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Poop Drama---need advice

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  KidWhisperer 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

So far, Sammi seems to be a fairly calm, cautious and sweet little puppy (with a little stubborn streak) and overall not many behavior issues...except when it comes to poop time. We have so much drama, and are working through some of it, like not wanting to poop on leash (much better now). She paces and whines rather frantically trying to find that perfect spot to poop in:afraid: (I call it her poo-poo dance). I've learned to just stand still and let her run the circles around me rather than running behind her back and forth across the yard.

But the worst behavior comes when I scoop the poop. She goes crazy and starts barking and lunging towards me as I approach her poop, just barking madly. This just doesnt't go over well with the neighbors in a townhouse community at 6:30 am. At first, I was tying her leash to a bush or to the front door just to keep her out of the way while I cleaned up. I thought she was becoming worked up from being tied, or from me walking away from her. So I tried several times keeping her with me while I cleaned up, but still the same behavior. Even this afternoon, as I was holding the bag of poop and attempting to get her to obey the commands "sit" and "quiet" (which she knows), she jumped up and bit the bag, tearing a hole in it!

I don't know how to correct this behavior appropriately, as what I've tried up to now is not working. The frantic barking and lunging are not acceptable to me (or the neighbors). I guess I could crate her and then clean up in the short term, but eventually she will have to learn to be calm and quiet when I scoop the poop.

Please help!!! Thanks,
 
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#3 ·
I would try scattering a few really good treats to distract her. And work on a Sit/Wait at other times, before asking her to Sit/Wait briefly before scattering the treats. You could then gradually increase the wait, and reduce the treats.

I have always wondered what dogs make of our fascination with poop - looks as if Sammi has decided that if it is so precious and important that you are determined to gather up every scrap, she wants her share!
 
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#4 ·
I fully support the distraction ideas! Another creative solution could be teaching her to watch you pick things up. Start with tethering as you did at first - with no poop around! : P I'd use a clicker for this. Click and treat for calm behavior (anything that isn't barking, lunging, whining, etc.) as you are just out of reach. Then click and treat for looking away until she's comfortable with that, then with extending your arm, then bending over, and so on until she's happily watching you reach for the ground to earn yummy treats. When she's comfortable with that, pretend to pick up something or actually pick up something boring, like a rock or some grass. Then do it with a poop bag! That bag is probably very exciting! When she is a pro at this, and the moment of truth comes, "remind" her of this little game by rewarding her while you pretend to pick up imaginary things or grass before actually "going for the gold". Hahaha Until that point, yes, distract her or crate her if it keeps her calm and doesn't perpetuate this problem. Puppies are so funny! I'm sure it's not funny when you're the one picking up the poop at 6am listening to a frantic puppy, but you'll laugh later. : P
 
#5 ·
Are you sure it is the act of picking up the poop that triggers her? or could it just be the bag itself? Maybe she thinks the bag is something special because you have it and she can't have it...I have had dogs that pretty much thought ANYTHING that was in MY hand that wasn't for THEM must be wonderful and worth all the barking/lunging/grabbing in the world. (Hey, if Mom loves it that much it must be special right?)

Try seeing how she reacts to the bag indoors, away from the whole trigger scenerio...if she still reacts to it, then maybe you could try a differnt method of cleanup just while you are working on demystifying the bag...like others said above, distraction/commands/treats. Maybe even have a special "potty time toy" that she gets to have while you clean up. Anything to keep her from bothering the neighbors at 6am right?

Good luck....she's an adorable puppy. :)
 
#6 ·
One success...

Thank you for your helpful replies. The bag theory is very interesting...I will try rustling and opening the bag indoors to see if it triggers the same reaction. Whatever it is, she is whining/crying and highly agitated when it happens.

For this morning's poop, I scattered some of her dog treats on the ground before I started cleaning up. The quiet lasted exactly as long as the treats did. For this evening, I gave her a smoked rib bone fresh from the baggie. She was so distracted by the bone that I don't even think she heard me praising her for being quiet! So I have her bone in a baggie by the door to use for the foreseeable future. I'm also going to use the rib bone to do some tie-out desensitization, in case being restrained is adding to her stress.

It's a good thing she is so cute!!!
 
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