I absolutely love getting out every morning with my labrador Simon and walking or hiking. I have explored places on our island that I may never have done with out him… his needs combat the lazy voice in my head that urges me to just sleep a little bit longer! I like to balance on leash walks or hikes with off leash opportunities for him. Our plan this morning was to go to a nice off leash area. So, despite the rain - torrential at times- off we went! We walked along paths today that were frequently littered with horse droppings. I know many other dog lovers out there who struggle to keep their dogs away from such a delicacy. Some trainers have even said they have met dogs that have been impossible to train out of indulging in a buffet of horse droppings. I have worked very hard at this with Simon and, mostly, we have success. The success started with the teaching of a ‘leave it’ cue. Building a strong foundation with this cue is key, as it is with any cue. So, do not be tempted to move fast in training ‘leave it’ - do not skip steps or add more difficult tasks than your dog is ready for. Remember, we want to try to set up our dogs to succeed in their training as often as possible. We build upon success as we train and challenge our dogs when we see them easily succeeding at any given step along the way. So start easy with the ‘leave it’ cue and build up to being able to pass by the horse dropping buffet! These days I am particularly humored when I see Simon look at the droppings, lick his lips and then look to me in anticipation of his reward. Sometimes I still reward with a treat and sometimes I reward with verbal praise or some goofy play. You can find a handout that may be helpful in teaching your dog this behavior here:
http://peacefulpackdogtraining.com/blog/