How To Stop Your Border Collie From Eating Poop?
I know it’s a little gross, and if you’re eating while reading this, make sure you finish eating first and then read it. Puppies are just like our newborn babies, they unknowingly do whatever their mind makes them do. Dogs eating poop is not a common problem because very few dogs do that, however there are still few people who have had bad experiences with their Border Collies that have developed the habit of eating their poop. It is not only gross but can be a serious behavior problem for the owner to overcome. Imagine if you have a Border Collie and your guests unfortunately see him eating his poop, that would be undeniably embarrassing, isn’t it?
Besides being an embarrassing situation, it can be a dangerous problem to deal with because bacteria, viruses and diseases that he may pick-up by eating poop can severely affect your dog’s health. On the other hand, it can be a lot more dangerous for his health if your dog is eating other animal’s poop, such as other dogs, birds, cats and so on.
On a completely different note, if you have a mother Border Collie eating poop of her newborn puppies, then you don’t have to worry about it, because it is natural, safe and absolutely normal. They eat their newborn puppies’ poop to protect them from predators and they do it to get rid of smell that attracts predators. Therefore, if you experience this for the first time, don’t worry about it because almost every Border Collie mother does that to safeguard her puppies. Having said that, if that is not the case and your puppy or adult dog is eating poop, then you must immediately address the problem and train him to stop doing that.
So how do we stop him from eating poop?
Best way to train him is to catch him while your dog is about to do it. When you see or catch him eating his or other animal’s poop, right away in firm voice (don’t yell) say “NO” or “STOP” and try to distract his mind to stop doing it. Make him understand that poop eating is a bad behavior and cannot be accepted. When he does that, immediately stop him and then give him his favorite treat and praise him. That helps him learn that eating poop is a bad thing and stop doing it will earn him his favorite treat.
Do you know why does your Border Collie eat his own poop in the first place? What’s the reason behind it? Are you taking care of his diet and vital nutrients that he needs? Sometimes lack of nutritious diet makes them eat their poop, therefore if you’re giving him home cooked dog food, make sure it is nutritious and make up for all the important nutrients that their body requires.
If you have fenced backyard or outdoor space where you leave your dog unsupervised to play and do all his activities, make sure there is no poop before you let him go there. It is important, because they generally eat their poop when their owners are not around.
