Why Does My Dog Eat Poop? And How to Stop It

You turn around in the yard and your dog is chewing something. You know what it is. Your dog knows you know. And now they would like a kiss.

Eating poop has a proper name, coprophagia, and it is one of the most common things owners are too embarrassed to ask about. It is also one of the most fixable. Here is why it happens, when it is worth a vet visit, and the calm plan that works better than any powder you can sprinkle on dinner.

Is it normal for dogs to eat poop?

Unpleasant, yes. Unusual, no. In a large UC Davis survey of around 3,000 dog owners, roughly one dog in six was described as a regular poop eater. Most of them went for fresh stool, no more than two days old, and they were more common in homes with more than one dog and among dogs described as greedy eaters.

The researchers' favorite explanation is an old one. Wild canids may clear fresh droppings from around the den before any parasite eggs in them have time to become infective. Mother dogs also clean up after their puppies for the first weeks of life. So your dog is not broken. They are running very old software in a very modern backyard.

Why your dog does it

There is rarely just one reason. These are the usual suspects:

• Puppy curiosity. Puppies explore the world with their mouths, and poop is, unfortunately, part of the world. Many grow out of it, especially if they never get the chance to practice.
• Instinct. The den-cleaning habit above. It explains why fresh poop is so much more interesting than old poop.
• Boredom. A dog with nothing to do will invent a hobby. Sometimes the hobby is this.
• Attention. If eating poop makes you shriek and sprint across the lawn, your dog has just discovered the most exciting game in the house.
• Stress, or being told off for accidents. A dog who has been scolded for pooping indoors can learn that poop itself is the problem, and that the safest poop is a missing one.
• Hunger and diet. Dogs on a strict diet, dogs who gulp their food, and dogs whose food is not well digested may find leftovers in stool worth a second look.
• The cat's litter box. Cat poop is rich and smelly, which is everything a dog wants in a snack. Many dogs who ignore their own poop cannot resist the litter box.

When it is a vet question, not a training one

Most poop eating is behavior. Some of it is not. Vets will want to rule out parasites, problems absorbing food, enzyme deficiencies, and conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disease or Cushing's disease, which can all make a dog hungrier than usual. Some medications, including steroids, can do the same.

Book a check-up if it starts suddenly in an adult dog, if your dog seems hungrier than usual, or if it comes with weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting or low energy. Bring a stool sample if you can face it. Your vet has seen worse, and so, by now, have you.

Is it dangerous?

Usually more gross than dangerous, but not risk-free. Poop, especially from other dogs, wildlife and cats, can carry worms, Giardia and bacteria that your dog then brings home to the sofa and to your face. Keep up with routine parasite prevention, and try not to accept kisses until you know where that mouth has been.

How to stop your dog eating poop

The plan is less about stopping a bad habit and more about making something else more rewarding. Six steps, in this order:

1. Pick it up straight away. Every poop your dog eats is practice. Clean the yard daily, walk on a leash in the poop hot spots, and move the litter box somewhere the dog cannot reach, behind a baby gate or in a top-entry box.
2. Do not make a scene. No shouting, no chasing, no rubbing their nose in it. Drama turns poop into a game or into evidence to hide. Calmly interrupt, call them away, move on.
3. Teach "leave it" at home first. Hold a treat in your closed hand. The moment your dog stops pawing and licking and looks away, say "yes" and give a different, better treat from your other hand. Build up to treats on the floor, then on walks. Your dog learns that walking away pays.
4. Make yourself the best thing after a poop. As soon as your dog finishes, call them to you for a jackpot treat. Within a couple of weeks many dogs start turning to you straight after they go, which is exactly where you want their nose.
5. Fill the gap. More sniffy walks, chews and food puzzles. A dog with a full day of things to do has far less time for a disgusting hobby.
6. Check the food. Use slow feeders for gulpers and ask your vet whether your dog's food and portions suit them. Hungry dogs scavenge.

A word about the powders and chews that promise to make poop taste bad. In that same UC Davis survey, owners reported that products sold for poop eating almost never worked. Spend the money on better treats instead.

Poop is rarely the only thing

Dogs who eat poop are often the same dogs who hoover up chicken bones on walks and help themselves to the toast on the counter. It is one habit with three disguises, and the fix is the same: management, a rock-solid "leave it", and a dog who finds you more interesting than the floor.

If that sounds like your dog, a slower, day-by-day version of this plan lives in the Leave It plan below. And if you are not sure what is behind your dog's behavior, our free find your dog's plan quiz takes two minutes.

This article is general education, not veterinary advice. If your dog's habits change suddenly, or anything about their health worries you, your vet is always the right first call.

And if their snack of choice is greener and less dramatic, here is why dogs eat grass.