Like humans, dogs each have their own motives for their individual behavior. Dogs eat poop for various reasons, based on their age, their training, their living conditions and their diet. There are basically 5 different classifications, or reasons that your dog may be eating poop.
To go directly to “How To Stop Poop Eating” click here ->
Your Dog Was Born to Eat Poop!
Before dogs were domesticated they were scavengers, living off of whatever they could find. Dogs commonly fed on the waste of other animals (and other dogs) thousands of years ago. Poop eating may just be a remnant of dog history.
In certain situations, as with a newborn litter of puppies, eating poop is instinctual and completely normal. A mother with pups is wired to keep her den clean so as not to attract predators with scent cues. Thus, she quite often will clean up after her young by consuming their poop.
For households with multiple dogs there is often a pecking order of dominant and submissive roles. Submissive dogs will sometimes eat the stool of their dominant counterparts.
Dogs Are “A” Students
Dogs pick up things quickly and will often learn things that you don’t want them to. For instance, consider a dog that is punished for a housebreaking accident. If he is punished by having his nose rubbed in poop (which is absolutely not a good way to deal with the problem) he may try to “dispose of the evidence” the next time around.
If you clean up after your dog while he looks on, he may misunderstand your intent and try to copy your actions in some fashion by “picking up after himself”. Your dog might also see other dogs eating poop and learn the behavior from them.
For puppies, eating feces may simply be a learning experience. Puppies learn things by putting nearly everything that comes in front of them in their mouth. Most puppies will develop a distaste for poop in fairly short order. So, if your dog is a puppy, you can relax… chances are that they will change their behavior in due time. Just make sure you keep an eye on things and try to remove waste whenever possible so that your dog doesn’t develop bad habits.
Why You Should Take Your Poop Eating Dog to the Vet
If your dog eats poop, you should make sure it’s not because of a health issue. Some dogs will start eating poop when they aren’t absorbing enough nutrients, they have parasites, or they have issues with their pancreas. All coprophagic dogs should be examined by a veterinarian. Please read my other post on coprophagia and dog health.
Another, rather interesting phenomenon is when multiple dogs are in the same household and one gets sick, the healthy dog will sometimes eat the feces of the unhealthy dog. This may be an instinctual reaction to hide the weaker dog from “predators” much as a mother does with pups (see the section on instinct below).
Why Your Dog Sometimes Prefers Poop to Dog Food
A dog’s digestive system is dependent on a specific mix of enzymes to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats. There is some evidence that suggests that dog digestive systems haven’t quite caught up to modern diets that include less animal protein and far more carbohydrates and plant proteins. Some veterinary nutritionists have suggested that dogs eat stool to replenish enzymes so that they are better prepared to digest their food.
There is also evidence that dogs that aren’t getting enough of certain nutrients will resort to eating poop. A lack of vitamin B is often said to be a cause of coprophagia.
Another common theory is that overfeeding a dog can lead to coprophagia. A dog that is overfed can’t absorb all of the nutrients in his food, and thus may try to “recycle” his nutrient rich waste.
Neglectful Parents
In many cases, a dog’s behavior can be linked directly to the owner’s behavior. Many dogs will eat stool simply for the attention that they get from their owner. Negative attention is still attention, and owners who scold their dogs for the behavior will quite often only reinforce it.
Dogs that are bored and lonely may play with and eat stool as a pastime. And, some dogs may resort to eating stool because they are not getting enough real food. If a dog’s living area is not kept clean, some dogs will resort to their own “housekeeping” efforts by eating stool.
Solving The Problem
There is plenty of coprophagia information on this website to get you started on getting rid of your dog’s habit. It usually takes a specific combination of dietary and behavioral changes and takes quite a bit of experimentation. Of course, if you want to take advantage of my experience and get a guaranteed system, please take a look at my Dog Poop Diet guide.
To go directly to “How To Stop Poop Eating” click here ->
photo credit: naughty architect
My name is Vernon Lee and I've been training dogs for nearly 30 years. Over that time I have had countless people ask me what to do about coprophagia.
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i have a dalmatian aged 2 and half year.
he eats his own shit and then foul smell comes from his mouth
please suggest me with some home remedies or medicines.
Dont let your dogs like your face after they eat that good poop yummy!
Excellent article. Thanks for sharing it! alert(‘Bye’);.
I’m trying to help . She is not a bad dog at all and your making alot of ridicule of her, I know this is a problem, thats why I sent you this mail. John
hi!!my name is Bill.I have a 5 month old maltese.he is eating his poop!!!what can I do to stop eat it??? plzzzz give me a answer..
thnx 
Forbid – Pumpkin Paste – Cayenne – Pineapple; NOTHING WORKED. (Only our 3yr old Male Staff Mix has this disgusting “hobby”)
What DID work:
1.) Started both dogs on High-Level Food (The body digests better & less poop) – We’re on Nature’s Recipe right now. Just switched over to Blue Buffalo just to see if it produces even LESS waste.
2.) VINEGAR! Yes, in a large spray bottle!! I put Veggie Oil in it too, so it sticks to everything (even if the temps drop). My dog HATES the smell and taste!!! Oh and when I’m not fast enough and find little pieces he’s attacked in the yard……..I spray them, say “NO!!” & “LEAVE IT!!”, then spray just in front of him so he gets a whiff of the vinegar to remind him.
In the end, you just need to stay on top of the yard, watch your dog closely and keep spraying any waste in the yard with the Vinegar. It’s not perfect, but it’s helping. I just hope this ends soon, it’s hard to love a dog who does this.
** NOTE – VINEGAR KILLS GRASS – So you might be S.O.L. if your dog poops on grass only**
My neighbors come over and eat my dog’s poop
Hi. I have a 7 month old maltese that is eating his poop. It shocked me terribly because I have had dogs all my life and never saw anything like it. I feel a lot better now that I visited your page.
Thank you very much for all the information!!!
I have a 7mth old female German Shepard. All the comments I have read sounds as if we all have the same discussing problem. Just dont know what to do about it I have tried every thing except the Vitamin B. That will be my next move. I guess I will have to see if that work I have 3 other dogs as well, 8 years old Golden Retriever, 6 yr old Boxer, 4 yr old German Shepard. All females. The puppy seems to have a taste for their poop too. As I have read She also waits as the other dog are getting ready to poop and she will catch it as it comes out GROSSSSSS !!!! So I follow dog around the yard waiting for them to go then pick it up and then let the puppy out as soon a the other dog go. Then wait for her to go and pick up her poop as fast as i cant before she can get at it. She acts as if we dont feed her. Hope the B works This is getting tiresome.
My parents dog eats it’s own crap. As disgusting as it may be I figure it saves on dog food, it’s its own recycling plant. Maybe I’ll contribute to its process and save water by not flushing, win win… Disgusting animals…
I have a German Shepherd female just over a yr.old. I got her about 6 mons of age. I figured she’d been eating poo before I got her because she was kept in a medium size kennel area w her sister. The people I got her from take very good health care of their dogs. Fed good food and plenty of it. I’m thinking it started out of boredom and being young kept in kennel type enviroment.
I have 4 shepherds here kept together in huge fenced back yard. She still is eating her poo and waits under the other dogs to drop theirs to eat it quickly as possible,YUCK. Luckily the others haven’t picked up her nasty habit. My main concern is she is very thin to me. I’ve just wormed her, she stayed about same weight, maybe picking up a little. Now I’m feeding her double twice a day and she has not gained anything, actually thinner than before I wormed her. It kind of looks like a growing spurt as my other shepherds have thinned out during growth spurts. But they are all maintaining basically same weight. She also has kept runny stools more often than not. She would even eat the runny ones stools. But now that all the dogs stools have firmed up nicely, she is having a heyday waiting under them while they poo. Then eats as if it’s a delicacy. Any suggestions or comments to if her thinness and poo eating? I’m really thinking it has a lot to do w her getting and staying so thin. And yes she eats ALL her food.
Help! My 8 week old puppy is eating her poop. Not everytime, but when she realizes she went, she licks, pushes it with her nose and will proceed with taking a bite. I’d remove it from her potty spot, but unless there’s poop there, she poops wherever she can find to go. The poop on the potty spot helps her to know that’s where to go. But I about gag myself when I watch her eat it! BLECK!
I forgot to mention that my dog has horrible allergies to weeds and wheat (I think) and just a plethora of things. She was 3 when I got her at the shelter and later learned she was adopted and the returned from these people 7 times in a row! All different people. After I heard that, I COULD NOT EVER GIVE HER UP!!!! She is very hard to handle, has lots of skin issues and allergies, but she looks as healthy as could be!She will be 5 years old in a month! I’ve got a long way to go, but I love her to pieces!!! I am her forever mommy. If you could give me any help with the poop eating problem, it would sure make it easier to look after her. Thank you again, Kris and Lexie.
Please send me another entire copy of all of the different “steps”, I believe 1-4 of what I need to read to finish this article. My computer is acting up and what I got before has disappeared from my computer. Please help me. I won’t even let my dog go outside anymore, and when I do it is just to go potty. If she poops, I have to pick it up immediately and throw it away. I am disabled and it is a long hike up to the dumpster. Sometimes I just pitch it into the field next to our yard. That makes her mad and she goes crazy barking for it. It doesn’t seem to bother her when I bag it and take it to the dumpster. We live in the mountains and she eats chipmunk, deer, elk, and ground squirrel feces. Of course I always miss a piece or she will hold some in and go more while I’m trekking to the dumpster. She can hold A LOT. Now I am keeping her inside all day with me. That’s not fair to her. The whole thing is a mess. I just need all of your information you emailed me before and I won’t lose it this time. I just can’t live like this!!!! Thank you for your help. My dog is half Min Pin/half Beagle, about 12-14 pounds and we walk an hour every other day. Can you help me? Thank you again,
Kris
Hi I have an 8 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier pup and there are a lot of cats in our area so whenever we let her out into the back or front garden she instantly knows where there is cat poo and goes over to eat it when me or my partner go upto her to tell her no bad she runs off while still eating the poo its so disgusting. She doesn’t eat her own poo or other dogs just cat poo. When she was younger she did try to eat other dogs poop but after telling her off for it and training her on her lead to walk past it she now does not bother with it she doesn’t even sniff it. It’s harder with the cat poo though and also if we take her a walk in big grassy areas where there is rabbits she will also eat the rabbits droppings too!! Now whenever we let her out into the garden we always stay with her so to watch and make sure she doesn’t go near it and as we are there she usually just does her business and comes back inside she will not go looking to eat cat poops so this tells me that really she knows this is wrong as she always gets a row for It so it is only if we leave her outside alone for a couple of mins that she will immediately go to the cats poo and when we catch her she runs off with it in her mouth so that she can then fully finish eating it. It makes me feel sick!! So u think that she knows its wrong so why does she still do it if that’s the case? I am thinking about taking her to the vets as I am wondering if it may be she is lacking in some kind of nutrient and hopefully the vet can give her some kind of vitamin tablet to see if that works or I am just hoping that it is because she is still just a young pup and in time she will stop I am hoping anyway!! Fingers crossed. Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated. Also thanks for the informative page it gave me and my partner a good insight as to why dogs do these gross things. So thank you.
have a 10 year old german shepherd collie cross who has just started drinking urine and other dogs poop in the house what can and should do any advice welcome thanks
What a great article on why dogs eat dog poop. I have always wondered why. Thankf for all the great additions too!
My dogs also drive me crazy! They just love to eat their own poop. I got a lot of help from my landscaping guys just discouraging my dogs when they tried to eat the dog feces in the yard.
Two of them eating feces. Trouble is, we have a lot of coyotes in the area and the dogs find coyote crap and eat it. Also raccoon crap. We can’t control animals totally on a few hundred acres or in the hills and sloughs.
How do we stop the behavior?
GROSS
And worse is people who let them lick their FACE.
FECES on their face. Nice.
Filthy creatures.
I have a small 1 year old jack russell and she tried eating her own poop, i caught her and picked it up. What could i do to prevent this from happening in the future?
I’m housesitting a small chihuahua for my friend he don’t eat dog food he only eats cat food he is so skinny that you can see his bones.He is still a puppy and it is not healthy for him to eat cat food.Can someone help me?
My chihuahua doesn’t eat his own poop or drink his pee!!! Well he won’t eat anything other than cat food!!! Can somebody tell me some advice?? What can i do??
info
I have a 10 month old Maltese/Yorkie cross that eats poop. I question if this is a nutrition need. She was diagonosed with a portal systemic shunt which was corrected surgically. Her eating is much better than pre surgery but i wonder if there is a vitamin deficiency for her to do this?????
We have two dogs, our yorkie-shihtzu is now 6 years old and ate her poop as a 1 year old, I fed her carrots and apples in addition to her regular diet and the poop eating stopped completely and she’s never done it again. Our Springer Spaniel doesn’t eat her own poop, she eats the deer poop in the yard. Any idea how to stop this behavior? My husband is reluctant to run her in the field, because she’ll stop to eat the deer poop. She is almost 3 years old.
Hi my mom have a dachshund she all ways it her poop plus to me she is over weight I don’t no if just greedy are just a nasty dog ewwww
Hi my name is marianne I have a 4mth yr old pitbull and he is crate trained. While left in there if I am at work and he uses the rest room he will poop and eat it because there is evidence of it but none of it really found and I don’t know how to change this I need help. Thank you.
hi , i have to staff cross bull mastiff puppies and they both eat there poo it drives me crazy could some one please give me some surgestions or advice please as it realy makes me fill sick … thank you
My mother had a dachshund who would scurry out the front yard when she could (she was kept in the back yard and walked everyday – she didn’t eat any poop when taken for a walk) and sniff around for other dog’s poop. Old or new, didn’t care. Just woof it down – unintended pun there. I thought it might have been a territorial thing as she didn’t eat her own.
we have just been given a 3/4 month old belgian/german shephard puppy
whenever she poops she immediately eats it we give her a well balanced diet and lots of attetion!
any suggestions?
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait ..
Thank you for your very informative and clean list of reasons. My english bulldog has been puking his food last week and then my neghbor saw him eating his poop yesterday. This might be due to his decreased intake of calories for the past week. We all were thinking what is going on?? so I forwarded your page to my neighbors so we all can calm down.
I LOVE your page
Thanks!
Hi, Im Cat, I have a 12 year old, part king charles, not to sure what the other breed of her is, she was given to me, as her family was moving, and now im left with questions. This poor girl, has never been to the vet, has rotted teeth, and has a huge growth underneath the skin under one of her nipples. Anyway, she has developed this “new way” shes been vomiting, and had diarreha, and likes to eat her poop, wether its hard poop or soft, and is constantly licking her bum…..whats wrong with this girl….please give me some type of info.
My older dog started eating poop when I switched her to senior food. I have two dogs and the younger one was still on regular food so I think the older one was eating the poop of the younger one. The vet suggested I switch the older one back to regular food saying “I’d rather have her on regular food and not eating poop than on senior food and eating poop. Problem solved and I don’t have to store two different kinds of food. Happy Day!
you could try stop them eating poop by training them one by one when the dog or puppy goes to eat the poop spray them with cold icy water and say a command like no or leave it if does not work make a shaker put rocks inside of it close it up like a shaker and shake it into their face i will make a loud noise and they will not what to eat the poop i have had dogs all my life and i train dogs i hope the advise helps you allot
There is certainly hope. Diet adjustment is the most significant factor in most cases. Training is necessary only when diet is not the problem. It’s difficult to judge how many cases clear up without training intervention, but I would estimate 60%-70% of the time dogs will respond favorably to dietary changes.
We adopted a Puggle from the local shelter. We’re told he’s about 2 years old. He is an adorable, well mannered dog who obviously was an indoor dog previously. He eats his poop immediately after he is done. We have tried coprophagia products from the pet store and Forbid from the Vet. Neither have worked. I’m concerned about training him since we are gone during the day at work and school. Is there still hope in getting him to stop?
@ tori, my results with pineapple and hot sauce are similar to yours (I’ve linked to those blog entries above). I believe in taking on a coprophagia problem by addressing all dietary factors (protein/carbohydrate ratios, vitamin deficiencies, digestive enzymes, deterrence agents) while also doing some some simple training.
My dogs are driving me crazy. My 1 1/2 year old dog has taught my 7 year old and my puppies to eat poop! I can’t run fast enough to them when they are going to the bathroom. It’s soooooo grossssss! I bought a case of pineapple. I divide 1 can b/t/w for dogs. They still eat it! I’ve poured vinegar on the poop. They still it! I’ve put hot sauce on the poop. They still eat it ! Help…. they are making me ill!!!!!
Tori