Coprophagia In Dogs: (poop eating)

Coprophagia in dogs(sometimes called coprophagy, or poop-eating) is a disgusting habit that some dogs indulge in. Unfortunately this can not be easily explained. This unfortunate behavior defies logic and science. continues to mystify dog trainers and veterinarians alike.

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

Poop eating is a very common behavior in dogs. It ist not particularly a well understood subject. Many dogs will eat the feces of other animals (particularly other dogs, cats, sheep, and horses) with gusto whenever the opportunity presents itself. The simple truth is that nobody really knows why. Some dogs will just gravitate for that pile of poop lying on the grass.

It’s natural for dogs to want to sniff the poop. Almost all dogs will do this. Especially since the depositor’s anal glands have left a kind of “Post-It ” note there for other dogs to read.

It’s just as natural (seemingly) for some dogs to want to consume these little signposts. It’s just that we don’t really know why they do it. Actually eating the feces seems to be a matter of personal preference. Some dogs derive great satisfaction from consuming poop, whereas other dogs appear to be simply more fastidious by nature.

Theories of Coprophagia

There are several popular theories about the causes of this strange habit:

A dog that eats poop is doing so in order to supplement his own, nutritionally-deficient diet. Perhaps he is not getting enough vitamins from his food. Instead he chooses to eat the poop of other animals (usually dogs and cats). They do this in the hope that there may be some residual nutrition available for him to sponge up the second time around.

This is a faintly plausible theory. Studies have been conducted on well nourished dogs, VS dogs suffering malnutrition Both had with a clean bill of health with the incidence of cophrophagia among both groups was virtually identical.

Coprophagia in dogs may be from the carnivorous or scavenging heritage of our dogs. When carnivores make a kill, they typically consume the entire carcass of the animal. Everything from the actual flesh to sinews and tendons which includes the stomach, digestive tract, and its contents (poop). This is not much different than coprophagia in dogs. It’s been suggested that coprophagia is a simple and natural extension of instinctive behavior.

Bordom Or Stress

It may be related to boredom or stress. The particulars of this theory are hazy. The findings are that bored or stressed dogs spend too much time on their own. This leads to understimulated and underexercised lives. These dogs are excluded from family life and adequate human attention and affection. Pets like this often succumb to strange and compulsive habits, like pulling out their own fur, spinning in circles for hours on end, and (theoretically, at least) poop eating. In other words, a dog will eat poop simply because there’s nothing else for him to do.

Internal parasites, such as worms, may be leaching nutrients and calories from the dog’s stomach and digestive tract. Typically, a dog with worms will have a voracious appetite (even more so than usual!) and will consume all the food that he has access to.

In more advanced cases, an infested dog will turn to technically-edible substances (such as poop), which he would not normally consider appetizing, to fill the gap.

– Improperly housetrained dogs sometimes eat their own poop in an attempt to conceal the “crime” from their owners and thus avoid detection. This is especially true of dogs whose owners tend to punish them for housetraining mistakes, whether out of impatience/frustration or because they believe that the dog is somehow doing it to “spite” them.

A dog that’s pooping inappropriately indoors has not been housetrained correctly. In which case the accidents are not his fault, or the reason is medical in nature. To rule the latter out, the dog should be taken for a check-up at the vet (particularly if the indoor defecation has started suddenly and without warning).

Prevention Or Cures

Nursing female dogs eat the poop of their puppies as a means of keeping the den area clean, and of hiding the existence of her pups from potential predators. It’s thought by some that one of the reasons that coprophagia is so commonplace in puppies is because they’re emulating the behavior of their mother.

Clearly, theories abound on the subject. Unfortunately, most of them lack merit: the simple truth is that, although we can guess as much as we like as to the reasons that our dogs willingly and enthusiastically ingest poop pretty much whenever the opportunity presents itself, nobody knows with any degree of certainty as to why they do it.

Although it’s nearly impossible to “cure” a dog with a taste for poop of this socially unacceptable habit, here is a short list of tips for coping with the behavior and minimizing it as much as possible.

– Clean up the poop in your own backyard as soon as the dog toilets. If he doesn’t have access to it, he can’t eat it – and it’ll save you from dealing with the flies, the odor, and the eventuality of someone treading in it.
– Teach your dog the “leave it” command for those times when you want to be able to walk him off-lead. Reliable obedience in the “leave it” makes off-lead walks a real pleasure (and it’s a lot safer for your dog, too – the usefulness of “leave it” applies to things like herbicide, snail bait, and broken glass as well as poop!).

Booby-trapping The Poop !

You can try booby-trapping the poop in the backyard with things like Tabasco sauce and lemon juice. This seems like a great deal of (rather disgusting) trouble to go to when you could just pick the poop up. In addition there is the natural deterrent of having to repeatedly handle specimens of dog turds. Reports of success from this technique are pretty erratic. In most cases, it seems that a dog bent on coprophagy isn’t going to be put off by a brief burning sensation in his mouth.

There are preventive substances you can buy from pet stores and vet clinics. This product is designed to discourage coprophagia in dogs. When put into the dog’s food it makes the poop smell and taste very unappealing. One such product is called “For-Bid”.

You can experiment with adding natural deterrents, such as a few tablespoonfuls of canned pumpkin or pineapple. Perhaps a fresh grated zucchini to your dog’s meals. Again, anecdotal evidence suggests that most dogs will readily eat these substances. Although their presence in poop makes it unpalatable.

Further Information

For more information on Coprophagia in dogs and other canine behaviors. check out Secrets to Dog Training. This publication is loaded with valuable information on training your dog. And dealing with problem behaviors. No responsible dog-owner should be without a copy! Check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking on the following link:

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/?aff=jlmjdsite&type=nohop

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and don’t forget to click here to visit our pet shop link and the top of this page. For our military veteran dog lovers click this link for military and patriotic-related products.

Have pictures you want to share?  We would love to display photos of your pet canines on our blog site. Send your best pictures to our email address at; justlovingmydogs@gmail.com. We will select from pictures we receive, and include them in our weekly posts and upcoming newsletters 

Click here to discover brain training secrets used by professional trainers.