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My dog eats poop. Why does he do it and how can I make him stop?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog eats poop. Why? And how can I stop this behavior?

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Mariya Gugel, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 25th, 2018

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center! Stool eating, also known as coprophagy, is actually quite common in puppies and in many adult dogs too. In fact, if not addressed in a timely manner, there's a risk that this unwanted behavior may end up becoming a recurring habit.

There are many theories and potential reasons why dogs decide to eat their feces. These include poor digestion, boredom, stress, attention seeking, and a lack of vitamins/minerals in the diet. The latter is highly unlikely if you're feeding your dog a high quality commercial food, since these generally provide all the nutrients your dog needs.

The effective way to deal with this behavior depends on the exact cause. So, it's always recommended to consult with your veterinarian.

1288Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jeffrey Milner
Veterinarian
Published on April 28th, 2017
This is one of these WONDERFUL things that some dogs take up doing. The most common theory is that dogs may lack some type of nutrient potentially that they think they are going to retain my reconsuming their feces. Another is that they plain just like how it tastes. Obviously, as people who kiss our dogs, we would prefer that they refrain from this activity. There are several products designed to accomplish just this. My favorite is a product called Coproban. It makes their poop taste bad. There are more like it too, but that is the one I am familiar with.
7Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on January 17th, 2017
Many dogs who eat their own stool don't have any nutritional deficiency at all - they just like the taste of stool, unfortunately. Dogs can be very gross! :) In some cases, dogs with some type of intestinal absorption problem such as EPI (exocrine pancreatitic insufficiency) or inflammatory bowel disease will eat their own stool because they aren't absorbing the nutrients they need. If you're concerned about this, you would need to take your dog to a vet for some diagnostic testing to help determine if something is wrong.
21Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on June 30th, 2019
This is a very common behavior! It may be Mikayla likes the taste, has intestinal worms, or has a nutritional deficiency from her diet. Pick up the poop right after she goes to prevent her from eating it, make sure she is up to date on her deworming treatments, and feed her a well balanced puppy food. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on February 1st, 2018
Restrict her access to areas where there is feces. Walk her on a leash to prevent her from reaching feces. Pick it up immediately after she has completed her business. You can also use a product called For-Bid. It is a powdered food additive that imparts a bitter taste to stool to prevent a dog from eating it. The additional vitamins will likely have no effect on this behavior.
Dogs will eat stool out of boredom, curiosity or to correct a nutritional deficiency. Be sure to feed a balanced diet. Review her diet with your veterinarian if necessary.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Training & Behavior

My dog eats its own poop. Why is this happening and how to stop it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is actually not that uncommon. It is unclear why it happens. However, it usually does not need any type of therapy or change of routine. I would recommend you discourage this behavior as much as possible. This will eventually most likely stop. Good luck!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

How do I stop my puppy from eating its own and other dogs' poop?

For helping to eliminate purely behavioral causes of coprophagy, a three step method can be used: 1. Decreaseattractivequalityoffeces • Change in diet can oftentimes be beneficial, switching to a brand with a lower protein content to lower the amount of protein excreted into the feces (which the dog finds palatable). • Commercially available products added to food can decrease the palatability of the feces. Examples include: For-bid®; Deter®; and meat tenderizers. Consult with your veterinarian as to the proper dose to use. 2. Preventexpressionofbehavior • Being present and scooping up the feces immediately is a good way to prevent this behavior. • Keeping the dog on leash when taking him/her out to eliminate can help the owner physically prevent the dog from engaging in coprophagy. • Controlled feeding time allows the owner to predict time of defecation and be more vigilant when watching the dog. • Preventing access to other pet’s litterboxes or cleaning them frequently. • Spray collars, such as citronella can be used to deter the dog as well. • “Booby-trapping” feces, by adding hot sauce or “bitter apple” flavor INTO the feces, so the dog associates bad tastes with its feces. • Not rewarding the behavior by ignoring the dog when it consumes its feces, despite how difficult it may be for the owner. 3. Rewardpost-eliminationbehavior • Positive reinforcement immediately after good behavior (so owner must be present). Keep the dog on leash, and if the dog does not go for its feces, reward it with food and praise. Also, if the dog does try to reach for its feces, divert its attention to another simple task (such as asking to “sit” or “shake paw”) and reward it for performing the task. Health Concerns: As with all pets, regardless of whether or not the dog is coprophagic, owners should be careful about washing their hands at appropriate times, such as before eating, after handling feces, etc. Cleanliness is the first line of defense against potential disease transmission, which can include intestinal parasites. Coprophagy can be very distasteful to owners and can be a public health concern. If this occurs, consider seeing your local veterinarian to rule out any possible diseases as the cause and to develop a plan to help eliminate the behavior.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My 10-month-old puppy eats his poop. Why and how can I stop it?

There are certainly a large number of reasons that a dog will eat their own stool. I am attaching a handout below that discusses these reasons in detail. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8587687 Since Chev is still a puppy, I would start with having your veterinarian examine a stool sample to make sure there aren't any intestinal parasites that are playing a role. You can then discuss trying the food additive deterrents that can be very helpful in stopping this behavior. And as you mentioned, this behavior could certainly be out of boredom, so I would recommend working on additional training to keep Chev busy and tired. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas to get this taken care of. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

Why does my dog eat her own poop? Is it normal and how to stop?

Hi there and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Delilah is adorable! Unfortunately most of the time when a dog is eating it's own feces, it's just because they've developed the habit and decide that they like it. Obviously it's a pretty gross thing to do and can lead to reinfection with GI parasites so it's a behavior we want to try to stop. First you should do regular and immediate removal of feces in the yard so Delilah has less of a chance to get to the poop. You can also try feeding something like Forbid (a product you can purchase) or a small amount of pineapple juice mixed in with her food. This will sometimes stop a dog from eating their own feces. Very rarely this behavior can be a sign of a nutritional deficiency so if it continues have Delilah evaluated by your veterinarian. And bring a stool sample for evaluation as well to ensure she has not picked up a GI parasite. Hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My new puppy is eating his poop. Will coprophagia pills work?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is really no good medical therapy to prevent this so I am not sure how well those pills would work. This is usually a behavior that dogs tend to improve from relatively quickly. I would just try to avoid him eating his feces and discourage this behavior as much as possible. It is very likely that he will eventually improve on his own. Good luck and have a great day!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Why is my dog eating poop from her training pad? How to stop it?

Dogs will eat stool out of boredom, curiosity or in an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency. She may outgrow the behavior eventually. Pick up stool immediately after she goes. Keep her occupied and engaged with toys and tasks to distract her from stool. Review her diet with your veterinarian to identify and correct any potential deficiencies. There are also food additives, such as For-Bid, that may deter her from eating feces.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My dog keeps eating poop. Why does she do it and how do I stop her?

There is nothing "wrong" with Maria's dining habits--we humans find it gross, but dogs look upon their piles as gourmet meals! Maria is far from alone in this behavior. The best way to stop the habit is to clean up after her immediately, every time she goes. You can also try sprinkling nasty-tasting stuff on it, like hot sauce, vinegar, or pepper. There is a product called Forbid (ask your vet for it), which you add to her food to make the delicacy less appealing. But chances are that as soon as you stop the poop-altering or the Forbid, she'll go right back to her "treats."

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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