Of all the perplexing and frankly disgusting habits our canine companions can develop, coprophagia—the eating of feces—is often the most unsettling for dog owners. It’s a behavior that ranges from mildly off-putting to deeply concerning, sometimes even prompting owners to consider rehoming or, tragically, euthanasia. However, if you’re dealing with a dog who engages in this behavior, take heart. Understanding why dogs eat poop is the first step towards addressing it. There are effective strategies, from behavioral adjustments to readily available products, that can help curb this undesirable habit and restore peace of mind.
Decoding Coprophagia: Why Dogs Eat Poop
The scientific term for poop eating in dogs is coprophagia (pronounced kop-ruh-fey-jee-uh). While it might seem repulsive to us, there are both behavioral and physiological underpinnings that can explain why some dogs find feces appealing. Despite not being extensively researched, coprophagia is recognized as a relatively common occurrence in the canine world.
A study presented at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior annual conference, led by Dr. Benjamin Hart of the University of California, Davis, shed light on the prevalence of this behavior:
- Serious Poop Eaters: 16% of dogs (approximately one in six) were identified as “serious” coprophagics, meaning they were observed eating poop five or more times.
- Observed at Least Once: A significant 24% of dogs in the study (nearly one in four) were seen consuming feces at least once.
Dr. Hart concluded that this behavior may stem from “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.” In simpler terms, the instinct to eat poop might be ingrained in a dog’s DNA as a survival mechanism.
Dogs evolved as scavengers, consuming whatever they could find, from scraps on the ground to discarded waste. Their concept of palatable food differs significantly from ours. Animal behaviorist Steven R. Lindsay, in his “Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training,” suggests coprophagia could be “one of several appetitive survival behaviors that have evolved to cope with the periodic adversity of starvation.” When resources were scarce, being selective about food was not an option.
Is Eating Poop Normal Dog Behavior?
For some species, such as rabbits, coprophagia is a vital and entirely normal method of acquiring essential nutrients. Preventing rabbits from eating their own feces can lead to health complications and hinder the development of young rabbits. Fortunately, dogs do not require poop consumption for nutritional needs. However, eating poop is considered a normal and natural behavior in certain phases of a dog’s life.
Mother dogs instinctively lick their puppies to stimulate elimination and diligently clean up puppy feces by consuming it for roughly the first three weeks post-birth. Puppies also naturally explore this behavior, eating their own poop (autocoprophagia), the poop of other dogs (allocoprophagia), and even feces from cats and other animals. Some dogs exhibit a particular fondness for horse manure and goose droppings.
While puppies eating their own poop is generally not harmful, consuming feces from other animals can pose health risks if the stool is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or toxins. Typically, this behavior diminishes as puppies mature, usually subsiding by the time they are around nine months old.
Why Do Adult Dogs Develop a Poop Eating Habit?
If your adult dog starts eating poop, it’s crucial to consult your veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical conditions. Several health issues can trigger or exacerbate coprophagia, including:
- Parasites: Intestinal parasites can lead to nutrient malabsorption, potentially driving a dog to seek nutrients in feces.
- Malabsorption Syndromes: Conditions that impair nutrient absorption can cause deficiencies and increased appetite, sometimes leading to coprophagia.
- Diabetes, Cushing’s Disease, and Thyroid Disease: These hormonal imbalances can increase appetite, potentially contributing to poop eating.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Diets lacking essential nutrients or calories can also motivate dogs to consume feces in an attempt to compensate for deficiencies.
- Certain Medications: Steroids and other drugs can increase appetite as a side effect.
Beyond medical reasons, environmental stress and behavioral factors can also trigger coprophagia in adult dogs.
Environmental and Behavioral Triggers for Coprophagia
- Isolation and Confinement: Dogs kept in isolation, such as in kennels or basements, or confined to small spaces for extended periods, are more prone to eating poop. This is often observed in dogs rescued from overcrowded shelters.
- Anxiety and Stress: Punishment or harsh housetraining methods can inadvertently lead to coprophagia. Dogs may eliminate and then eat their own feces to eliminate evidence and avoid punishment, creating a negative cycle.
- Attention-Seeking Behavior: Dogs are intelligent and quickly learn how to elicit a reaction from their owners. Eating poop, with its guaranteed shock value, can become an attention-seeking behavior. It’s important to avoid overreacting if you witness this.
- Inappropriate Association with Food: Feeding dogs in close proximity to their elimination areas can create an association between food odors and fecal odors, blurring the lines for the dog and potentially leading to accidental or intentional poop consumption.
- Learned Behavior from Mother: Puppies may develop a taste for feces by smelling fecal odors on their mother’s breath after she cleans them. In some cases, mothers might regurgitate food mixed with puppy feces, creating an “appetitive inoculation” that can predispose puppies to coprophagia.
- Living with Sick or Elderly Dogs: A healthy dog might consume feces from a weaker or incontinent dog in the household. This is theorized to be related to an instinct to protect the pack from predators by removing scent trails.
How to Stop a Dog from Eating Poop: Effective Strategies
Addressing coprophagia requires a multifaceted approach, tailored to the underlying cause. Consulting your veterinarian is the first step, especially if the behavior is new or persistent. They can rule out medical issues and potentially refer you to a veterinary behaviorist if needed.
Here are several strategies that have shown promise in reducing or eliminating poop eating in dogs:
1. Dietary Supplements: Vitamin and Enzyme Approaches
- Vitamin Supplements: A long-held theory suggests that nutritional deficiencies drive coprophagia. Specifically, Vitamin B deficiency has been implicated. Research in 1981 demonstrated that fecal microbial activity synthesizes thiamine (Vitamin B1). Supplementing with a dog multivitamin might address underlying deficiencies.
- Enzyme Supplements: Modern dog diets, often higher in carbohydrates and lower in meat-based proteins and fats compared to ancestral diets, might contribute to digestive enzyme deficiencies. Digestive enzyme supplements for dogs, particularly those containing papain (a digestive enzyme), might aid digestion and reduce the urge to eat poop.
2. Taste Aversion Products: Making Poop Unpalatable
These products work on the principle that certain tastes and smells are as offensive to dogs as poop eating is to humans. Poop-eating deterrent treats or powders added to food aim to make feces taste less appealing. Common ingredients include monosodium glutamate, chamomile, pepper-plant derivatives, yucca, garlic, and parsley. Crucially, all dogs (and cats) in the household need to consume the deterrent for it to be effective. Bitter-tasting sprays can also be applied directly to feces to deter consumption.
3. Environmental Management and Training: Prevention is Key
Often, the most effective long-term solution involves a combination of environmental management and training techniques.
- Maintain a Clean Environment: Regularly clean your dog’s living area, including the yard, to eliminate readily available poop.
- Supervise Walks and Immediate Clean-Up: Closely supervise your dog during walks and immediately pick up their poop.
- Train “Leave It” and “Come” Cues: Strong obedience commands are essential. Practice “leave it” to prevent your dog from approaching feces and “come” to redirect their attention. A helpful exercise is to reward your dog with a treat immediately after they poop, reinforcing the behavior of turning to you instead of the feces.
- Manage Cat Litter Boxes: If you have cats, keep litter boxes clean and inaccessible to your dog, either through location or using a dog gate. Self-cleaning litter boxes can also be beneficial.
Interesting Facts About Canine Coprophagia
- Puppy Exploration: In puppies, poop eating is often considered a normal part of exploring their environment through scent and taste.
- Preference for Hard Stools: Dogs who eat poop surprisingly prefer hard, formed stools over soft feces or diarrhea. Frozen poop seems to be particularly enticing.
- Prevalence in Multi-Dog Households: Coprophagia is more common in homes with multiple dogs. Studies show a higher incidence in multi-dog homes compared to single-dog homes.
- No Impact on Housetraining: Dogs who eat poop are not inherently more difficult to housetrain than other dogs.
- Gender Differences: Female dogs are more prone to coprophagia than males, with intact males being the least likely to engage in this behavior.
- Freshness Matters: Most poop eaters prefer fresh feces, only one to two days old.
- Species Specificity: Many dogs who eat poop will only consume feces from other dogs, not their own.
- Link to Food Stealing: Dogs who are prone to stealing food from tables are also more likely to eat poop.
If you observe your dog eating poop, consulting with your veterinarian is crucial to determine the underlying cause and develop an effective strategy to stop this behavior. Understanding the reasons behind coprophagia is the key to finding the right solution and ensuring a healthier, happier relationship with your canine companion.
