Sheepdog pup eating everything. Any tips

[MOG]

Looking to pick the collective brains of you lot regarding my new collie pup. Had her for a couple of months now so she would be about 4 months old. But ever since we have had her she will eat anything. Especially loves sh!t of various types. Normally she can be pretty obedient, but if she gets a lump of muck in her month she is off and nothing will persuade her to give it up or come back to you. Short of a muzzle, or never letting her off a lead, I am not sure how best to stop this getting any worse. Do you reckon she might grow out of it, or is there a simple fix anyone has used successfully to stop this behaviour. Open to any suggestions (short of a lead injection!) Cheers. MOG

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Dogs eat sh!t....nowt you can do about it, sloppier and yellower the more they love it

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Dogs eat sh!t....nowt you can do about it, sloppier and yellower the more they love it

And it makes them fart !!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

And it makes them fart !!

Well I don’t eat it and I fart

 

[Dry Rot]

Dogs eat sh!t....nowt you can do about it, sloppier and yellower the more they love it

That's not entirely true. My dogs have always eaten shite. I look the other way and don't let them lick my face. Then my vet (old school and good) told me it is an excellent source of vitamin B and if they didn't need it, they wouldn't eat it. Dogs are different to humans. Thank god.

 

[Tim W]

. Dogs are different to humans. Thank god.

And in the main better company

 

[lizness]

May be wise to try and avoid poo of newly wormed sheep, some of the wormers are quite poisonous

 

[ARW]

This is no help, but all our dogs love fodder beet! They don’t eat dog crap but they do like some sheep crap!

 

[JWL]

Often dogs that eat their own crap are fed on a high cereal diet which mainly passes through them, remember back to changing nappies on your kids after they had eaten sweetcorn, they then take another go at getting the nutrition from the crap. Nearly all the dogs I've had over the years, sheepdogs to household terriers used to imbibe in the habit but after the other half took herself off on a nutrition course and persuaded me to change to a low cereal dry dog food which is based mainly on duck and rice they've not bothered. The other big advantage is that while more expensive per bag you actually feed less of it and it can work out the same or even cheaper on the wallet.
Yes my terrier will still be partial to a tasty bit of sheep shite but at least the farts are a little less pungent.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Not sure that the OP was specifically talking about the dog eating his own crap. Our dogs are on a good diet but they love getting in the cattle shed to see what's lying about they can get there tongues into. I've never seen them eat their own crap though. If there is a calf letting a bit loose the dogs think it's a bonus !!

 

[Woolless]

May be wise to try and avoid poo of newly wormed sheep, some of the wormers are quite poisonous

Yes, ivermectins can be dangerous and result in seizures.

 

[Keepers]

I have found with pups, the more you don’t want them to do it, the more they will! And will keep the habit much longer

I completely ignore any sh!t munching from the beginning, they can feast on it, roll in it, slurp it up. Very soon it gets boring and they grow out of it by the time they are adults.
The pups who have been kept away and chased and made to think that sh!t is a gift from the gods keep the habit much longer.

I also only buy pups from MDR1 tested or negative lines so no worries about ivermectin, not enough dogs tested or selected for this imo

 

[Cvx1170]

Squeaky ball

 

[Dry Rot]

Many years ago I moved house and the dogs had to be kennelled in a concrete yard with no outun. I was feeding raw washed beef tripe at the time. One of the dogs started to become very hyper, running around the kennel like a mad thing. The vet diagnosed vitamin B deficiency and the dog quickly returned to normal after one injection. My vet told me the dog would get sufficient vit B by eating grass....or dung...or unwashed tripe.

Dogs eating their own or others shite is an interesting one. I did some research with an emminennt canine behaviourist on this one but never really solved it. Then one day I was listening to the radio when a nutritionist from a top London hospital was being interviewed on gut bacteria. He was explaining how our intestines grow bacteria to suit our diet. Our intestines contain many species of bacteria which needto be in balance. He explained how buffalo and zebras both inhabit the African plains but the proportions are delicately balanced to suit the environment and he used that example to illustrate his explanation. (Grazing sheep and cattle together is a similar situation).

I immediately phoned the hospital and asked to speak to him (I do that! ). I was put through and I asked if dogs might eat dog poo in an effort to balance their own gut bacteria. He agreed that it seemed a reasonable explanation. Quite a few species of animals eat their own dung. I have seen horses do it and of course hares do it as a normal part of heir digestions. Cows eat their own vomit!

Anyway, it does suggest that this too is a natural and normal behaviour and if we don't like it, try varying the dog's diet -- and look the other way!

 

[DartmoorEwe]

My dog likes sheep sh1t so much I have considered giving it to her for her supper.

 

[Spartacus]

That's not entirely true. My dogs have always eaten shite. I look the other way and don't let them lick my face. Then my vet (old school and good) told me it is an excellent source of vitamin B and if they didn't need it, they wouldn't eat it. Dogs are different to humans. Thank god.

Did you give a supplement of vit b to see if it stopped them eating it?

 

[farmerm]

sh!t is at least cheaper than other things your dog could feast on... ours is 18months and whilst the chewing isn't as common as it once was she does still do it occasional... table legs, chair legs and arms, door, door frame, garden bench, garden planters, biomass tank insulation, biomass fan power supply and thermal cut off switch wire, damaged the zips on 2 or 3 good coats and any kids toy that should find itself within reach... only the kids are more destructive that the dog!

 

[Dry Rot]

Did you give a supplement of vit b to see if it stopped them eating it?

So long as the dogs don't expect me to join in, they can take their vit B in the natural form! The vet said simply chewing grass occasionally should supply enough vitamins. One of the mottos I live by, concerning animals, is "When in doubt, follow Nature". Life is too short to worry about such things.

Edited to say, the dogs (3) help themselves to horse muck every morning. It is so normal, I forgot to mention it.

 

[Dry Rot]

sh!t is at least cheaper than other things your dog could feast on... ours is 18months and whilst the chewing isn't as common as it once was she does still do it occasional... table legs, chair legs and arms, door, door frame, garden bench, garden planters, biomass tank insulation, biomass fan power supply and thermal cut off switch wire, damaged the zips on 2 or 3 good coats and any kids toy that should find itself within reach... only the kids are more destructive that the dog!

A kennel is a good thing. Get them used to being in it -- and put a padlock on the gate to keep kids and females out!

I just brought some large sections of red deer spine back from the game dealers. That will keep them happy for a while.

 

[farmerm]

A kennel is a good thing. Get them used to being in it -- and put a padlock on the gate to keep kids and females out!

I just brought some large sections of red deer spine back from the game dealers. That will keep them happy for a while.

Oh but she looks cold....