Why Would A Dog Eat Poop? Understanding and Stopping Coprophagia

Discovering your dog has a penchant for poop can be incredibly off-putting. This behavior, known as coprophagia, is surprisingly common in the canine world, and while it might disgust us, it’s not usually motivated by a desire to shock their human companions. If you’re dealing with a dog who eats poop, rest assured there are strategies to discourage this behavior, ranging from behavioral adjustments to readily available products that can make feces less appealing.

Coprophagia in Dogs: More Common Than You Think

Coprophagia, pronounced kop-ruh-fey-jee-uh, is the scientific term for the act of eating poop. While the exact reasons behind this behavior are still being researched, both behavioral and physiological factors play a role. It’s important to understand that coprophagia isn’t rare. A study presented at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior annual conference, led by Dr. Benjamin Hart at the University of California, Davis, revealed some interesting statistics:

Serious Poop Eaters: 16% of dogs, or about one in six, were classified as “serious” coprophagic, meaning they were observed eating poop five or more times.
Observed Eating Poop: Nearly a quarter of dogs (24%) in the study were seen eating poop at least once.

Dr. Hart suggests this behavior might be rooted in canine ancestry. He theorized that eating fresh stools could be an “innate predisposition” from when dogs’ ancestors lived in the wild. This behavior could have served as a way to protect pack members from intestinal parasites that might be present in feces left in their living areas. Essentially, it could be in your dog’s DNA to eat poop.

Dogs evolved as scavengers, consuming whatever they could find. Their idea of palatable food can differ significantly from human standards. Animal behaviorist Steven R. Lindsay, in his book “Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training,” proposes that coprophagia might be a survival mechanism developed to cope with periods of food scarcity. When food is limited, being selective isn’t an option.

Is Eating Poop Normal Dog Behavior?

For some animals, like rabbits, eating poop is a vital way to obtain essential nutrients. However, dogs don’t require poop consumption for nutritional needs. Yet, coprophagia can be considered a normal behavior during certain life stages for dogs.

Mother dogs naturally lick their puppies to stimulate elimination and then consume their puppies’ feces for roughly the first three weeks postpartum. Puppies also commonly engage in coprophagia, eating their own poop (autocoprophagia), poop from other dogs (allocoprophagia), as well as feces from cats and other animals. Some dogs are particularly drawn to horse manure and goose droppings.

Eating their own poop is generally not harmful to puppies. However, consuming feces from other animals can pose health risks if the stool is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or toxins. In most cases, puppy coprophagia tends to decrease and eventually stop by the time they are around nine months old.

Alt text: Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy munching on grass in a sunny park, illustrating normal puppy exploration behaviors.

Unpacking the Reasons: Why Your Dog Might Eat Poop

If your adult dog develops a poop-eating habit, it’s crucial to consult your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health issues. Several medical conditions can trigger or exacerbate coprophagia, including:

Parasites: Intestinal parasites can lead to nutrient malabsorption and increased appetite.
Malabsorption Syndromes: Conditions that hinder nutrient absorption can cause dogs to seek nutrients from unusual sources.
Diabetes, Cushing’s Disease, Thyroid Disease: These conditions can increase appetite significantly, potentially leading to coprophagia.
Nutrient Deficiencies: Diets lacking essential nutrients or calories might drive dogs to eat poop in an attempt to compensate.
Certain Medications: Steroids and other drugs can also increase appetite as a side effect.

Beyond medical reasons, environmental stress and behavioral factors can also contribute to coprophagia.

Environmental and Behavioral Triggers

Isolation: Dogs kept in isolation, such as in kennels or basements, are more prone to eating poop compared to dogs living closely with their families.
Confinement to Small Spaces: Spending excessive time in confined spaces can trigger coprophagia. This is often observed in dogs rescued from overcrowded shelters.
Anxiety and Punishment: Harsh house-training methods involving punishment can inadvertently lead to poop-eating. Dogs might eliminate and then consume their feces to eliminate evidence and avoid punishment, creating a negative cycle.

Alt text: A forlorn Golden Retriever lying in grass, depicting potential anxiety and stress triggers that may contribute to coprophagia in dogs.

Attention-Seeking: Dogs are intelligent and quickly learn how to get reactions 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 your dog eating poop.
Inappropriate Food Association: If feeding areas are too close to potty areas, dogs might confuse the scents of food and feces, blurring the lines between what is edible and inedible. Feeding and elimination areas should always be separate.
Learned Behavior from Mother: Puppies might develop coprophagia 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 what Lindsay terms an “appetitive inoculation,” potentially leading to this habit.

Alt text: Cocker Spaniel mother dog attentively sitting beside her puppy outside, illustrating early life learning and maternal behaviors related to puppy hygiene.

Living with Sick or Elderly Dogs: In multi-dog households, a healthy dog might consume poop from a weaker or incontinent dog. This is hypothesized to be linked to an instinct to protect the pack from predators by removing traces of weakness or illness.

How to Stop Your Dog from Eating Poop: Effective Strategies

Addressing coprophagia requires a multi-faceted approach. The underlying cause of the behavior is crucial in determining the most effective solution. Dogs eating poop due to medical issues will require different interventions than those doing it for behavioral reasons like stress. Consulting your veterinarian is the first and most important step, especially if it’s a persistent problem. They can rule out medical causes and potentially refer you to a veterinary behaviorist if needed.

Dietary and Supplement-Based Solutions

Vitamin Supplements: A long-held theory suggests that nutritional deficiencies, particularly Vitamin-B, can trigger coprophagia. Supplementing with a dog multivitamin might be beneficial. Studies have shown that fecal microbial activity produces thiamine (B-vitamin), and deficiencies in other nutrients have also been implicated.
Enzyme Supplements: Modern dog diets, often higher in carbohydrates and lower in meat-based proteins and fats compared to ancestral diets, might contribute to enzyme deficiencies. Digestive enzyme supplements for dogs, especially those containing papain (a digestion-aiding enzyme), have shown promise in reducing coprophagia in some dogs.

Taste Aversion and Deterrents

Taste-Aversion Products: The principle behind these products is to make poop taste and smell repulsive to dogs. Poop-eating deterrent treats or powders added to food often contain ingredients like monosodium glutamate, chamomile, pepper-plant derivatives, yucca, garlic, and parsley. It’s important to treat all dogs (and cats) in the household with these deterrents for them to be effective. Bitter-tasting sprays can also be applied directly to feces to make them less palatable.

Alt text: Close-up of a sad-eyed Pug on a black leather chair, representing the unpleasant experience of coprophagia for both dogs and owners.

Environmental Management and Training

Maintain a Clean Environment: The simplest and most effective way to prevent poop-eating is to eliminate the opportunity. Keep your dog’s living area, including your yard, meticulously clean and free of feces.
Supervise Walks and Immediate Clean-Up: During walks, closely supervise your dog and immediately pick up their poop.
Training “Leave It” and “Come” Cues: Solid training in “leave it” and “come” commands is invaluable. Teach your dog to come to you for a treat immediately after defecating. This encourages them to focus on you and a positive reward rather than their poop.
Cat Litter Box Management: If you have cats, keep litter boxes clean and inaccessible to your dog. Use self-cleaning litter boxes or dog gates to restrict access.

Interesting Facts About Canine Coprophagia

Puppy Exploration: Poop-eating in puppies is often part of their exploration of the world and typically diminishes as they mature.
Preference for Hard Stools: Dogs that eat poop often prefer hard, formed stools over soft feces or diarrhea. Frozen poop seems to be particularly enticing.
Multi-Dog Households: Coprophagia is more prevalent in homes with multiple dogs. 33% of dogs in three-dog households exhibit poop-eating habits compared to only 20% in single-dog homes.
House-Training and Coprophagia: Dogs who eat poop are not inherently harder to house train than other dogs.
Gender Differences: Female dogs are more prone to coprophagia, while intact males are the least likely to engage in this behavior.
Freshness Matters: 92% of poop eaters prefer fresh poop, only one to two days old.
Not Their Own Poop: 85% of dog poop eaters prefer the feces of other dogs and typically avoid eating their own.
Greedy Eaters: Dogs who are prone to stealing food are also more likely to be poop eaters.

If your dog is eating poop, consulting your veterinarian is the first step to understanding the underlying cause and finding the most effective solution. With patience and the right approach, you can help your dog break this habit and ensure a healthier, cleaner experience for both of you.