I was planning on getting a remote citronella one instead, but was advised that over time they can get desensitized to the smell and then the training no longer is effective. I thought for the longest time that shock collars were cruel but actually they are better then I was expecting. I can choose the intensity of the shock and tried it on myself first, feels more like a tingling sensation, no pain and extremely short, just meant to get the dog's attention to change.

This was a last resort choice as she was getting sick too often from this really bad habit. She started eating poop when she was two and has continued with it ever since. She eats hers and our other dogs, she has always been on healthy dry foods like Wellness, Innova, California Natural, Nature's Variety etc., so I don't think it's a nutritional issue for her, it's most likely an O.C.D. behavior thing.

We did try all the pills, over the counter and from the vet, the natural stuff like pineapple, meat tenderizer, hot sauce, and different training commands "leave it" etc, with no progress. Walking her on the leash all the time works and is what we did for a while, but it became difficult because she can take up to 20 min. to go potty while on leash (she's always been like this never going to the bathroom on walks), specially not fun on very cold winter nights or when you need to leave soon to go somewhere.

She's been using the collar for 2 weeks now and has been doing great, I rarely have to correct her with a shock and always try the sound button first, which usually works. There have been several successful times where she doesn't even try to get near the poop. I can go back to picking up poop outside every couple of days and not worry about her gorging herself on it. She only wears the collar when she goes outside to go to the bathroom and so far has let me put it on her without hesitation or fear. I'm hoping in the future she'll get to a point where I won't be correcting her at all except a few times a year if she starts to revert.

I've also heard that the wire basket muzzles can work as well, probably if you add a stool guard but her obsession is so strong I thought she would find a way to mash the poop through the muzzle and lick it off.

When we would walk her on the leash, it just prevented her the opportunity, it did not change her behavior at all- the second she wasn't on a leash she would be eating poop, if it was available, I always tried to pick it up immediately. You're right walking a dog 20min isn't a burden, till you're doing it 8 times a day because she wants to go out and you don't want her to have an accident in the house just in case she really had to go to the bathroom.

It's also nice to be able to give her the freedom to be off leash and be able to play with our other dog in the fenced in backyard without worry if I missed picking up some poop or if my other dog decided to go while being outside. Of course she's on a leash when we go for runs or walks.

Since just having the collar on is working without the need for correction at this point and she can stand right next to a pile and not eat it, I'm happy to see the behavior itself is being changed and not just a bandaid approach with a leash. I could even take her to the dog park now if I wanted without worry if someone isn't following rules and picking up their poop.

I don't think she's bored, she has another dog, plenty of toys, raw marrow bones, I work with her on a daily basis as far as simple command training and regular play. She's part beagle and always wants food- I imagine the poop just smells like food to her and so she has an obsession with it.

luckily our cat has a particular part of the yard she likes to use so we have just had to fence it off to keep our dog out of the area, but really I do understand your frustration. It's very hard to be cuddly with a dog that has poo breath :/ and my dog has brought it into the house and started chewing it and scattering it on the couch and as patient as I am that just really made me mad.

I havent had to resort to a a collar of any sort, but if we hadnt found a solution I would do anything to stop this behaviour. Im a very patient person with my pets but this behaviour is really hard to accept, and for whatever reason is really hard to break them of.

well from my first post you can see my dog doesnt eat her own poo, she digs up the cats poo and eats it. since it's buried I dont know where exactly my cat has pooped unless I dig over the yard

even if she did eat her own poop, I dont watch my dogs 24/7, I work and have a house to run and my dogs have free access to the fenced in yard to poop whenever the need arises. Im not always there to watch them poop even if I wanted to pick it up asap. it's easy to say but hard to do for the rest of your dog's life to be there every second of the day just waiting and watching for a poop :/

Many of the training tips you've mentioned, we've already tried with no success. I've talked with more than one vet about her severe case and was told it was not due to boredom or nutritional issues but rather more of an obsessive compulsive thing.

I'm not advocating that everyone should jump on the shock collar band wagon to train their dogs, I agree that shock collars are something that should be reserved for severe cases where normal training isn't working, I was merely sharing my experience in case any one else with a very severe case was looking for a possible solution.

Yes, I did try the collar on my bare skin neck first and tried out the different intensity settings that start out very very light-not at all like sticking your finger in a light socket or getting a shock from getting out of your car or something, I would never just put it on my dog without understanding what it would feel like first.

As much as I would love to have all the free time in the world to pick up after them perfectly every time, I do have other responsibilities during the day besides taking care of them.

I do walk them both on leash almost everyday and set aside daily time to train and play with them. I know the importance of training and working with your dogs on a regular basis- besides my poop eating beagle mix, I own a very dog aggressive rescue and have to stay on top of things with him all the time (and no I do not use a shock collar on him)- my trainer said he was the worst case she has ever seen.

The poop eating behavior is different, all the training in the world doesn't seem to make a difference and she would still jump at the chance to eat poop. I would like her to be able to have off leash freedom in our backyard and when we go to visit other people with their backyards, plus maybe even be able to go to the dog park. She would be in agility but she has luxuriating patellas and I don't want to risk an injury- she would make a great therapy dog but I don't think she could pass the strict testing, she's way too food motivated.

The collar has not had a negative effect on her so far, she's not acting out in any way, she doesn't wear it all the time- only when she goes outside, and I'm happy to say that I don't even have to correct her now, as long as she has the collar on, she ignores the poop- which is exactly what I was hoping would happen-It would be different if she wasn't learning to change the behavior and I had to keep shocking her all the time-yeah then I can see how that would be a real problem and of course I wouldn't continue to use it if that was the case.

roobear, I'm sure it was very difficult for you to resort to the shock collar. However, it seems the only other option would be using drugs...if any even work on doggie OCD. IMO, this solution sounds as if it is working well at this point without the shock...and IMO that is far preferable to having your dog become ill, or the dog having to live on some sort of antidepressant med for OCD. Or worse, giving up on the poor baby and dumping him at the shelter...which is all too common for dogs with behavioral issues.

I applaud your perserverance in finding a solution to the problem.

Not everything is solved by a daily long walk and play time.

Last but not least, those who believe that eliminating all poop from a dogs environment is even possible have clearly not given much thought to the problem.

It is akin to believing that an alcoholic can be stopped from drinking if liquor is not kept in the house.

I hope your dog continues to do well.

The other option is to pick up the poop. Period.

Drugs and shock collars instead of simply picking up after your dog? I have three dogs in my home - two permanent dogs and always a foster. Between walks, I go into the yard with them where they have learned the designated wooded area and I pick up their poop. I work 60 hours a week, volunteer heavily, take care of a large home and am 60 years old. Tell me again the reasons people can't pick up their dog's poop and SUPERVISE their dogs in the yard? My dogs have an enriched life, and don't spend their time wandering aimlessly in the yard with only poop eating to keep them occupied. Play with your dogs, supervise your dogs, enrich your dogs lives.

Perhaps because the dogs benefit by far more yard and exercise enjoyment than can be squeezed into a schedule such as that you describe above.

That said, when you take your three out in public, do you first comb the walk route, or go to the park, remove all of the other dogs poop, and also pick up after all the dogs that poop while you are there with your dogs?

If so, how do you manage to do so where the result is zero poop in public places? I ask because IMO, that is not humanly possible.

That said, I reiterate; removing the temptation is merely the band-aid...and does nothing to address the root cause.

Sometimes these problems are not cut and dry. Sometimes behavior problems are unsolvable.

To use the remote collar correctly, I would put it on her and watch her from the window, anytime she would get near the poop and try to sniff it, we would do the warning sound and if she didn't stop then proceeded to give her one shock at an appropriate level of intensity-which was to be only strong enough just to get her attention and break her fixation on it. I was told it was important for her not to associate me with the shock so I stayed indoors and out of her sight.

I decided on correcting just when she starts to try and sniff it and before she eats it, because I know from experience with my other dog, that nipping the behavior in the bud before it escalates and the brain gets too fixated on it was best.

The whole process took a few times before she finally got the association down to a point where I was just having to give her the warning sound and not a shock. Now, almost 3 weeks out, and all I have to do is put the collar on her and she doesn't attempt to get near the poop.

I'm not to the point where I feel comfortable leaving her outside for long periods of time with the collar on unsupervised unless the yard is fully picked up, but hopefully at some point in the future I'll feel a little more comfortable.

You're right, they do seem to learn very quickly with the shock collars when they are used humanely and correctly, the shock feels like a buzz, not painful, but I think they should still only be reserved for use when regular attempts at training etc. has failed.

I also crate train and agree with you, to me it's about safety, no matter how old my dogs get, I don't trust them not to be able to get into something while we're gone or asleep. It also helped a lot when we were potty training our younger dog when she was a puppy.

I sympathize with you on this frustrating behavior and hope that you get a solution to it for your pets as I have.

I don't know why the word shock collar brings on such a knee jerk reaction. Invisible fence usually doesn't, and it's the same principle. If used properly it isn't abusive and I'm very encouraged to hear it is working for your dog. I've never used a shock collar, but given the right circumstances, if my dog's life or health depended on using one, I would.

It has 10 different shock intensity settings on the remote, I could barely even feel it at a 2 against my bare skin so I was pretty confident it had a nice comfortable range, nothing too strong starting out.

I don't leave the collar on her all the time, she just wears it when she goes outside in our fenced in backyard. I was concerned that she might start going to the bathroom in the house if I didn't make her wear it all the time, but she's been fine with no accidents.

I prefer her not having to wear it all the time because of the possible Pressure Necrosis, dogs can get if they wear the collars all the time without proper cleaning of the area where the prongs meet the skin.

To those who are saying to clean it up right away, that's easier said than done. My dog will spin around the second he's done and eat it. If you stand beside him waiting for him to go, he won't. Our yard is cleaned daily, but it doesn't matter. If he could reach his butt, I think he'd eat it before it hit the ground.

Anicee