find one she cant resist. These worked well in training they have squeakers in them too
Skinneeez Stuffing Free Crazy Critters Dog Toys

After saying the Ahh Ahh which should hopefully stop her, squeak the toy like mad and walk backwards wriggling it about so its animated. Or just squeak it
if it goes to plan she should be more interested in the toy and follow you.
You can then get her to chase it, throw it inside the house so she has it then shut the door and clean up. Keep the special toy and she only gets it after she leaves poop and things alone. Alternatively if you can go out first and check the garden and remove the cat poo if possible.

What treats are you using to train her, they have to be things she really loves and cant resist, cheese, chicken, hot dogs, sausages and anything liver based are usually good, mine would sell their sould for tiny pieces of cheese.
Try different things to see which she will work best for for training. If you can train her to do the basics like sit wait recall etc, it should help with control too. Hopefully if you can find something she cant resist that should get her attention and make it easier. You can then get her to sit and focus for anything she wants and that you give her too.

It might also be an idea if you dont already think about training classes
Welcome to APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK is one organisation whch should find trainers and classes in your area. if you are struggling at times at least you will have back up too.


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## lovehearts (Jun 18, 2012)

Vet saw her last week and didn't have any issues with her health, just said this puppy has been well bred. JRT cross.
When she growls i walk away or call her away from the poo to give a treat.
I sprayed the poo with vingear but she is digging them up out of ground where i cant see them. 
She got 2nd jab in November and allowed out a week later. 
Started lead training. Not always growly only whehn i remove her from cat poo or the bin. She is greedy.
I give her cheese, sausage cut up tiny or chicken as treats or jwb puppy treats!


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