Why is my dog eating her poop

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Two Types of Stool Eating
Banish your dog’s poop issue
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Eating poop is also known as coprophagia. Fernando Trabanco Fotografía/Getty Images

It turns out the biggest problem with a dog eating poop is the ick factor for their humans.

Dogs, especially puppies, eat many things they shouldn't, and this often includes feces — theirs and that of other dogs and even other animals.

Gross as it may seem, dogs eating poop is pretty common.

"The science isn't completely clear on why dogs or puppies eat feces, which is known as coprophagia," says Gary Richter, DVM, a veterinary health expert with Rover and owner and medical director of Montclair Veterinary Hospital.

"Assuming the dog is eating an appropriately balanced diet – meaning basically any commercially available brand – nutritional deficiencies leading to coprophagia are very unlikely. In truth, eating feces is almost exclusively a behavioral issue rather than a physical one," says Richter.

Russell Hartstein, Certified Dog Behaviorist and Trainer in Los Angeles and founder of Fun Paw Care, agrees, adding that while there's no conclusive evidence that points to any single reason why dogs eat poop, it is totally natural.

That said, here are some reasons why your dog might eat poop.

"It's part of a dog's genetics. Dogs are omnivores that scavenge, forage, and love carrion smells/tastes such as vile, pungent odors and stuff to play with and eat. Dogs eat lots of things with zero nutritional value for fun or because it seems interesting to them," says Hartstein.

According to a 2018 study, coprophagia may be an inherited tendency from dogs' ancestors, wolves.

Wolves defecated outside their dens because their feces contained parasite eggs. If a wolf was too sick or injured to go do their business elsewhere, it would eat the poop in order to protect the pack.

The researchers pointed out that because parasite eggs can become infective after a couple of days. This may also explain why dogs generally eat poop that's no more than a day or two old.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), poop eating is a natural behavior at certain stages of a dog's life.

For instance, mother dogs lick their puppies as a way to urge them to do their business. They also clean up after their puppies by eating their feces for the first three weeks after birth.

Puppies naturally mimic this behavior by eating their own poop and other dogs' poop.

As Richter already pointed out, nutritional deficiencies are unlikely if your dog is eating a balanced diet.

That said, it's still important for dog owners to watch for signs of a nutritional deficiency, which could stem from diet or malabsorption issues caused by an underlying medical condition.

The signs of a nutrient deficiency depend on which nutrients are lacking, but most often include:

Dull or brittle coat
Dry, scaling or flaking skin
Being under- or overweight
Skin issues, such as itching, inflammation, and sores
Frequent infections

Thyroid disease, diabetes , and Cushing's disease are some conditions that can increase hunger in dogs and lead them to eat their feces.

Drugs, such as steroids, benzodiazepines, and some antihistamines can also cause increased hunger as a side effect.

Though it hasn't been scientifically proven, some experts believe coprophagia in dogs may be triggered by chronic stress, anxiety, and boredom.

Isolated dogs, or those who spend too much time in a crate or other confined space are more likely to eat poop.

Anxiety from harsh training methods or punishment can also trigger the behavior, according to the AKC.

"In terms of risks, on top of the obvious 'gross' factor, eating feces can transmit parasites to your dog," says Richter.

Common parasites a dog may contract from eating other dogs' or animals' poop include:

Hookworms
Roundworms
Giardia
Whipworms
Coccidia

If your dog is showing signs of illness, like diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy, a visit to the vet is in order.

If your puppy's mowing down on poop, the good news is they'll probably stop doing it by the time they're about 9 months old.

If your puppy continues to do it or you have an adult dog that does it, the following tips may help break the habit:

Potty train your dog. "Teach your dog to defecate and urinate on cue. This is one of the goals of potty training, and if your dog is pooping on cue it makes your job much easier," says Hartstein.
Ensure your dog is eating a balanced diet. Your veterinarian can offer more guidance on the best diet for your dog's nutritional needs. But typically, if you're feeding your dog the appropriate serving size of a commercial brand of dog food, they should already be getting those necessary nutrients.
Be vigilant about cleaning up after your dog. "Coprophagia is a crime of opportunity," says Richter. If there's no poop around for them to eat, then it may break them of the habit.
Always keep your dog on leash. "A leashed dog is much less likely to eat feces," says Hartstein. Having your dog on a leash on walks or a lead in the yard helps you control where they go and what they get into.
Have your dog wear a head harness. Harststein recommends a head harness because you have more control and can guide your dog's head away from the feces, or anything else you don't want them snacking off the ground.
Train your dog. "Dog training can and should be used in conjunction with all other protocols. For example, teach your dog to Leave It, or use a strong Recall and reward them heavily with their favorite dog treats when they listen to you. Remember the dog treats must be MORE rewarding than eating poop. It shouldn't be a hard hurdle to get over," says Hartstein.
Supervise your dog. "Don't allow your dog to roam around off-leash in the backyard, or anywhere there is dog poop," says Hartstein.
Give your dog regular exercise and enrichment. Regular exercise and enrichment can help a dog burn off energy and combat boredom that can lead to poop eating and other unsavory behavior. Keep walks interesting with different routes, play fetch, and try enrichment games and puzzles.

There's no one specific reason why dogs eat poop, but most of the time it's normal and not a problem — at least not for the dog.

"The most effective way to get your dog to stop eating poop is management. However, there are many other methods and factors to consider that may help with dog poop eating, such as dog training, behavior modification, enrichment, exercise, and nutrition," says Hartstein

Though it appears highly unpleasant to humans, the practice of eating poop—known as coprophagia—is common in the animal kingdom, and helps some animals access nutrients they couldn't digest the first time around.

For our dogs at home, poop-eating—whether their own or that of another animal — is a sign that there is something missing from their diet, or that the food your dog is eating is not being digested and/or absorbed properly.

Poop eating is a behavior that alerts us pet parents that something is wrong with our dog. Except in rare cases, adult dogs do not generally eat poop for behavioral reasons. That said, new mothers will eat the poop of her pups to encourage them to defecate, to keep the den clean, and to prevent potential predators from smelling her pups.

For the vast majority of dogs, however, feces consumption will cease to occur once the dietary cause for eating poop is determined and corrected.

Being able to identify why your dog is eating poop is extremely important to solving this puzzle. It will help you:

ensure that the food you’re feeding your dog has the nutritional substance they need, and
ensure that the next time your dog gives you a kiss, there’s no added—shall we say—aftertaste.

(All kidding aside, the pathogenic bacteria exposure is a real concern for everyone involved.)

Two Types of Stool Eating

There are two types of stool eating, and the one in which your dog engages will tell us something differently about what’s going on in their body.

Is your dog eating its own poop?
Is your dog eating the poop of another animal?

If your dog is eating its own poop, this is an indication that his body is not properly digesting and absorbing the food being fed and that nutrient assimilation is poor. In other words, he’s not getting the full nutritional value out of the food he’s consuming. This can happen to dogs for a number of reasons, including:

Those who have been ill, or who are on long-term medications
Dogs with reduced digestive enzymes
Those fed an inadequate diet (and without access to other nutrients)
Those who lack appropriate moisture in their diet
Those with an imbalanced gut microbiome

If your dog is eating poop from other animals—say another dog, household cat, or a rabbit or other herbivore—chances are your pup is not getting the nutrients his body needs from the food he’s eating. They are looking for the undigested food and those vital nutrients from another’s stool.

If, however, your dog only eats poop from the cat’s litter box, this could be a sign that your dog lacks sufficient protein in its diet. Cat food is commonly higher in protein than most dog foods due to the specific nutritional needs of cats.

Similarly, a dog eating the poop of an herbivore (rabbit, duck, horse, for example), indicates he is looking for the pre-digested nutrients and digestive enzymes he would have absorbed from the contents of his prey's stomachs had it been consumed naturally in the wild.

Banish your dog’s poop issue

Here are 5 steps you can take to banish your dog’s poop issue for good. Take note that a combination of these recommendations may be needed, and that the time it takes for poop eating to totally stop will depend on your individual dog and the degree of deficiency they are dealing with. As long as you see incremental lessening of feces ingestion, then you are on the right path! But be forewarned, it may take a few months or longer.

Add water to your dog’s food: Water is a significant part of the digestive process, and helps to break down food so the body can absorb nutrients. Drinking water after eating is like chasing the eight ball — it just doesn’t have the same benefit.
Up their protein: Dogs are carnivores and their bodies perform best on higher protein diets from animal meat. Be sure to switch up the proteins as they supply varying nutrients.
Add probiotics: Among many other perks, probiotics help aid digestion and improve nutrient absorption by increasing the microflora in the gut. This is especially important for dogs that have recently been on medication, long-term antibiotics, or were recently ill.*
Include plant-based digestive enzymes: Additional enzymes contribute to digestion, increase absorption and may aid in maximizing the utilization of nutrients from a dog’s diet. These enzymes also help to diversify the microbiome found in the gut.*
Introduce vitamins: Commercial dog food meets minimum dietary standard guidelines—meaning our dogs aren’t getting optimal nutrition from them. We prefer supplementing with whole-food based vitamins as the body is able to utilize the vitamins it may need in whole form, and safely eliminate what it does not. (With synthetic-based vitamins, the body uses all that it takes in and additional stress may be placed on the elimination organs.)*

Even though they can’t talk, our dogs are great communicators. When they eat poop, they are telling us they need help with their diet. Understanding which type of poop your pup is consuming — their own or that of another animal — will help you zero in on the right remedy.

The good news is, we can help our pets get the nutrients they need, and banish poop-eating for good.

* While Bow Wow Labs works to formulate our own recipes for the best enzymes, probiotics and vitamins for your dogs, here are a couple of our tried and true favorites, including Animal Essentials, Wholistic Pet Organics, and Answers Pet Food.

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.