[zenproductions]

This is the second time this has happened. When I take out my 6 month old Golden, Huskey, ausi. shepard mix some times she will eat the ocasional poop or random snack. I don't want her to eat it so I say drop it and try to pry it out of her mouth. The last two times I've done this she has growled and snapped at me. I got alpha dog on her and pinned her yelling "no" but that just made her more agressive, it was almost scarry. What do I do? We have only had her for 2 weeks (she is a rescue) and we treat her very very well. No history of abuse.
I don't like her aggresion and I don't know where it comes from.

[bluesbarby]

My 6 month old puppy will eat poop also. I simply move him away from the poop and scoop it up as quickly as possible. I do give the command leave it at this time. But if he gets it before then I let it go. I don't feel comfortable getting between a dog and his food.

[RonE]

I don't think the human-as-alpha-dog trick is widely accepted any more for precisely the reason you mentioned. It makes her mad and, once she figures out she is stronger, faster and has sharper teeth, you've lost that battle.

Unfortunately, I don't have an alternate suggestion since I have no personal experience dealing with aggression in my own dogs. I'm going to edit your topic title, though, so maybe somebody else will spot this thread and offer some ideas.

[Lorina]

I've heard from a friend who works with rescues, and witnessed with my own rescue, that around the 2 week point, dogs seem to try to test their boundries and find out exactly how much they can get away with.

My own dog did some resource guarding with treats and toys. What helped was getting him in an obedience class (he can't listen until he knows what's expected of him) and not letting him have any toys or treats that he guarded. If he got possessive of a toy, it went away and did not come back. My friends and family got quite a bit of toys and treats that way. Any treats I gave him had to be in small, bite-sized pieces, so he'd eat it right away and not save it (guard it) for later.

It does get better. The more your dog learns (and the more he realizes you are the boss) the better behaved he'll be. I've taken a found chicken wing out of my dog's mouth with no problem. He now knows that all things belong to me, so if he has something he shouldn't, I can and will take it from him.

[Silverwolf]

Get a good, firm grip on the leash and keep her right beside you when you walk. This may help with avoiding poop-eating. If she's still aggressive, it may be time to talk to a dog behavior specialist, take her to a training program, or see what else you could do.

[Tess&Coco]

Do you know any of your pup's past history? Do you know if she was handled much as a little puppy? 6 months is just getting into the adolescent stage and she will (as Lorina said) be testing the boundaries.

One thing that we have found useful with Coco (who's just coming up to 6 months and is a lab/poiner cross, so similar in size I imagine to yours) is to have some very tasty treats with us when we go out. If she picks up poo (a favourite of hers too ) we immediately call her and offer her the tasty treat, which usually causes her to drop the nasty. The treat has to be something strong smelling or the poo will be more attractive! We find salami or cooked hamburger sausage cut small to be good (not too much or she may have diarrhoea).

Having said that, Coco does let me take stuff out of her mouth, even if I have to rummage around in there! I have done this a lot since we had her (8 weeks) and she hasn't ever growled.

[skelaki]

The Alpha roll is no longer recommended as it can be dangerous to the person doing it. It's a good way to get bit, plus the Alpha dog never rolls a subordinate dog. The lower ranking dog offers the submissive position. Also, the Alpha never yells. That showed weakness on your part.

Keep your dog on a leash and start teaching a good leave it as well as a recall that is 110% reliable. Eating poop, while disgusting to us, is perfectly normal.

[DogAdvocat]

My suggestion, as a long time rescuer, would be to severely limit the discipline and any negativity at all, and concentrate on encouraging your dog to do the right thing and praise her for it. You've chosen a mix of breeds that are fairly intent, especially the australian shepherd. They are highly focused and driven.

Start obedience training, with positive enforcement, as soon as possible. Don't require anything of her that you can't enforce, so make sure she is on leash when you give your commands. Use your new training methods to command alternate behaviors. She can't do two things at the same time. She can't pull towards the random poop if she is following your command to sit. And if she does happen to pick it up before you can give that alternate command, just ignore it. It won't hurt her. It's a fairly common thing for dogs to do. Try to straighten your lip that's curled in disgust and move on to something else. Just be more vigilant next time, and try to move her in another direction, or alternate command, before she gets to it. And PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE. She should hear 100 GOOD GIRLs for every one NO, and her name should be the sweetest sound on earth.

Remember too that she's still learning the ropes, still learning whether or not she can trust you, still learning whether you are consistent. You don't want to start any bad patterns that are hard to break later, but if you trigger her to react by fear biting or aggression, you may be forced to make a lethal decision.

Until you get into an obedience class, start working on the SIT command. Work on it until she reliably sits EVERY TIME, and then use it for any alternate command you want to make.

I agree with others - the Alpha Roll is dangerous. But being Alpha is a good thing. Make her sit before she gets rewarded, including before meals. Make her sit while allowing you to go through a door first. Make her sit before being petted. Make her sit before playing with the toy she's offering. This makes her know that she has to earn what she gets, and that you are the Alpha that will provide it.

[Captbob]

Dogs are under a great deal of stress at the shelter and even during the adjustment period to a new home. I would not recommend trying to pry something out of the dog's mouth at this point. The dog won't die if it eats poop. Ialso would not Alpha roll it as others have suggested. You will only exacerbate the problem. Just try and distract the dog, possibly with some treats, and tell the dog to drop it.

[Snowshoe]

I can't believe I actually agree with CaptBob on something. I think it must be snowing in He!!.

Distraction is a wonderful thing, especially in a new rescue animal. Tess&Coco had a wonderful idea. High value rewards are how I would handle this as well.

I'd attempt to avoid places that have poo on the ground, if that is something your dog is possessive over.

Maybe just choose a different, less common route.

The second thing I'd work on if I was in your position, is to get my dog in obedience. Get the dog used to taking commands from you. It's also a great way to bond.

The third thing is to consider the NILIF program. It's a gentle approach to dog behavior mod. Here is a good linke for the Nothing in Life is Free behavior approach.

[Jen D]

The aggression is not a good thing I would sign her up for obedience classes. Is this happening while out of you ryard walking or in her area? Some dogs will do this if they are not eating a good diet or their area is not cleaned up they will clean it themselves. I know this also was mentioned already but while out walking her I would have a pocket full of treats (small ones) to replace the poop. You can also teach her leave it while you are walking tell her to leave it pop a treat in her mouth then keep on going. I have had one dog do this and will make sure she does her thing in the yard before we walk then she is only to walk not stop and smell. Good luck

[SFury]

The Alpha Roll is something that should only be done if you really know the dog, and there is no other alternative. That is a technique that can cause more problems rather than solve them.

Talk to a trainer, or dog behaviorist, and get to know your dog. You have a mutt that has breeds mixed in that are very intelligent and headstrong. You need to resolve the aggressive issue, but not with the Alpha Roll. Some very good suggestions have been made, and without meeting your dog I can only add one other thing to try.

Exercise your dog until it is exausted if you can. Once she is tired, then work with her. A tired dog is normally less likely to fight back, and will be more willing to accept the lessons being taught.

[lostnola]

I totally agree with all everyone else has said. But I would add one more thing one of the first things I start with a new member of the family has always been making them comfortable with me handling them. feet, mouth and so on. Obviously it does not need to be after the dog is in possessive mode but rather in a moment when there is nothing for the dog to be possessive about. All three of my babies are rescues and right at 50 lbs. I can take food from their mouths, with no aggression at all, they have learned that it is ok for me to do so because from day 1 I taught them it was ok for me to handle their mouths. Also I find it to be a better method of establishing my dominence than the roll technique.

[zenproductions]

Thank you for all the info, come to find out, I have more to learn then Ruby. She was rather upset at me for a while, but I'm gaining her trust again. Reward works way better then punishment. I must say I'm in love with this site. Cheers.

[Snowshoe]

In regards to diet- I'd like to add that Jen D had a great suggestion- consider the dog's diet.

Often, if dogs aren't getting enough nutrients, they tend to eat fecal matter.

Make sure you're giving your pet a quality diet. Here's some food for thought:

Purina, Iams, Eukenuba, Pedigree, Beneful, and Science Diet are all terrible foods.

Oh, their commercials are great, but that's also where the money goes. If that's what you feed, look on the ingredient's list. I bet you will have no idea what most of those "ingredients" are.

PS- most store bought foods are terrible, too. If it's "Kroger brand" or "Walmart brand" or "Target brand" whever you shop most, those foods are even worse for dogs then Purina, Iams, etc.

If you want ideas about good foods, head our discussion group that's about Dog Nutrition.

[Jen D]

I have another suggestion for people having a hard time giving their dogs pills, you can put it in cat poop and they will eat it right away! Only kidding but I have not met to many dogs who didn't eat that.

[peace36]

That sounds scarey to me. Like everyone else said obeidence classes is a good place to start.

I think if your dog is protective over poop he will be over other things to. I would defenatley as a trainer what to do with this specific problem and make sure you get clear answers on what to do to stop this. I do not think just teaching commands will solve this.

I would keep your dogs apart while you are not home too. This golden/huskey sounds like he will really need some work. Good luck.

[Jen D]

Originally Posted by Snowshoe

In regards to diet- I'd like to add that Jen D had a great suggestion- consider the dog's diet.

Often, if dogs aren't getting enough nutrients, they tend to eat fecal matter.

Make sure you're giving your pet a quality diet. Here's some food for thought:

Purina, Iams, Eukenuba, Pedigree, Beneful, and Science Diet are all terrible foods.

Oh, their commercials are great, but that's also where the money goes. If that's what you feed, look on the ingredient's list. I bet you will have no idea what most of those "ingredients" are.

PS- most store bought foods are terrible, too. If it's "Kroger brand" or "Walmart brand" or "Target brand" whever you shop most, those foods are even worse for dogs then Purina, Iams, etc.

If you want ideas about good foods, head our discussion group that's about Dog Nutrition.

I don't use any of the ones you mentioned and feel the same. What do you feed your dog?

[Debbie1224]

My dog Princess was a shelter dog also and wa only 5 1/2" weeks when they let us have her. (SHe seems almost human now) hahaha anyway.......she ate her poop for months and it drove me nuts. I tried all the pills, and food that was supposed to deter that but nothing helped. I just tried to distract her when she was outside and never made a big deal out of it, because that seemed to make it worse. She eventually just grew out of it. It does gross you out though. As far as aggression goes, I can only say that I had a pup years ago that I ruined for myself. He body slammed me off the back porch and, mauled my arms until the were black & blue. He wanted my constant attention and I eventually brought him to my vet who found a home for him. What I allowed as a puppy made him aggressive later on. I was heartbroken and he was a great dog, but I let him get control of the house and was never able to get it back. I couldn't get over being afraid of him and he knew it. Just set the boundaries and be careful of how much attention you pay to your pup. I learned alot and now have 2 females that are wonderful to have around. We just got a male 10 week old, and I am being bery careful as to not make the same mistakes I made before. Good luck!

[poodleholic]

When I take out my 6 month old Golden, Huskey, ausi. shepard mix some times she will eat the ocasional poop or random snack. I don't want her to eat it so I say drop it and try to pry it out of her mouth. The last two times I've done this she has growled and snapped at me. I got alpha dog on her and pinned her yelling "no" but that just made her more agressive, it was almost scarry.

You got lucky. If she had wanted to hurt you, she would have. Consider this a warning. Violence begets violence, and alpha rolls serve no one. It simply teaches the dog that you're unpredictable and not to be trusted, and you could ultimately destroy any chance of a good relationship with her. You're going to have to earn her trust, and now, you're going to have to earn her respect. You can do that by simply being a benevolent leader, provider of all good things; attention, affection, food, water, walks, toys, etc. Think in terms of what you want her to do, rather than not do. Remove the poop so she doesn't eat it. Remain calm, and do not push this dog. She needs time to adjust to her new surroundings.

What do I do? We have only had her for 2 weeks (she is a rescue) and we treat her very very well. No history of abuse. I don't like her aggresion and I don't know where it comes from.

Well, she can't tell you to knock it off in English, so she told you in her language - she warned you with a growl, you continued, so she snapped at you. Believe me, if she had intended to bite you, she would have. She showed great restraint (given your behavior w/the alpha roll), so I do hope you don't do it again.

Keep in mind that this dog doesn't know you, your home is unfamiliar, she doesn't know the rules, and she's trying to adjust to her changing world. Once she feels secure she will relax, but this could take months. Enroll in an obedience class with her. Working together will build and deepen your bond.

Good luck to you!