A Primer on Coprophagia: Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

Does your dog eat poop? Why do they do that?

Canines seem to enjoy many smells and tastes that people find offensive. For example, dogs are generally attracted to the odor of feces while investigating their environment. Some dogs, including puppies, will even eat the poop of cats and other animals. The technical term for that is coprophagia.

Behavioral reasons

This behavior is akin to scavenging, which is a common pack characteristic.

Eating feces is usually a behavioral problem. That is true, especially in curious puppies that explore different things by picking them up in their mouth. In addition, coprophagia usually attracts a great deal of attention from the owner, reinforcing the behavior. Coprophagia in puppies usually clears up by the time the pup becomes an adult. However, taking early measures can help reduce the likelihood of the behavior becoming a long-term habit.

Preventing access to feces is the best way to correct behavioral coprophagia. Keep your yard thoroughly clean and your dog under constant supervision when outdoors.

As soon as your dog begins to sniff or investigate fecal material, interrupt it. There is no basis for punishments such as “sticking the dog’s nose in it,” Such punishment can actually increase the problem.

Medical reasons

Some medical issues can cause or worsen coprophagia. That is a more likely explanation for when coprophagia develops in adult dogs.

Your veterinarian may recommend some diagnostic tests to check for any underlying medical conditions, such as:

hormonal disorders
digestive problems
intestinal parasites
nutritional deficiencies

In addition, conditions that cause increased appetite (e.g., diabetes, Cushing’s disease, thyroid disease, or treatment with corticosteroids) can lead to an interest in consuming feces. In these cases, correcting the underlying medical problem generally also corrects the coprophagia.

Sometimes you can correct coprophagia by changing the physical characteristics of the feces. For example, your vet may suggest adding a substance to your dog’s food that can change the odor of the feces and curb coprophagia. However, adding unpleasant tastes, such as hot pepper, directly on the feces is not often successful.

Further reading:
Coprophagia and How it Relates to Digestive Enzyme Deficiency in Dogs

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of American and an award-winning author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners . What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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Does your dog eat poop? Why do they do that?

Behavioral reasons

Medical reasons

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