How to Get Your Dog to Stop Eating Poop

Why dogs eat poop

Coprophagia is more common than most owners think. In one study led by researchers at UC Davis, about one in six dogs were frequent poop eaters and roughly a quarter had been seen doing it at least once. Mother dogs clean up after their puppies, and many puppies explore stool with their mouths, so it often starts young.

Behavioral causes include boredom, too much time confined in a small space, attention, since owners understandably react strongly, and anxiety, sometimes linked to harsh house training. Many dogs simply find fresh stool, and especially cat poop, interesting. It is more common in multi-dog homes.

When poop eating is a medical problem

Medical causes are less common but important. Intestinal parasites, poor absorption of nutrients, underfeeding, poorly digestible diets, and conditions that increase appetite, such as diabetes, Cushing's disease and thyroid disease, or medicines such as steroids, can all lead to poop eating.

Book a vet visit if an adult dog suddenly starts eating poop, or if it comes with weight loss, diarrhea, a huge appetite, increased thirst or vomiting. Your vet will usually start by checking a stool sample for parasites. Eating other animals' feces can also spread parasites, which is another reason to stop it.

Step 1: Manage access

The simplest fix is prevention. Go out with your dog on a leash for potty breaks and pick up immediately with a pooper scooper or a dog poop bag. Keep the yard clean, and do not leave a dog alone in the yard while you are training. On walks, keep your dog on a leash in areas with wildlife or other dogs' waste.

For cat poop, put the litter box where your dog cannot reach it: behind a baby gate with a cat-sized gap, in a room with a door latch your cat can pass, or in a top-entry or covered box. Scoop the litter box often.

Step 2: Teach better choices

Teach a solid 'leave it' with treats indoors, then outdoors around tempting objects. Then build a habit: when your dog finishes pooping, call it to you right away and reward with an especially tasty treat. Soon your dog will turn to you after it goes, rather than to the pile.

Stay calm. Shouting or chasing can make poop more interesting or turn it into a game of keep-away. Never punish your dog for eating stool or rub its nose in it, which can increase anxiety and make the habit worse.

Do deterrents and supplements work?

Products added to food that are meant to make stool taste bad work for some dogs, but many owners see little effect, and in multi-dog homes every dog needs to take them. Evidence for home additives is weak. Ask your vet before adding anything to your dog's food.

Meet your dog's needs too: enough food, a diet that suits it, plenty of exercise and mental stimulation (a dog puzzle toy can help the bored ones), and fewer long spells of confinement. Most puppies grow out of poop eating with management and training, often by around nine months of age. Keeping a pooper scooper by the back door makes the quick cleanup in Step 1 easy to stick to.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.