10 Tips: Why Does My Dog Eat Poop?

Why Does My Dog Eat Poop All Of A Sudden

Many dog owners take great measures to prevent their pets from eating poop, and it's understandable—it's so disgusting.

Your dog is genetically designed to eat poop. Some animals eat feces for nutrition. Rabbits, for example, eat their own poop (feces) for nutritional value. If you stop them from eating their own poop, they won’t be able to get enough nutrition for their needs. Baby rabbits may not grow well because of this.

Luckily for dogs, they don’t need to eat this way. At certain dog ages, puppies naturally start exploring their surroundings by sniffing everything they see. Sometimes that means eating their own poo.

Puppies will typically eat both their own poop (autocoprophagia), including poop from other dogs (allocoprophagia), and even poop from cats and other animals.

Eating feces from other animals isn’t harmful; however, eating feces from other animals could be dangerous if they contain parasites, viruses, or toxic substances. Usually by the time puppies reach their first birthday, they’ve outgrown this stage.

Facts On Why Dog Eat Poop?

Coprophagy (the act of eating feces) is usually seen in young dogs who are just beginning their exploration of the environment.

A strange fact: Most dogs who are stool eaters won’t eat soft, poorly formed stool or diarrhea. Instead, dogs are attracted mostly to hard stools.

For a dog, a frozen poop is gulped down with gusto! (This is where the term “poopsicle” came from.)

Here’s some interesting facts about dogs who eat poop:

Multi-dog households were more likely to be affected by coprophagia than single.

It doesn’t take longer for poop eating puppies to be trained than for any other breed of dog.

Males are less likely than females to eat feces, whereas intact males were most unlikely to eat feces.

Most dogs who are poop eaters prefer the fresh stuff, that’s only a day or two old.

Interestingly, most dogs will not eat their own poop, only that of other dogs.

Why Does My Dog Eat Poop?

If your dogs is eating poop, you may wonder whether there might be some kind of physical cause for your dog’s pooping habits.

It might upset you, but it could just be natural behavior for dogs. There are so many dogs who poop their stools out vets think they’re just doing it naturally.

It could simply be a bad habit, but if he has been doing it consistently for some time, then there might be another reason behind his actions.

Mother Dogs - If your dog has just given birth, it’s normal for a mother dogs to eat the poop of their pups to keep their den area clean. This is normal behavior until the puppies are weaned.

Dogs who are greedy eaters or steal food from a table - these dogs are more likely to eat poop. Over time, dogs have grown, it can become an instinct to make sure they get enough to eat.

It might just be an attempt at getting attention - If your dog knows that you’re likely to respond negatively if he eats his own feces, then maybe he wants some extra attention from you by doing so. It might seem similar to other negative attention-seeking behaviors like biting, kicking, or stealing something to get someone’s attention.

You might notice that your dog doesn’t seem quite right and doesn’t feel well - If your dog has coprophagia (eating feces), then there might be some medical reason for it. It can be a symptom of a variety of the intestinal tract, the liver, or brain.

If you notice any sudden weight loss, vomiting, or other behavior changes, visit your veterinarian to rule out intestinal parasites, diabetes, thyroid conditions, or other diseases.

A Variety of Reasons Why Dog Eat Poop

Everyone knows dogs eat poop, but have you wondered why dogs eat poop? There is a lot of misinformation out there about poop eating dogs, and it's very easy to get confused about this issue.

Some dogs eat poop because they simply like the taste of the poop, have a behavioral issue, medical issues, eat a poor quality diet, have an enzyme deficiency or can be as simple as unwanted behaviors.

The Poop Of Other Animals Tastes Good

Sometimes dogs eat feces from another animal.

Other animal stools may contain useful nutrients, but they can also contain harmful bacteria, which makes them not safe for dogs to eat.

It’s better to have your dog avoid eating these stools than risk consuming dangerous pathogens.

Your Dog May Not Feel Well

If your dog is eating poop, they may not be feeling well.

When you have a puppy or dog that eats other dogs’ poop or his own poop, you should have your dog examined by a veterinarian to verify that there are no diseases of the intestinal tract or other parts of the body like the liver or brain.

Your veterinarian will probably want to perform diagnostic tests to see if your dog may have a medical problem, such as intestinal parasites , nutritional deficiencies, or gastrointestinal disease.

Quick Tips To Stop Your Dog From Eating Poop

You first need to ensure that there aren’t any underlying medical conditions causing the problem.

If your vet says it’s a behavior problem, there are some things you can do to help him learn better habits or by adding a good probiotic to your dogs food.

Limit Access to Poop.

If dogs want to eat their own poo, they prefer fresh dog poop. So if you’re going outside with your dog, be sure to clean up after your pet right away! If you have cats, you’ll want to clean out the litter box as soon as your cat goes.

Redirecting with Toys

If your dog is looking for things to eat in the yard when you let them out to do their business, bring along a ball, frisbee or a treat for distraction.

Don’t leave them alone with time to search for fresh poop.

Positive Training and Reinforcement

Use positive reinforcement and rewards to train commands like to leave it.

It may take some time for them to learn new habits, so be patient.

Add Dietary Supplements

If you’re feeding your dog a low-calorie diet, switching to a high-fibre one might be beneficial. Adding enzyme supplements can make the taste of their own poop less appealing.

Hint: Some dog owners have success with breaking the dog eating habit by adding papaya, cottage cheese, or crushed pineapple to dog food.

Puppies That Eat Poop

If you have a puppy that likes to eat poop , you’ll want to control your puppies’ access to poop.

Once your puppy has finished going poop, praise them and offer them a tasty treat. Then, while your dog is eating the treat, you can quickly clean up the pile of poop.

Preventing your dog from eating anything he shouldn’t eat prevents him from having the desire to do it again.

Adult Dogs that Learn to Eat Poop

If a dog has learned to eat poop more than likely, it’s because they fear being punished for having an accident.

The first step is to stop using punishment and then take active measures to prevent them from having access to the poop.

It might be the case that the dog was punished by past owners, and in this case, you will still need to restrict access to the poop.

Once the behavior has been established, it’s crucial that you remain patient and consistently use positive reinforcement to encourage alternative behaviors for your dog to perform other than eating the poop.

How To Redirect Your Dog's Attention

You should always go out with your dog whenever it needs to go poop, if your dog has been eating poop for a long time.

Once they are finished, call them to you for treats and then put them back in the house or throw a toy for them to chase while you pick up the stool.

If your dog ignores you after going poop and immediately turns around to eat their poop, then you will need to keep them on their leash and lead them away.

In order to discourage your dog from eating poop, you must continue to manage it and restrict access to the poop to prevent a relapse.

Some people are successful in teaching their dogs a “leave it” cue and then a “come” or automatic “sit” by” using positive reinforcement.

It's important to always give your dog lots of praise and treats when they don't immediately go for their poop. Find a high-value treat they can only get in these situations.

Make Your Dogs Poop Less Appealing

It's also possible to use dog chews that are made to discourage your dog from eating their own poop if they're eating it out of habit.

You can give these chews along with other distractions your dog receives, such as toys or training tools, to keep them away from poop.