If your puppy eats poop, you may be relieved to know that your bestie isn’t the only dog to have this nasty habit. As many as 16% of dogs are serious poop eaters and 23% of dogs have eaten poop at least once.1 You’re not alone in being grossed out and wanting your dog to find a new pastime.
It may be hard to believe, but eating poop, also known as coprophagia, is considered a completely normal behavior for dogs. Dogs have evolved with humans for thousands of years, often scavenging what they can to eat, and poop could have been a source of food when times were lean.
The difficulty lies in trying to stop this habit. After all, if your puppy eats other dogs’ poop, they could easily catch diseases and parasites from this scavenging behavior. Commercial products intended to discourage coprophagia are safe to try, but they may only be successful for a small percentage of dogs. Your best bet is to clean up after your puppy in a timely manner and to teach your dog a strong “drop it” command to stop this undesirable habit.
Coprophagia is usually purely behavioral, especially in puppies. But occasionally, coprophagia may be caused by disease. Diseases that make dogs ravenous, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), may drive your puppy to search for new sources of food, which might include poop. Also, some puppies who may outgrow their puppy food portions faster than their owners can keep up may try to supplement their diet with poop.
If you’re worried about your puppy‘s behavior or you notice other clinical signs, like diarrhea or weight loss, reach out to your veterinarian to discuss your concerns.
Learn more about teaching your puppy the “drop it” command.
1. Hart BL, Hart LA, Thigpen AP, et al. The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy. Vet Med Sci. 2018;4(2):106–114.
