We've adopted a Basset pup that was rescued from a puppy mill. She was 12 weeks at the time, now almost 5 months old.

What a handful! She's so very stubborn... but she's getting better every day... except with one disgusting habit.

She will go to the door when she needs to go out for #1. When she needs to go #2 she will try and hide in the house, go on the floor, and eat it. Yes, eat it. :eek:

So, we're on constant watch. We still take her out as often as possible (if she goes to the door on her own or not) but she will still resist going #2 outside. If she does, she'll persist in trying to eat it.

The vet has given us powder to mix into her food as to discourage this gross habit. It hasn't worked!

Any other suggestions? We're getting desperate.

I have a 5 month Beagle puppy with the same disgusting habit, it's part of their breeding.

Bassets and beagles are very close breeds. They eat their poo because they've been bred to hunt and in order to get close to their prey they eat their poo so the prey won't sense their presence.

It's a disgusting "habit" and not that easy to correct because of their instincts.

I use a clicker for this. You can pick one up at most pet stores. Every time he picks up his poo you click and do the claw bite (Cesar method) to get him to drop the poo. Soon he'll drop it every time you click and, if all goes well, within a few weeks, maybe even days, he will stop eating the poo altogether. Also, picking up the poo as soon as he goes will deter this habit, but not so easy if he's hiding it.

Bassets and beagles are extremely intelligent dogs, but also very stubborn. You have to be patient and consistent, it will take time, no doubt about it, but it can be done. :)

Well, that certainly makes sense! We have a beagle/austrailian shepherd mix who's 4, but she's never had habits like this. Her personality comes from the herding 1/2 of her genes, that's for sure.

The last few days have been good... no "eating" but she continues to be stubborn about going #2 in the house. My husband has always had hunting dogs, beagles mostly, but this basset is more than either of us expected!
Even doing our research and KNOWING that they are a stubborn sort... lol

They are a difficult breed but so worth it once they're trained. The good thing is that they are extremely intelligent dogs, just stubborn.

I've had dogs all my life but this is the first beagle we've ever had, I definitely don't recommend them for novice dog owners, they're a handful.

Bassets are such beautiful dogs, their soulful eyes their big floppy ears, what's not to love. But oh the stubbornness!

Just be consistent, you'll get results, it may just take some time.

I've Warren Eckstein (you can Google him or go to Warren Eckstein - The Pet Show - www.worradionet.com - America's Most Trusted Pet Expert and Pet Humorist) suggests putting a tiny bit of alum powder on poop you find to make it disgusting. It's used in pickling; you can find it in the spice rack.

Although she came from a puppy mill, the fact that you got her that young will give you a much better opportunity to mold so many of her habits as she grows.

Have you worked on the "leave it" command? If you have worked on it with less desirable objects, you should eventually be able to apply it to anything, including poop.

I also taught my puppy "spit it out", and it works wonders (he responded to it when I came up with the idea at about 4 months--it's not too early for yours to potentially understand). "spit it out" was first done with dropping a toy on command and getting an immediate treat and praise. Depending on the object, it can be a life saver.

Do you have a yard? I've heard it recommended that you bury some of her poop right beneath the dirt in the area you want her to go.

You need to be keeping an eye on her as you are so that she doesn't have a chance to make that move. Keeping her on a feeding schedule will also help predict her pooping times.

At this point in her training, you need to remember to throw a big happy poop party, meaning praise her to bits and give treats every single time she does poop outside.

(alty, please correct me if I'm wrong--i love Cesar, but I don't know the method you're referencing. I trust you, and I trust him.) the following is just an idea. If you have intentions of using the clicker in positive obedience training down the road, I wouldn't don't use it before disciplining her. A can or a tums bottle with some pennies is a good distracting noise maker.

Thank you for your honest advice.

Libby is on a strict schedule of 3 small feedings a day, increasing with her age/growth.

The formula the vet gave us did not deter her from the eating... but she seems to be improving on her own. Its much less seldom now and she is showing lots of improvement in the last 2 weeks. Besides my hubby getting better about training (he's a spoiler) our older dog is also helping Libby's training process. After all, monkey see--monkey do! ;)
She's letting us know its time to go outside with 90% success and she's not trying to eat it--except seldom occasions.

So far, Libby knows sit, "Shhhh" (meaning: be quiet--she's started barking & howling at dinner time), and is learning the stay command. She is a smart little bugger...