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lucylou
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lucylou is offline  
Location: Wiltshire
Joined: Sep 2006
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10-11-2006, 03:34 PM

yorkie eating cat poo - can't stop him

help!

my 15 month old yorkie will eat on his walks especially cat poo and anything white (?) which is usually chewing gum. I manage to hook the gum out but struggle with the cat poo because being a terrier he won't let go i can't find a muzzle small enough to fit him as he is a little guy..

am struggling with walks because he will not wear a harness so keeping him on a short lead to keep an eye on what he's sniffing causes him to pull too hard on his lead and choke (am very wary of tracheal collapse as they are prone to it so am very careful about using the lead).

Some days he is a little angel on the lead but others he is hunting in the leaves and eating poo before I can get there and I am pretty quick!! He is on Royal Canin mini adult food which he loves, he also has a variety of veggies and chicken to 'liven' it up and works him way through loads of rawhide sticks/bones as he loves to chew.

its pretty gross and the after effects stink!. he is extremely obedient if a little timid. Someone told me that he is lacking in vitamins if he is doing this but another person told me that its the hormones in the cat poo he's attracted to and he won't grow out of it. He is not interested in dog poo and has never eaten his own. I grew up with 3 yorkies and none of them ever did this. Does anyone have any ideas???

thanks in advance
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Muddiwarx
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Location: nr Manchester, UK
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10-11-2006, 03:52 PM
I would suspect this to be just a bad habit rather than deficiencies.
It is also a training issue - does he have a good leave it command?
I would work on this at home and reward with very tasty treats and also carry these on walks ...

If you want him to wear a harness and he has no physical issues stopping it then I would teach him to tolerate one.
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nickyv32
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Location: Kent. UK
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Posts: 180
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10-11-2006, 03:55 PM
We also have a problem with the cat poo...We have an indoor cat which creates a bigger problem if they escape throught the gate upstairs..............I have two Yorkies and they both have the cat poo habit....The last time though Poppy was violently ill after doing it so she is at last steering clear, but Millie still loves it...Much better that a treat in her mind.......I have also been told that she will never lose the habit and as a youngster she did eat her own a couple of times but that has all stopped now........It sounds strange but they only eat our own cats poo and not anyone elses ( cats I mean )..The vet said it was the special dietry cat food that we give our cat, which they love but shouldn't have, so this is the only way of getting it...........Good luck with finding a cure I shall watch this post with interest.............
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lucylou
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Location: Wiltshire
Joined: Sep 2006
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10-11-2006, 04:01 PM
yes he is excellent at leave it and I carry treats on walks just in case but to no avail.

we have tried two harnesses and he refuses to walk and the one time he did walk he was jumped on by two huge dogs and he wiggled out of the harness into the road. bit scary.

before he was jumped on I tried countless times putting harness on and if he refuses to walk bringing him back and in and out and in and out! stubborn little boy but odd because he is sooo responsive to all training commands, have never known a yorkie who responds like him, which is why its bugging me so much!
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