Watching your adorable puppy suddenly decide to snack on their own poop can be a truly unpleasant experience for any dog owner. This behavior, known as coprophagia, is surprisingly common in puppies, and while it might make you reconsider those puppy kisses, it’s important to understand that it’s often a normal developmental phase.
Understanding the reasons behind why puppies eat poop and learning effective strategies to address this behavior can help prevent it from becoming a long-term habit. So, let’s delve into the question: why do puppies eat poop?
Reasons Why Puppies Eat Poop
If your puppy regularly eats poop, it’s wise to consult with your veterinarian. There are various reasons for coprophagia in puppies, and determining whether the cause is medical, behavioral, or a combination of both is crucial for successfully stopping this behavior.
Puppies Mimic Their Mothers: An Evolutionary Behavior
Before puppies are fully weaned, it’s a very common sight to see a mother dog consuming her puppies’ stool. This is a natural, evolutionary behavior designed to maintain cleanliness in the den and protect her vulnerable pups from diseases, parasites, and potential predators. The scent of accumulated stool in a confined den would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.
Young puppies learn essential dog behaviors by observing and imitating their mothers. Consequently, it’s not unusual for them to try eating their own stool or that of their littermates. One way to discourage this mimicry is to promptly remove any stool produced by the puppies before they have a chance to investigate it as a snack.
Poor Digestion Can Lead to Coprophagia
Another theory explaining coprophagia in puppies is related to poor digestion. If a puppy isn’t digesting their food properly, portions of their stool might retain a similar smell and even taste to their puppy food. This similarity can unfortunately entice some puppies to eat their stool.
Several factors can contribute to poor digestion, including diet formulation, intestinal parasites, or digestive tract abnormalities. If you notice signs like inadequate weight gain, vomiting, or diarrhea in your puppy, it’s important to investigate their intestinal health and diet further with your vet.
Boredom and Stress: Behavioral Triggers for Poop Eating
Puppies who experience inconsistent socialization and lack of sufficient activity can develop various undesirable habits as a way to entertain themselves or exert some control over their environment. While destructive chewing on furniture or crates is more commonly observed, some puppies might turn to eating their poop.
Providing consistent and frequent playtime and interaction is vital to prevent boredom-related unwanted behaviors like coprophagia. If your puppy needs to spend time alone, discuss age-appropriate and safe dog toys with your veterinarian to keep them entertained and reduce stress.
Nutritional Deficiencies: A Less Common Cause
Although less frequent, coprophagia can sometimes develop if a puppy isn’t receiving adequate nutrition.
Growing puppies have significantly higher calorie requirements than adult dogs and need to be fed a diet specifically formulated for their developmental stage. Young puppies should be fed three to four times daily on a consistent schedule. If you have any questions about the appropriate amount or frequency of feeding for your puppy, consult your veterinarian.
Intestinal parasites can also rob your puppy of essential nutrients, leading to symptoms similar to nutritional deficiencies. Your veterinarian can perform fecal testing to check for the presence of intestinal parasites.
Seeking Attention: Even Negative Attention Can Reinforce Behavior
It’s a natural human reaction to get upset and scold your puppy when you catch them doing something as unappealing as eating poop. However, puppies often don’t differentiate between negative and positive attention. Therefore, scolding can unintentionally reinforce the poop-eating behavior. Some puppies quickly learn that eating poop gets them a reaction from their owners, and they might repeat the behavior simply to gain attention.
Avoiding Punishment: Hiding the Evidence
Conversely, puppies who associate yelling and punishment with negative experiences might eat their poop in an attempt to hide evidence of accidents, especially during house training. Therefore, punishment should never be used when house-training puppies or addressing stool-eating.
Instead, focus on positive reinforcement by praising good behaviors, like when your puppy eliminates outside. If an accident occurs indoors, simply ignore it and clean it up thoroughly. When your puppy potties outside, offer praise and rewards. This teaches your puppy that they receive positive attention for appropriate elimination, not for eating poop after an indoor accident.
Alt text: Mother dog cleaning her puppies by consuming their stool, a behavior puppies may mimic.
How to Stop a Puppy From Eating Poop
If your puppy has developed a poop-eating habit and has been cleared of any underlying medical issues, the following strategies can help you stop this unpleasant behavior.
Feed Your Puppy a High-Quality Diet
Ensure you are feeding your puppy a premium dog food specifically formulated for growing puppies. Nutritional needs vary depending on breed size; for instance, large-breed puppies and toy-breed puppies have different dietary requirements.
Consult your veterinarian to confirm that the food amount and feeding frequency are appropriate for your puppy’s age and size and that your puppy is growing at a healthy rate. Monitor for signs of digestive problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, or undigested food in their stool, which could indicate digestive issues.
Provide Ample Exercise and Attention
Exercise and playtime are crucial for a happy and well-adjusted puppy. Consistent opportunities to engage their mind and body will significantly reduce the likelihood of developing undesirable behaviors. When you need to leave your puppy alone, provide age-appropriate and safe chew toys or puzzle toys to keep them mentally stimulated and entertained.
Practice Immediate Clean-Up After Your Puppy
If your puppy doesn’t have access to poop, they can’t eat it. Promptly cleaning up stool eliminates temptation.
After your puppy defecates, distract them from their stool by calling them to you. Reward a successful recall and ignoring the stool with verbal praise or training treats. If possible, bring your puppy indoors before removing the stool to avoid drawing their attention back to the area.
Utilize a Leash During Potty Breaks
For puppies who are particularly drawn to their stool and difficult to distract, using a leash can be a very effective tool. A leash allows you to guide them away immediately after they have defecated, preventing access to the stool. It also helps keep them away from the stool of other dogs or animals during walks.
While verbal commands and recall are ideal, a gentle tug on the leash can initially redirect their attention from the stool. Remember to continue using positive reinforcement with training treats and praise when your leashed puppy responds appropriately to your commands.
Alt text: A puppy being walked on a leash, a method to prevent coprophagia during outdoor potty breaks.
Why Do Adult Dogs Eat Poop?
Adult dogs who engage in coprophagia might simply have not outgrown their puppyhood habit, and the reasons behind why some adult dogs develop this behavior later in life remain somewhat unclear. Similar to puppies, it could be linked to anxiety or boredom. Crucially, as with any behavioral change in adult dogs, it’s essential to rule out any underlying medical conditions with your veterinarian.
If no medical cause for the coprophagia is identified in your adult dog, the same techniques recommended for puppies can be effectively applied.
Featured Image: iStock/Mark Myerson
