Why Do Dogs Eat Other Dogs’ Poop? Facts, Dangers & Fixes

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You’re having fun with a pleasant, peaceable stroll when all of the sudden your canine dives headfirst into the unspeakable. Before you possibly can react, they’ve swallowed it, tail wagging like nothing’s unsuitable. Meanwhile, you’re left questioning the query many canine dad and mom finally ask: Why do canines eat different canines’ poop?

The excellent news? You’re not the one one coping with this nightmare. Even higher? Science really has some solutions.

10 Reasons Dogs Eat Other Dogs’ Poop

According to a survey research revealed in Veterinary Medicine and Science in 2018, researchers led by Dr. Benjamin Hart, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist on the University of California, Davis, discovered that 16% of canines sampled had been severe poop eaters, consuming different canines’ feces continuously.

It’s believed that canines eat different canines’ poop, a habits coined coprophagia, as a consequence of a mixture of instinctual, dietary, and behavioral causes.

1. A Leftover Survival Instinct

Long earlier than kibble bowls and Amazon deliveries, wild canines survived by scavenging. When meals was scarce, feces weren’t waste — the droppings had been a second shot at energy and vitamins.

Some researchers consider this historical habits nonetheless lingers in domesticated canines. Even although your Lab simply ate a premium grain-free dinner, his DNA nonetheless whispers, “Never waste a chance at food.”

2. Mom Showed Them How

For the primary few weeks of life, mom canines lick their puppies clear and eat their feces. This isn’t some odd craving. It retains the den sanitary and hides scents from predators.

Puppies raised watching mother do that generally don’t “unlearn” the habits. It’s like youngsters who by no means cease biting their nails — it begins as intuition, then sticks as a behavior.

3. Smells Like Leftovers

Dogs don’t share our disgust reflex. To them, poop can really scent appetizing, particularly if the opposite canine is on a protein-rich food plan.

Research reveals canines are most interested in stools which can be lower than 48 hours previous, as a result of more energizing droppings include extra intact vitamins. To us, it stinks. To them? It smells like leftovers value sampling.

4. Missing Nutrients Or Digestive Issues

Sometimes poop-eating isn’t about intuition; it’s about want. If your canine’s physique isn’t absorbing vitamins effectively, feces can seem like a “second pass” at dinner.

Possible culprits embody:

• Pancreatic enzyme deficiency: Dogs with this situation (EPI) can’t produce sufficient enzymes to interrupt down fats, protein, and carbs to be absorbed by the physique.
• Intestinal parasites: Worms like roundworms or hookworms steal vitamins straight out of your canine’s intestine, leaving them hungrier and extra more likely to hunt down further energy from feces.
• General malabsorption problems: Inflammatory bowel illness and different intestinal points can forestall your pup from totally processing meals.
• A poorly balanced food plan: Low-quality kibble or do-it-yourself diets with out correct formulation can depart dietary gaps.

Vet Tip: If your canine all of the sudden develops this behavior, or if it turns into obsessive, schedule a vet verify. Simple bloodwork or stool checks can uncover hidden issues.

5. Boredom = Bad Choices

Dogs are sensible. When they don’t get sufficient day by day bodily and psychological stimulation, they create their very own hobbies like poop-eating. An under-exercised Husky could chew drywall. A bored Beagle could eat… effectively, droppings.

Both are cries for enrichment. Studies present canines crave psychological stimulation as a lot as bodily train. Without it, they create “games,” some damaging, some disgusting.

6. Drama = Attention

Dogs discover what will get a response. If each time your pup chomps, down you shriek, dash over, or yank them away, they’ve discovered one factor: poop-eating equals prompt consideration.

The repair? Don’t give them the drama. Quietly redirect and reward after they ignore the pile. To your canine, calm coaching beats your horrified response.

7. Underlying Medical Problems

Sometimes poop-eating isn’t only a quirky behavior—it’s a purple flag for one thing occurring inside your canine’s physique. Several well being points can set off or worsen coprophagia:

• Diabetes: Dogs with diabetes typically really feel continuously hungry as a result of their our bodies can’t correctly use glucose. That starvation could drive them to eat something, together with feces.
• Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid slows metabolism however can even disrupt urge for food and digestion, generally resulting in odd food-seeking behaviors.
• Cushing’s illness: Excess cortisol ramps up a canine’s urge for food, making scavenging and poop-eating extra possible.
• Liver illness: The liver processes toxins and vitamins. When it’s not working proper, waste merchandise can construct up within the physique, altering urge for food and resulting in uncommon consuming habits.
• Anemia: Dogs with low purple blood cell counts typically really feel weak and crave non-food gadgets, together with feces, in an unconscious try to “fix” their deficiency.
• Dementia (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction): Senior canines with dementia generally lose their regular sense of what’s applicable to eat. Poop-eating can seem all of the sudden in older pets who by no means did it earlier than.

If your canine’s poop-snacking is new and comes with weight reduction, thirst modifications, or vitality dips, it’s time for a vet go to.

8. When It’s Not Just Poop: Pica

If your canine isn’t solely consuming poop however additionally gobbling up rocks, filth, socks, or different non-food gadgets, it may very well be a situation known as pica. Unlike typical poop-snacking, pica is normally an indication of a deeper medical or behavioral downside.

• Medical causes: anemia, intestinal points, or nutrient deficiencies.
• Behavioral causes: anxiousness, stress, or obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Pica will be harmful — swallowed rocks or toys could cause intestinal blockages, which regularly require surgical procedure. If your canine’s “weird snacking” goes past feces, name your vet. They could run bloodwork or imaging to rule out medical causes earlier than tackling the behavioral aspect.

9. Living With A Sick Or Senior Dog

In some households, a wholesome canine will begin consuming the stool of an older or sick companion, particularly if that canine struggles with accidents.

Experts counsel this comes from an historical intuition to defend the pack. Cleaning up after weaker members saved predators from catching the scent.

At residence, that survival drive interprets into your youthful canine “helping” their senior sibling. It’s not rebel; it’s intuition.

10. Canine “Janitors” Don’t Like Messes

Dogs generally eat poop to tidy up their area, particularly in the event that they’re confined to small yards or not taken out sufficient. In multi-dog households, it may be a bizarre however sensible type of housekeeping.

This is particularly frequent in canines who’ve been punished for accidents. By making the proof disappear, they really feel safer. In their thoughts, they’re problem-solving. In ours, it’s simply one other gross shock.

Is It Dangerous If My Dog Ate Another Dog’s Poop?

If the thought of your canine consuming poop isn’t unhealthy sufficient, right here’s a scarier fact: coprophagia can expose canines to parasites, viruses, and micro organism. Some of those infections are gentle, whereas others will be life-threatening. Puppies, seniors, and immunocompromised canines are particularly in danger.

Creepy Crawlers In Feces

When canines eat the feces of an contaminated animal, they danger ingesting reside worms or eggs. Common offenders embody:

• Hookworms – Tiny bloodsuckers that reside within the small gut. They trigger anemia, weak point, and digestive upset. Hookworms may even infect people.
• Roundworms – Lay hundreds of eggs that survive in soil for years, making reinfection frequent. Roundworms are particularly harmful for puppies.
• Tapeworms – Flat, segmented worms that steal vitamins out of your canine, typically resulting in weight reduction and malnutrition.
• Whipworms – Live within the massive gut, triggering diarrhea, weight reduction, and anemia. Eggs can survive within the atmosphere for a very long time, making reinfection frequent.

Important: All of those parasites require veterinary remedy or prevention — residence cures gained’t minimize it.

Microscopic Menaces

Not all poop-borne infections come from worms. Microscopic organisms known as protozoa could cause extreme intestinal illness:

• Giardia – Known for inflicting watery, foul-smelling diarrhea. It spreads simply in kennels, canine parks, and multi-dog households.
• Coccidia – Common in puppies, resulting in diarrhea and dehydration if untreated.
• Cryptosporidiosis – Can trigger extreme, extended intestinal upset. It’s additionally zoonotic, that means people can catch it.

The Germs That Linger In Poop

Feces doesn’t simply carry parasites. It can harbor viruses and micro organism that linger within the atmosphere for weeks or months.

• Parvovirus – A number one killer of puppies, parvo causes vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and dehydration. Even with remedy, it may be lethal.
• Infectious Canine Hepatitis (Adenovirus 1) – Adenovirus is unfold via feces, urine, and saliva. This virus causes irritation of the liver. There’s no treatment—solely supportive care.
• Salmonella – Causes diarrhea, fever, and belly ache. Dogs can move it to people, making it a family danger.
• E. coli – Some strains trigger extreme diarrhea and cramping in canines. Like Salmonella, it could unfold to individuals.
• Campylobacteriosis – A bacterial an infection that results in extreme diarrhea, particularly in puppies. It’s additionally zoonotic, that means individuals can catch it too. Good hygiene (handwashing, disinfecting, fast cleanup) is essential.

Important: Make certain you retain your pup’s vaccinations updated. The DHPP vaccine supplies immunity for parvovirus and adenovirus, in addition to canine distemper virus and parainfluenza.

Is Coprophagia Ever A Medical Emergency?

Most circumstances aren’t, however generally, sure. Call your vet immediately in case your canine reveals:

• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Blood in stool
• Sudden lethargy
• Loss of urge for food

If you already know the poop they ate got here from a sick canine or an unknown supply, it’s higher to err on the aspect of warning.

6 Tips On How To Stop Poop-Eating (Without Losing Your Sanity)

Breaking the behavior of poop-eating takes persistence and consistency. The excellent news? Most canines will be redirected with the correct mix of coaching, administration, and enrichment. These methods not solely minimize down on gross snack assaults but additionally enhance your canine’s general habits and well-being.

Here are six methods to get began:

1. Get Professional Advice

Sometimes poop-eating is an indication of one thing deeper. That’s why the primary cease ought to all the time be your veterinarian. A full checkup can rule out (or diagnose) underlying points like parasites, malabsorption, or different medical situations.

If your canine additionally reveals purple flags resembling weight reduction, lethargy, or blood within the stool, a vet go to is non-negotiable.

Once medical issues are off the desk, the subsequent step is habits. Some canines want greater than at-home coaching; they want structured steering from an expert. A licensed coach or veterinary behaviorist can:

• Pinpoint the foundation trigger (boredom, anxiousness, attention-seeking)
• Design a customized coaching plan on your canine
• Teach you methods to handle the habits persistently

For busy homeowners or these with out native assets, on-line coaching programs are an incredible choice. They mean you can work at your individual tempo whereas getting skilled recommendation.

Pro Tip: Check whether or not your pet insurance coverage covers coaching or behavioral consultations. Some plans do, particularly if it’s tied to a recognized medical or behavioral situation.

2. Teach A Rock-Solid “Leave It”

This is your primary device for walks. Once your canine understands “leave it,” you’ll have a dependable solution to steer them away from temptations earlier than catastrophe strikes.

How to show it:

• Hold a deal with in a closed fist. Let your canine sniff, lick, paw, or nudge. Say nothing.
• The second they again off, mark the habits (“Yes!” or a click on) and reward with a deal with out of your different hand.
• Level up: place a deal with on the ground and canopy it along with your hand. Only reward when your canine backs off. Gradually uncover the deal with, then follow open air with distractions.

With sufficient follow, “leave it” turns into second nature — a lifesaver whenever you spot a suspicious pile mid-walk.

Pro Tip: Practice “leave it” with completely different temptations, like meals, toys, even dropped crumbs, so your canine generalizes the command to poop, too.

3. Control The Environment

Sometimes prevention is the best resolution. The much less entry your canine has, the much less alternative there may be to follow the behavior.

• Pick up poop in your yard as shortly as potential.
• At canine parks, avoid corners the place feces are inclined to pile up.
• Keep your canine on a shorter leash in high-risk areas so you possibly can redirect earlier than they dive nose-first.

Managing the atmosphere gained’t “fix” the behavior alone, nevertheless it reduces temptation whilst you work on coaching.

4. Fix Diet Gaps

Some canines eat poop as a result of their physique isn’t getting or absorbing what it wants. Even in case your canine’s meals is high-quality, digestive points can depart vitamins behind in feces, making it scent edible.

Talk along with your vet about including:

Did You Know? Dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) are infamous poop-eaters till they’re handled with enzyme dietary supplements. Always rule out medical causes if the behavior begins all of the sudden.

5. Beat Boredom Before It Starts

Boredom will be one of many largest triggers for poop-eating. A canine with too little to do will invent their very own leisure, generally within the type of “gross hobbies.”

Ways to struggle boredom:

• Offer meals puzzles, lick mats, or snuffle mats for mealtime.
• Rotate interactive toys each few days to maintain issues novel.
• Schedule extra train, particularly actions that problem each physique and mind.
• Incorporate nostril work: conceal treats round the home or yard and let your canine sniff them out.

6. Try Taste Deterrants

For some canines, poop-eating is about taste. If that’s the case, you possibly can theoretically make the “snack” much less interesting. For multi-dog households (or for canines who eat their very own poop), some individuals swear by pineapple or industrial complement deterrents.

However, the science isn’t so certain.

In a 2008 research revealed within the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behavior, researchers discovered that poop-eating deterrent drugs, like For-bid and Deter, had very combined outcomes. However, youthful canines responded higher to treatment than older ones.

The best “treatments?” Preventing entry to feces was the best means of stopping the habits, adopted by rewarding good habits and distracting the canine from the feces.

What The Science Says About Poop Eaters

For puppies, poop-eating is normally simply a part of their “everything goes in the mouth” exploration stage. While most pups are content material to smell and examine droppings, some can’t resist taking issues a step additional and giving them a style check.

Here are some curious (and barely gross) info that Benjamin and Lynette Hart discovered of their research of canine poop eaters:

• Other canines’ poop is extra interesting. About 85% of research topics had been glad to pattern one other canine’s droppings however averted their very own.
• Texture issues. Dogs are far much less more likely to contact free or watery stool. What actually grabs their consideration? Firm, well-formed poop—and frozen droppings rank excessive as a favourite.
• Fresh is “best.” Around 92% of poop-eating canines favor it no multiple or two days previous.
• More canines, extra poop eaters. In single-dog households, solely about 1 in 5 canines develops this behavior. In houses with three canines, that quantity jumps to 1 in 3.
• Training isn’t the problem. Dogs who eat poop aren’t any tougher to housebreak than non-poop eaters.
• Gender variations. Female canines are extra liable to it, whereas intact males are the least possible offenders.
• Food thieves are sometimes poop eaters. Dogs who swipe meals off tables or counters usually tend to indulge on this habits.

Breeds Most Prone To Coprophagia

Not all canines are equally tempted by poop. In truth, the 2018 Hart research broke down outcomes by breed and located some clear developments. Hounds and Terriers topped the checklist because the teams most definitely to eat feces.

Why these teams? Hounds had been bred to trace, path, and scavenge, typically utilizing their highly effective noses to smell out something remotely edible. Terriers, alternatively, are identified for his or her intense vitality and curiosity. Put that along with a scarcity of impulse management, and also you’ve bought the proper recipe for poop-snacking.

When taking a look at particular breeds, the research discovered:

• Shetland Sheepdogs had been the worst offenders, displaying the very best charges of coprophagia. Their herding background could make them extra liable to “clean-up” behaviors.
• Other high-ranking breeds included a number of sorts of Terriers, Basset Hounds, and Beagles — canines with sturdy noses or excessive prey drive.
• Poodles (all sizes), surprisingly, had been among the many least more likely to indulge. Their fastidious nature and selective tendencies could defend them from creating the behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? You’re not the one one. These are a few of the most typical (and most Googled) considerations from canine dad and mom. If you don’t see yours right here, drop it within the feedback — we’d love to listen to from you.

Why Do Puppies Eat Poop?

Puppies are interested in every little thing — sticks, socks, lifeless leaves, and sure, poop. Exploration is a part of studying, and their mouths are like fingers. On high of that, many puppies copy their mother. Since mom canines lick and eat their puppies’ feces to maintain the den clear, the behavior generally carries over.

Most pups develop out of it as they mature, particularly with constant coaching and redirection. If your pet is obsessed, rule out dietary points along with your vet and ensure boredom isn’t driving the habits.

Why Does My Dog Eat Other Dogs’ Poop On Walks, But Not At Home?

Many homeowners discover this sample. At residence, your canine could ignore their very own poop, however on walks? Suddenly, it’s a buffet. That’s as a result of different canines’ feces scent completely different and should include undigested vitamins or engaging scents from food plan variations.

It’s additionally a novelty issue. At residence, the poop is predictable. On walks, it’s one thing “new.” Think of it like your canine ignoring kibble mud at residence however begging for desk scraps whenever you’re out to eat.

Is Eating Poop Harmful To My Dog?

It will be. Not all poop is created equal. Your canine may get fortunate and don’t have any signs, however the dangers embody:

• Parasites (roundworms, whipworms, hookworms)
• Bacteria (Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli)
• Viruses (parvovirus, adenovirus)

Even if signs don’t present immediately, a vet can verify for parasites or infections earlier than they escalate.

Why Does My Dog Eat Cat Poop, Too?

If you might have cats at residence, you’ll have seen your canine raiding the litter field prefer it’s a snack bar. Cat poop is particularly interesting as a result of feline diets are increased in protein and fats. To your canine’s nostril, it smells like concentrated kibble.

Aside from being gross, it’s dangerous. Cat feces can carry Toxoplasma gondii and different parasites. The resolution? Cover or relocate the litter field so your pup can’t entry it.

How Do I Stop My Dog From Eating Poop Outside?

Prevention is a mixture of coaching, administration, and generally food plan tweaks:

• Train “leave it” so you possibly can redirect mid-walk.
• Use a brief leash in high-risk areas like canine parks.
• Pick up poop shortly in case you have a number of canines at residence.
• Ask your vet about probiotics or digestive enzymes if nutrient absorption is a priority.

Consistency is essential. Every time you efficiently redirect your canine and reward them, you’re instructing them that poop shouldn’t be value it.

Should I Punish My Dog For Eating Poop?

No, punishment typically backfires. Dogs don’t join the punishment to the act the best way we expect they do. In truth, scolding could improve stress and make the issue worse.

Instead, use constructive reinforcement. Catch your canine ignoring poop? Praise and reward. Train different behaviors like “leave it” or “look at me.” Over time, they’ll be taught poop is boring in comparison with treats and reward.

Why Stop At Poop? Other Weird Things Dogs Eat

If you’ve ever questioned why your canine eats issues they actually shouldn’t, you’re not alone. We’ve bought guides on vomit-eating, dirt-snacking, and different unusual canine cravings. Because with regards to canines, “gross” is commonly simply one other phrase for “normal.”

Tired of enjoying poop police on walks? With the correct mix of coaching, administration, and vet perception, you possibly can lastly break the behavior. Share your individual poop-eating tales (and wins!) within the feedback. We’d love to listen to the way you’re tackling it.