She's turning into Charlie

:( I was soo happy when I discovered she wasn't a poo eater. I was soo happy when I was told she wasn't dominant. I was soo happy to know she behaves and stays with me and everything.

I've had her for a couple months now, though it seems longer than that. She is starting to change. She just today started doing these things. Tho with Charlie he did them from day one.

She woke me up at the end of the bed growling at me because she wanted to play. Which was very weird for her because she is normally a calm not hyper dog. And while outside this morning for her potty break, I discovered her eating her poo. :(

She's very picky kibble eater. She will only eat it when she's starving. Sometimes she might eat every other day. I used to mix in wet food with it, but that was giving her bad gas and made her poo kinda wet. So I tried to give her kibble without it. She eats her kibble like it's her last resort. She tries to wait it out thinking that her human lil sis will drop her food.

I haven't been doing the nilf, because she is well behaved.

Aww, I'm sorry :( Looks like Charlie's led her to take after him. Oh well, they're still two beautiful pups :)

you would think. But they've never met eachother.

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Originally Posted by ashleycat

you would think. But they've never met eachother.

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They haven't..? Oh, I thought they were both yours :confused: Uhh now I'm confused!

Try putting tobassco sauce on the poo so she doesn't eat it - or pick it up everytime the dogs go! :p

About the growling while you're sleeping to play, turn away from her and completely ignore her.

Try putting some rice & ground beef in on her kibble, or some yogurt or cottage cheese to entice her.

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Try putting tobassco sauce on the poo so she doesn't eat it - or pick it up everytime the dogs go! :p

About the growling while you're sleeping to play, turn away from her and completely ignore her.

Try putting some rice & ground beef in on her kibble, or some yogurt or cottage cheese to entice her.

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Ooo uckie, I would never eat poop again, LOL :p

Or you could put an egg in it, we used to do that with our dogs so they would eat their kibble before we bought the canned food. Carrots also tend to entice my dogs but they never chew them and when they poop the carrots are there, whole and fresh :p

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Originally Posted by zoomer

Ooo uckie, I would never eat poop again, LOL :p

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You eat poop!? :eek:

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Try putting tobassco sauce on the poo so she doesn't eat it - or pick it up everytime the dogs go! :p

About the growling while you're sleeping to play, turn away from her and completely ignore her.

Try putting some rice & ground beef in on her kibble, or some yogurt or cottage cheese to entice her.

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I picked up after Charlie every time he went. With Runner, I could relax a couple days then pick it all up. She normaly goes on one part of the yard, so I don't watch her like I did with Charlie. I have to now lol.

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

You eat poop!? :eek:

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lol, I knew you guys would think of it that way, LOL! I meant if I was Charlie or Runner, LOL!!!!!! :p

Charlie will eat anything. ANYTHING. Runner.. not so much. Charlie would eat veggies and ice. With runner, unless it was cooked with meat she won't touch it lol. So when my daughter drops food on the floor, the veggies and fruit are what's left. Pasta and meet get ate tho lol.

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Originally Posted by zoomer

lol, I knew you guys would think of it that way, LOL! I meant if I was Charlie or Runner, LOL!!!!!! :p

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When someone says that tastes like Sh*t, I would say how do you know what it taste like? So when I say it, I say.. That taste like what sh*t smells like.

You have to realize that dogs don't come one way and are like that forever..they need constant training. She may have been calm/less dominate in the beginning but she's now learned what she can and can't get away with. I know that she's only your second dog (right?) so I would HIGHLY suggest taking some obedience classes. Not only will it help her but it'll help you learn how to be a pack leader.

Eating poop is very easily taken care of..pick it up as soon as she goes...or prevent her from doing it. There are also a product out there that you can buy (can't think of the name right now) but you put it in her food so she'll be less likely to eat the excrement.

As for the food, I take it your free feeding her? What I would do is give her a small portion in the morning, set it down, wait 5-10 minutes and pick it back up. Do the same thing at night. A normal dog will not starve itself, she will quickly learn the routine and eat when the food is put down.

It sounds like she is finally settling in to your family, household, and routine, and her "true" colors are coming out. ;) Don't worry, just work with her, DO NOT SLACK and don't let even the little things slide. It'll work out. You wouldn't have an Aussie if she was good ALL the time... ;)

She's PART aussie lol..

I suggest you enroll her into a reputable obedience class, I am sure you will both learn a lot and it will help your bond as well. Sorry to hear she's starting to become less desireable but with some training, practice & patience I'm sure she'll be a great companion. Good luck!

I agree with lv4dogs. Obedience training is a must! I was disappointed to read this:

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I haven't been doing the nilf, because she is well behaved.

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NILIF is a series of very simple tasks. It's not like a 6-week obedience program. It's very simple and very doable. For example, you say she woke you up on your bed. I'm going to assume that she's allowed to sleep with you. Don't let her do this anymore. A crate will be a better option. As well, you say she'll hold out on her kibble until your daughter feeds her tidbits. Don't allow your daughter to do this!! Runner will *always* hold out on her kibble because she knows that your daughter will eventually feed her yummier foods. Instead, feed Runner in a different room or different time and ask her to "Sit" before each meal. There, NILIF is initiated! :)

I'm going to take a leap of faith and guess that you treat Runner pretty much the same way you treated Charlie. If so, are there any things you can modify to create desirable behavior? For example, you say that both Charlie and Runner are beginning to eat their feces. While the exact cause is not known, most people believe that dogs eat their feces because their diet is deficient of certain nutrients. My dog, Lucky, also used to eat feces when he was a puppy. He was on so-so food that contained lots of corn and by-products. After several food switches, we found a kibble that completely agreed with him. He does not even touch poo anymore.

My point: Change Runner's food and see what happens.

I wish you the best of luck!