Why Do Dogs Eat Poop? 5 Reasons

From instinct to learned behavior to health issues, dogs eat poop for several reasons. Here are five explanations:

1. 1. It’s a behavioral issue. Dogs can develop poop-eating habits because of several behavioral problems. Eating feces is often an attention-seeking behavior: Dogs know pet owners react and engage when they see them eating poop. Anxiety—especially over house training—turns dogs into poop eaters, as will too much time spent alone or in confined spaces. Consult a behaviorist if these issues prove too difficult to correct.
2. 2. It’s common behavior. Though pet owners dislike it, the act of eating poop—also known as coprophagia, or canine conspecific coprophagy—is part of a dog’s nature. A study cited by the American Kennel Club (AKC) found that one in four dogs eats either its own poop or another animal’s poop at least once in its lifetime, while one in six dogs are “serious” stool eaters, which means that they eat feces at least five times or more.
3. 3. It’s innate behavior. Before dogs became domesticated animals, they were scavengers who ate whatever they could find—including feces—to survive. Stool eating is also normal behavior during certain phases of a dog’s life. Mother dogs often eat their puppies’ feces during the first three weeks after their birth to clean up their living space. Studies indicate that puppies smell feces on their mother’s breath while she cleans them, and associate the smell with food. However, puppies also eat their own feces—or droppings from another animal—as part of a game or simply because they like the way the poop tastes.
4. 4. It’s a food issue. Certain bad habits associated with food also result in coprophagia. Dogs who steal food tend to eat poop, while close proximity between the dog’s food and the areas where it poops forges a connection between the two for some pets.
5. 5. It’s a health issue. Poop eating, especially when it’s a new element of dog behavior, indicates possible medical conditions. Take your dog to their veterinarian if they regularly eat their poop or if the poop eating coincides with other health problems, such as weight loss, lethargy, or vomiting. Intestinal parasites, conditions like Cushing’s Disease, and enzyme deficiencies are all associated with coprophagy.

There are several ways to prevent your dog from developing a habit of eating poop. You can:

• Clean: Reduce your dog’s access to feces in and around your home by quickly cleaning up any messes in the yard. If you also own a cat—and your dog has an appetite for cat poop—empty the cat’s litter box on a regular basis.
• Distract: Bring along a toy, chew, or treat when your dog has a potty break. After elimination, a pleasant distraction breaks the habit of searching for poop in the yard or surrounding areas.
• Train: Be consistent with training efforts. Voice commands to “leave it” or “come” when they begin to search for poop are effective, especially if backed up by positive reinforcement like affection or treats.

There are also several methods to try if you want your dog to stop eating poop. Among them are:

• Enzymes: A lack of digestive enzymes is sometimes cited as a reason for poop eating in dogs. The theory suggests that eating poop is a dog’s way of restoring those enzymes to their system and preventing malabsorption of nutrients. Certain enzymes, such as papain, which is often used as a meat tenderizer, encourage a dog’s system to digest more of its meal
• Taste aversion: Add supplements to your dog’s diet that make their poop less appetizing. Products containing natural ingredients—such as chamomile, yucca, or parsley—are widely available to pet parents who struggle to break their dog’s habits.
• Vitamins: Some studies suggest that poop eating comes from the lack of a balanced diet. Dog multivitamins are an excellent enrichment approach if you suspect that your dog’s poop eating is the result of missing nutrients.

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