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magic is a shiba inu/american eskimo mix. 6 months old now and @24 pounds. she is in great health but has a nasty habit of eating the poo of our other dogs and cats. she will wait right behind our other dogs while they are pooing then gobble it up. what can we do to stop her from doing this? also will it harm her health in any way? she is fed 3X day. not sure how much...i think 1/2 cup each time. so she is getting 1 1/2 cups of food daily. we tried to feed her more but she got some diarrhea from eating more food.

>>magic is a shiba inu/american eskimo mix. 6 months old now and @24 pounds. she is in great health but has a nasty habit of eating the poo of our other dogs and cats. she will wait right behind our other dogs while they are pooing then gobble it up. what can we do to stop her from doing this? also will it harm her health in any way? she is fed 3X day. not sure how much...i think 1/2 cup each time. so she is getting 1 1/2 cups of food daily. we tried to feed her more but she got some diarrhea from eating more food.

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You can talk to your vet about food additives to try. These usually do not work, though. If any of your other animals get any parasites or other infections, she'll catch them by eating their feces, so in that way it is harmful. The most effective way to stop it is not to allow her around poop. Pick it up and supervise her.

Picking it up will make all your animals healthier. If one of them catches something and you're not keeping the poop picked up, many medical problems can go through the whole group through this shared exposure (just walking in the poop yard, they don't have to eat it to get sick). The soil will become contaminated, too, and take a long time to be safe again.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I would have to agree with Kathy. Removing the poop as it happens may be the best way to go and hopefully Magic will soon outgrow the habit. Another thing that comes to mind is the food you are feeding Magic and if it's nutritionally balanced, it does seem like she is getting enough to eat. Good Luck!

I have 3 Shiba Inu's and post on the Shiba board. It would be terrific to have you stop by there and say hello...maybe even post a picture of Magic. She has got to be the cutest!!
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BOB
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

once this behaviour is learned, it can be difficult to break, but it can be done. It seems that eating cat poo or raccoon poo is harder to break than eating dog poo for some reason.

Very often this habit is tied to poor digestion -- food is not thoroughly digested making the poo desirable. Additionally, food is not thoroughly digested by the dog, making the dog crave for more food and the nutrients that the dog is missing. Be sure you are feeding a kibble with no corn, no sorghum, and no by-products.

you might try spraying the other poo with 'bitter apple'. of course if the one is mid=poo that'd be freaky.

might try carrying a water spray bottle like plant mister & give Magic a zap while she is in the act. You'd have to be very consistant & not frighten the one pooping.

if it was me, I'd do the water squirt & not say a word. this isn't a training/command situation, but you are trying to create an aversive reaction to 'extinguish' the behavior

if possible don't let her out off leash when the others are pottying

or let the other's out before (then clean up) or after Magic is in the same yard.

just tossing out ideas, you may have tried, hope this helps

this is a common/difficult situation