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Of all the odd habits our dogs have鈥攄rinking toilet water, rolling in dead things, licking their butts鈥� nothing disgusts most dog owners more than knowing that dogs eat poop sometimes. A dog鈥檚 motivation for eating poop isn鈥檛 to gross us humans out, but the act of eating poop certainly disgusts us. So much so, in fact, that discovering that a dog eats poop is often cited as a reason people try to rehome a dog (or even ask to euthanize). If you have a dog who eats poop, don鈥檛 despair: there are ways to discourage poop-eating through behavior modification, and some affordable products you can buy that can help make poop less palatable to dogs.
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?
There鈥檚 a scientific name for a dog鈥檚 habit of eating poop: coprophagia, pronounced kop-ruh-fey-jee-uh. There are both behavioral and physiological reasons why some dogs view poop as a delicacy. Although coprophagia in dogs hasn鈥檛 been deeply explored by scientists, poop eating is a relatively common phenomenon in dogs. In a study presented at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior annual conference, researchers led by Dr. Benjamin Hart, from the University of California, Davis, found that:
- 16% (one in six) of dogs are classified as 鈥渟erious鈥� poop eaters, which means that they were
- 24% of the dogs in the study (one in four) were observed eating poop at least once
Hart wrote, 鈥淥ur conclusion is that eating of fresh stools is a reflection of an innate predisposition of ancestral canids living in nature that protects pack members from intestinal parasites present in feces that could occasionally be dropped in the den/rest area.鈥� Translation: It鈥檚 in a dog鈥檚 DNA to eat poop.
The study consisted of two separate surveys sent to about 3,000 dog owners. While eating poop is repulsive to human sensibilities, it鈥檚 not really all that gross from a dog鈥檚 point of view. Dogs evolved as scavengers, eating whatever they found on the ground or in the trash heap, so a dog鈥檚 idea of what鈥檚 good to eat is different from ours. In his , animal behaviorist Steven R. Lindsay says, that coprophagia 鈥渕ay be one of several appetitive survival behaviors that have evolved to cope with the periodic adversity of starvation.鈥� In other words, when food is scarce, you just can鈥檛 be picky.
Is It Normal for Dogs or Puppies to Eat Poop?
For some species, like rabbits, eating poop is a totally normal way of . In fact, if you prevent rabbits from doing this, they will develop health problems, and young rabbits will fail to thrive. Fortunately, dogs don鈥檛 need to get essential nutrition this way. Eating poop, however, is a normal, natural dog behavior at some life stages.
Mother dogs will lick their puppies to urge them to eliminate鈥攁nd clean up their puppies鈥� poop by eating it鈥攆or about the first three weeks after giving birth. Puppies will also naturally engage in this behavior, eating their own poop (autocoprophagia), poop from other dogs (allocoprophagia), as well as poop from cats and other animals. Some dogs find horse manure and goose droppings particularly appealing.
It鈥檚 not dangerous for a puppy to eat their own poop, but consuming poop from other animals may cause health problems for a puppy if the animal鈥檚 stool is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or toxins. In most cases, this behavior will fade before the puppy is about nine months old.
Why Does My Dog Eat Poop?
If your adult dog starts to eat poop, you should consult with your vet to rule out health problems like parasites, drugs such as steroids, malabsorption syndromes, diabetes, Cushing鈥檚 Disease, thyroid disease, and other conditions that might cause an increase in appetite.聽Diets deficient in nutrients and calories could also cause dogs to eat poop.
In some cases, dogs start to eat their own poop because of some kind of environmental stress or behavioral triggers.
Isolation
Studies have shown that dogs who are kept alone in kennels or basements are more likely to eat poop than those dogs who live close to their people.
Confinement to Small Spaces
Spending too much time confined in a small space can cause a dog to develop a poop-eating problem. It鈥檚 not unusual to see coprophagia in dogs rescued from crowded animal shelters.
Anxiety
Often, copraphagia is a result of a person using punishment or harsh methods during house training. According to this theory, dogs may eliminate and then eat their own poop to get rid of the evidence, but then they are punished more. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Attention-Seeking
Dogs may eat their own poop to get a reaction from their humans, which they inevitably will. So if you see your dog is eating poop, it鈥檚 important to do your best to not overreact.
Inappropriate Association With Real Food
Dogs who are fed in proximity to their poop may make a connection between the odors of food and those of feces and will be unable to tell the difference. Feeding and watering areas should be kept separate from elimination or potty areas.
Smelling Poop on Their Mothers
Lindsay writes that in some cases, puppies will get confused by sniffing fecal odors on their mother鈥檚 breath after she has cleaned them. Also, sometimes mothers may regurgitate food that is mixed with puppy fecal matter. He calls this an 鈥渁ppetitive inoculation,鈥� which may set a puppy up to develop this bad habit.
Living With a Sick or Elderly Dog
Sometimes a healthy dog will consume poop from a weaker dog in the household, especially in cases of fecal incontinence. Scientists hypothesize that this may be related to the instinct to protect the pack from predators.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Eating Poop?
Veterinarians and dog owners have seen improvements the behavior of a dog who eats poop by using a few strategies. The cause of why a dog eats poop is important to consider when looking for a solution. Dogs that eat poop due to a medical condition will need different methods than dogs who do it as a behavioral response to something like stress. Consult your veterinarian if it鈥檚 an ongoing issue. They can also likely direct you to a behavioral expert who can assist if that鈥檚 the root of the issue.
Vitamin Supplements for Dogs Eating Poop
There鈥檚 been a long-standing theory that dogs eat poop because they are missing something in their diets, so a could be helpful. Vitamin-B deficiency, in particular, has been a prime suspect, and studies have backed this up. In 1981, scientists showed fecal microbial activity synthesized thiamine, a B-vitamin. Other research found other missing nutrients.
Enzyme Supplements for Dogs Eating Poop
The modern canine diet is higher in carbohydrates and lower in meat-based proteins and fats than the canine ancestral diet. Some people have had success with , including some products that contain .
Taste-Aversion Products for Dogs Eating Poop
The theory is that certain tastes and smells are as disgusting to dogs as the idea of stool eating is to us, so offering a or adding a to food will make the poop that鈥檚 being produced less appealing. Many of these products contain monosodium glutamate, chamomile, pepper-plant derivatives, yucca, garlic, and parsley. Just remember: All of the dogs (and cats) in the household need to eat a stool-eating deterrent in order for their poop to be unpalatable to the dog who鈥檚 got the poop-eating habit. Some dog owners will also use a on poop to make it taste worse.
Managing the Environment for Dogs That Eat Poop
Perhaps the best way to stop the problem of a dog eating poop is through training and environmental management methods, including having all the right equipment for feeding, training, and walking your dog.
Keep your dog鈥檚 living area clean, including the yard, so there will be no piles of poop for them to be tempted to eat. Supervise your dog on walks, and immediately.
Work hard on the training cues 鈥溾�� and 鈥�.鈥� One simple exercise is to teach your dog to come to you for a treat as soon as they鈥檝e pooped. That way, your dog will develop a habit of paying attention to you for a tasty tidbit, instead of turning toward the revolting one on the ground.
If you have a cat, make sure to keep the cat litter box clean or out of the dog鈥檚 reach. You can find that help keep dogs out, or use a to restrict access to the box.
Facts About Dogs Who Eat Poop
When it happens in puppies, coprophagia (aka poop eating) is generally considered to be just part of the process of exploring the world around them. Most puppies will be satisfied with sniffing and investigating the scents they can gather from poop, but some puppies will want to put (literally) everything into their mouths, including poop!
One bizarre fact: Dogs will rarely eat soft, poorly formed feces or diarrhea. They appear to be attracted mainly to hard stools. Frozen poop, in particular, is apparently an especially exciting treat for dogs who eat poop. In his study, Hart made some other observations about why dogs eat poop:
- Coprophagia was more common in multi-dog households. In single-dog homes, only 20 percent of dogs had the habit of eating poop, while in homes with three dogs, that rose to 33 percent
- Dogs who eat poop are no harder to house train than any other dogs
- Female dogs are more likely to eat poop, and intact males were least likely
- 92 percent of poop eaters want fresh poop, only one to two days old
- 85 percent of dog poop eaters will not eat their own feces, only poop from other dogs
- Greedy eaters鈥攄ogs who steal food off tables鈥攖end to be poop eaters
If you catch your dog eating poop, talk to your veterinarian about causes. Figuring out why your dog is eating poop can help you get to the bottom of the condition, as well as providing the appropriate solution and next steps to help them stop eating poop.
This article is intended solely as general guidance, and does not constitute health or other professional advice. Individual situations and applicable laws vary by jurisdiction, and you are encouraged to obtain appropriate advice from qualified professionals in the applicable jurisdictions. We make no representations or warranties concerning any course of action taken by any person following or otherwise using the information offered or provided in this article, including any such information associated with and provided in connection with third-party products, and we will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages that may result, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death.