american mastiff puppy

Question
hello.  i got an american mastiff puppy, truman, who is now just over 9 1/2 weeks old. i have had him for 1 1/2 weeks.  he is happy and healthy.  i've had him to the vet and his health is perfect.  i have food and water out for him 24/7.  he is doing very well with house training.  i have a fenced in back yard which has squirrels frequently running around.  when i take truman outside to relieve himself he eats squirrel poop.  he also tries to eat dandelions, violets, grass, bark, and sticks but he searches for squirrel poop and it is revolting.  i am now walking him around the back yard on a leash to prevent him from eating it.  what can i do to STOP this behavior.  it is awful.


Answer
Hi Beth and thanks for your question.

Dogs do the most disgusting things, don't they :) Some things are just too tempting to dogs and they can't stop themselves. Walking him on the leash for now and advising him to "leave it" is a good place to start breaking a habit before it starts. Truman needs to know what is expected and a solid "leave it" is a great thing for a dog to learn. Walking on the leash is a good way to ensure he doesn't run willy-nilly and it teaches him you are the leader. If he finds something you don't want him to have, start now by saying "leave it" and when he does, give him a reward (treat, pet, atta-boy, etc). This will begin to instill a solid foundation for all future training and also may save his life in the future. Use this time to your advantage by starting his basic obedience training, sit, down, off, stay, "leave it", come, etc.

The Mastiff breeds are very intelligent and I don't think it will take long to teach him to do what you want.

I don't think, however, that if he eats a little "poop" it's going to hurt him, but I can understand your aversion.

Hope this helps somewhat with Truman's problem.