If you are wondering how to stop your dog from eating poop, don’t worry you are not alone! There are plenty of poop-eating dogs out there. Why would a dog resort to eating poop when we provide them perfectly good daily meals you ask? I know, to us humans it’s a disgusting and repulsive act, but to a dog it’s, eh, whatever.
When we smell something vile such as feces we naturally distance ourselves from it. Then again, we also possess a natural defense mechanism that steers us away from things that are unhealthy for us. However, from a dog’s perspective such a smell isn’t thought of as offensive at all, nor is it necessarily unhealthy for a dog to eat poop…at least not in most cases.
Poop eating, also known as canine coprophagia, is for the most part harmless. In small instances, if they’re eating poop other than their own, it can cause parasites. Generally, this problem would occur when eating the feces of another dog or cat, but is not an issue when eating the feces of herbivore animals, such as rabbits, horses, cows or goats. In addition, eating feces can be harmful if it contains the presence of bacteria or viruses.
Theories on Why Dogs Eat Poop
There is no definitive answer as to why dogs eat poop, however, there are several theories as suggested below:
- There are many hard-wired behaviors that dogs have retained from their wild ancestors, and this may be yet another one of those behaviors. Wild dogs would eat the poop occasionally dropped in their dens in order to protect other pack members from intestinal parasites present in the feces. Eating the feces was a quick way to eliminate the poop from the area prior to infective larvae hatching.
- An attempt to clean up. It is a necessary, and natural, behavior for mother dogs to eat the feces of their puppies in order to keep the area clean. Back in the days when dogs were wild, keeping poop clean from the den meant hiding the scent of the pups from predators. This behavior continues in domesticated dogs, but should fade after the puppies are weaned from her milk. However, on occasion some dogs may continue the behavior.
In addition, puppies learn the behavior from their mothers, and although the behavior should fade as the puppy matures, on occasion it may not. Such might be the case if the puppy’s human caregiver in the beginning of its life did not clean up after it, thereby giving the puppy the opportunity to continue eating it. In this case, since the behavior was never discouraged, it has cause to persist.
A dog may also attempt clean up duty if its yard has heaps of feces that have not been cleaned up. For this reason it’s very important to be sure poop is consistently scooped.
- Boredom – Hey, anyone want to play with some poop today…tastes great! 🙂
- A learned behavior from another dog.
- They simply like the way it tastes. Particularly if they have a low quality, bland dog food diet, where the poop may not taste any different than what they eat fresh out of their bowl.
- Malnourishment. Dogs who lack the fundamental nutrients for a healthy diet, or who are unable to digest the nutrients in their current diet may, in turn, attempt to eat the partially undigested food from feces.
- Medical condition. Some dogs will begin eating feces when health issues are present such as gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, pancreas disorders or parasites.
- Anxiety or stress.
- Attention. If a dog receives an abundance of human attention when eating feces (even negative attention) a dog may have the desire to continue the behavior in order to continue receiving the attention. In contrast, if a dog has been severely punished for eating feces, he may eat it in attempt to get rid of the evidence and avoid the negative attention/punishment.
Even if a dog at one time or another fell into one of these categories, but it no longer applies, it’s possible that the behavior may persist due to pure habit.
How Can I Stop My Dog From Eating Poop?
Since eating poop can be habit forming, if you truly want to put an end to it, and I’m betting there’s not a single owner of a poop-eating dog who doesn’t, it’s best to address it as soon as possible. If allowed to become a long-term habit it will be much harder to break.
Although only a small number of feces eating cases are the result of a medical issue, you may want to speak to a veterinarian to be sure you can rule out the possibility.
Speaking with a veterinarian can also help you to determine if eating feces is due to certain nutrients missing in your dog’s diet. Researchers have suggested that dogs that eat the feces of herbivore animals, such as rabbits, horses, cows and goats, may do so to replenish their vitamin B supply. Other nutrients have also been pinpointed. When dogs are eating poop due to an enzyme deficiency, or intestinal malabsorption, it is usually suggested to add digestive enzymes and probiotics to your dog’s food.
There are many products sold on the market that can be added to your dog’s food that result in producing terrible tasting feces. One of the most common is a product called For-Bid. As an alternative you can also use a meat tenderizer (the dose is 1/4 teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight). The assumption is that your dog will give up on the habit since the feces no longer has a desirable taste, however, outcomes are not always successful.
Some people have hopes of deterring the habit by adding cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce to the feces itself (not your dog’s food) to make it taste terrible. The point here is to relate poop-eating to a bad experience so that they won’t want to do it again. At any rate, it is not always successful either as some dogs have the innate ability to acquire a taste for just about anything!
The Absolute BEST Way to Get Your Dog to Stop Eating Poop
The very best thing you can do is to not provide your dog any opportunities to eat stool. Be sure to ALWAYS clean up immediately after your dog, leave nothing behind!
I know at times it’s easier said than done…1) you’re in a hurry with no time to clean up after your dog, 2) you’ve missed a stool or two but Fido has no problem finding it, or 3) you’re peacefully walking your dog when suddenly you realize he’s chowing down on a piece of delectable gung he scented out. But, by all means, try your best to avoid the opportunity.
If it is cat poop that your dog is eating, be sure to place the litter box in an area that your dog does not have access to, or get a self-cleaning litter box.
Since it has been proven that a bored dog is more likely to acquire bad habits, be sure your dog is mentally and physically stimulated. Ensuring your dog gets an adequate amount of exercise, and has access to toys he enjoys playing with is two of the best methods for preventing boredom. Interactive dog toys, such as a stuffed Kong are also great ideas.
Never yell, punish, or get over-excited if you catch your dog eating poop. The attention received, whether negative or positive, won’t resolve the issue and can end up causing more harm than good.
Teach your dog the commands “leave it” and “come”. These are key commands that your dog must know in order for behavioral intervention methods to be successful. Always be sure to praise your dog when he obeys the commands. Offering a treat (one that he loves even more than poop) can entice your dog to “leave” the poop alone since he will learn that something even better will be available to him when he “comes”.
Do you know a dog that eats poop? Leave your story in the comments section and let others know if you have any tips or strategies!
This kind of behavior in dogs is quite common. I would have to agree with your second reasoning where I used to have a dog eat her offspring’s feces and thought to myself “gross”! I have thought to myself, why would dogs do this? After reading your article, I feel that I have an understanding why.
Eating another dog’s poop can lead to parasites: now this is quite a shocking thought. I never knew that this is a possibility. If I ever have a dog, I’ll make sure to watch what he/she eats as I don’t want mine to have no kind of parasites.
It’s hard to fathom our furry companions wanting to feast on such things and I agree, it is gross to say the least! But, it helps when we have some insight as to why they do the things they do, so I’m glad I could help you out in that regard. 🙂
How do you use the meat tenderizer in multiple dogs? I have 5 and they all eat out of the same bowls my beagles are the ones who do so how much should i use and they also eat hard dog food.
Hi Debbie,
The meat tenderizer dosage is ¼ tsp per 10 lb of body weight. However, when dogs are eating out of the same bowl it would be nearly impossible to monitor that. That being said, it is always recommended to have your dogs eating out of separate bowls. This way you can regulate who is eating what. There are several reasons for this such as preventing one dog from over eating, or determining if one dog may have stopped eating which may signify a medical issue. Best of luck!
Hi Carol,
This is an excellent article, it was a real pleasure to read it!
I always had dogs and all of them were eating poop:)
I was once working on a farm as a volunteer in order to travel and I remember that my dogs loved to eat cow and horse poop and not just poop, they were also eating the horse clogs and many other things. It was so frustrating that I asked the vet why my dogs were eating all that stuff. The answer was that my dogs were having a lack of vitamins. I have changed the food and gave them the right vitamins, but it did not really help as they kept doing the same thing.
You have given helpful information, thank you very much!
It can be a complicated thing to control with dogs who roam free on a farm. The other issue is that it is habit forming which is probably the reason you had issues getting your dogs to stop. It sounds like it is a thing of the past for you…thanks for sharing your story!
I am a dogwalker.ive had a puppy that ate her poop.the best thing to do is calmly let the puppy know its not a good thing.no screaming no iewing!the more you do this the puppy says no biggy and resorts to something else.She resorted to finding food in bushes.(A whole slice of pizza!)better than poo.
Carol, this article is so cute but true! Thank you for at least giving some explanations for why the dogs are having that “special habit” and how to stop them from doing so. What we will do with our dog is whenever he poos, he will inform us and we will clean the feces straight away, just like how you had suggested and that really works!
Lol, yes, that “special habit” can be a bit unsettling, but you are definitely on the right path, cleaning up right away is the best thing one can do.
I have 2 dogs myself, and I’ve watched just one of them eat feces, though it was not his own. My question is why would you want a dog to stop eating feces? Sure, it’s gross, but it’s what dogs and other animals do. I’ve watched horses consume entire piles of their own feces out of boredom or potential hunger. It doesn’t hurt them any more than eating the grass off the poop-covered ground. Though I could understand caring about feces consumption for dogs in terms of parasites. I don’t think it’s normal for dogs to get parasites, because their food is processed normally. Horses always have parasites.
In most cases eating feces is not harmful to the dog, however, germs and potentially harmful bacteria brought into the household can be an issue. In particular a family dog that may snuggle and lick the faces of children, or even adults.
My rescue eats his poop – and the part we dislike is that he sleeps with my older daughter and he gets out of bed at night – takes a poop and then carries a piece back into bed! It’s becoming a real issue. My daughter almost always will wake up and pick up the poop but you can imagine some nights she doesn’t hear him from pure exhaustion. (My daughter is 17 and wants to share her bed with him so I’m not forcing her ) but this taking poop to bed as a midnight snack is getting OLD quick.
I feed my dogs a piece of fresh pineapple every day. For some reason my poop eater finds the after taste in the poop not to her liking. lol
My friend told me to do the same and I laughed at her! Will give it a go now 👍🏼
My dogs only eat poop in the winter. They prefer “poopsicles”. (frozen poop) weird! I’m glad neither one of them are big kissers.
I feel like I can add another reason. I swear my dog does it because I’ve reduced his food because he’s over weight. It seemed no matter how much I reduce, he was still gaining. My dogs can let themselves in and out though the pet door. My yorkie, the one who is my poop eater. He was supplementing his diet with the German shepherds poop. I finally caught him. He weighs 19 lbs. mind you he is big for the breed. He is constantly foraging for food. After a couple hundred dollars of tests, we can’t find any physical challenges. I guess he just likes poopcicles.
My Dutch Shepard is a rescue dog and she only eats cat poop. I don’t have a cat so when we walk and she is sniffing if she finds where a cat has pooped she will eat it and I can’t always catch her before she eats it. I worry because one it is gross and too because I have no idea if these cats have any diseases. My dog seems OK and I take her to the vet regularly for her shots.
I found adding raw broccoli and canine probiotics to my dogs diet was helpful. The broccoli makes their poop smell bad to the dog. The canine probiotics helps in the digestion of the dogs food. You only need to add a few tablespoons of raw broccoli to each meal.
Thanks for the suggestions Carmen!
My dog eats poop when we go on walks. So it’s not me simply adding pepper to his food. How can I get him from hunting for it???
My Aussiedoodle was a puppy mill dog I rescued at 14 months. She wants to eat cat poop she finds outside from feral cats. I turned this into a “find cat” command then I tell her good girl, leave it, treat her, dig it up, and dispose of it. She gets a job and a treat and I get a clean yard. A win win!!