Dog eats poop: 8 ways to stop your puppy from eating poop

The situation when a dog eats its own feces, as well as other people’s feces, human excrement (coprophagia) is a problem that owners face quite often. However, no serious study of this issue has been carried out by veterinarians and dog handlers. On the one hand, such actions are standard behavior for these animals. For them, these are just new taste sensations. On the other hand, time will worry, because in prevailing cases this habit is a consequence of some reason that can cause serious harm to the health of the pet.

The danger of this habit

If a dog eats feces, then this habit should be eradicated quickly, since it can cause a serious illness for the animal. By eating feces, pets are at risk of infection:

helminths - intestinal parasites that, if untreated, affect internal organs, and in large quantities can lead to their blockage and rupture;
parovirus enteritis - a deadly viral infection that affects the digestive organs, to which young animals are more susceptible;
toxoplasmosis - a serious disease transmitted to humans, with a possible fatal outcome for dogs, especially those over 7 years of age;
leptospirosis - a disease that affects the liver and often leads to rapid death (most often if the individual is young or elderly);
Hepatitis is a life-threatening disease. It is important that this infection can exist for a long time in the environment, including in animal feces.

Diagnostic methods

First of all, it is necessary to establish whether there are medical causes of coprophagia. To do this, the dog needs to be thoroughly examined.

First, the doctor must ask the owner about the lifestyle of his pet, whether he has chronic diseases, and whether there are any behavioral characteristics.

The medical history should include the following information:

where the animal was purchased, what is its pedigree;
is the frequency of cases of coprophagia high, is there a connection with lifestyle;
whether there are other animals in the family.

To determine the causes of coprophagia, the animal must be diagnosed as follows:

Diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract will allow you to exclude diseases of the liver and pancreas, identify the presence of intestinal failure, enzymatic deficiency;
A blood test will allow you to understand what microelements the body lacks;
Diagnosing the dog’s psycho-emotional state will help determine whether the animal has psychological problems.

Reasons for eating

The factors that cause dogs to eat feces are varied. It is a disease or a behavioral reaction. The following are especially likely:

Various diseases. For example, a malfunction of the pancreas, malabsorption syndrome or infection. If a problem is identified, it is important to contact a veterinarian for a comprehensive examination.
Incorrect (unbalanced) nutrition. It is equally bad when the dog lacks any substances or has them in excess. If there is a lack of vitamins, microelements, or enzymes, the animal tries to replenish them on its own. In particular, it eats cat excrement, since the latter does not digest food as efficiently and its feces are more nutritious. The situation is similar with eating human feces. The problem may also be related to indigestion. Even if the nutritional system is compiled correctly, the presence of any malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract or diseases can lead to digestion problems.
Self-medication. An example is dogs eating horse excrement to combat worms.
An attempt to attract attention. It usually appears when the owner does not devote enough care and time to his pet. In this case, it is pointless to scold the dog, because it gets the desired result - albeit negative, but the attention of the owner. It is important to try to quickly determine whether this is the reason for further resolution of the situation.
Behavioral disorder. Mostly occurs when a pet accepts a person's attempt to take away feces as a game. The second situation is if the dog is bored or does not want to be alone. In the latter case, it is not uncommon for other negative behavioral actions to occur. For example, damage to property or barking for no reason.
Imitation. If the owner cleans up after the animal, then it is very likely that the dog will also do this, only in his own way.
Repetition of maternal behavior. Whelping bitches eat their feces during the period when the puppies are small. Presumably this is an instinctive desire to eliminate the smell of feces in order to protect the offspring from predators. As a result, the situation when a puppy eats its own excrement is quite common.
Imitating the behavior of other pets.
Leader recognition. There is an opinion that in a group of animals, subordinate individuals can eat the feces of dominant ones. This can also be attributed to instincts. This is confirmed by examples of similar animal behavior in the wild.
Jealousy, rivalry or territorial guarding. It appears if there are other pets. By eating their feces, the dog cleans its territory.
Puppy age. The behavior is caused by curiosity, the need to study the world around us, including taste.
Taste preferences. Oddly enough, dogs may like feces. Especially with interspecies coprophagia (specifically when they eat cat poop). It is also possible that the animal becomes addicted to stale food, which it replaces with excrement.
Previously experienced famine. Some owners believe that one meal a day is enough for an adult dog. But in cases where the animal is hungry for some reason, it is possible to eat feces to obtain the microelements necessary for the body. There are known situations in which feces were eaten by individuals kept in good conditions, but in the past they were severely starved.
Stress. An unusual or exciting situation can lead to coprophagia in a dog.

How can I stop my puppy from eating poop?

Here are some of the methods people use to prevent their puppy from eating poop.

Spray your puppy's food with additives such as pineapple.
Spray your puppy's feces with a nasty substance, such as chili.
Switch to a BARF Puppy Diet
Clean up the stool as soon as it hits the ground
Train your puppy to avoid poop in exchange for a BIG reward.

There is conflicting anecdotal evidence regarding the first two methods described, with some claiming to be effective and others not. Personally, we don't want to give our puppy anything that isn't part of a balanced diet.

And if you're close enough to your pup's poop to sprinkle something, in our opinion, it's much wiser to scoop it up and throw it in the appropriate trash can.

There is some anecdotal evidence that switching to a raw food diet can help, but this doesn't apply to everyone. And frankly, this is a big change to make in your puppy's life, and one that needs to be carefully considered in a broader context than what is closely related to trying to stop your puppy from eating his own poop.

This leaves us with a few final options: punish the puppy for touching the poop, reward him for moving away from the poop, and clean it up as soon as it hits the ground.

We highly recommend that you choose a combination of the last two methods and forget about punishing your puppy.

Punishment always comes with its own set of downsides, in any type of training, and the fact that your puppy may be afraid of poop is certainly the last thing you want. This can lead to constipation...etc.

What should an owner do to prevent a dog from eating feces?

There is no method that definitely allows you to get rid of coprophagia. Let's look at the most effective ways to stop a dog from eating excrement.

Contacting a veterinarian

If you discover that your pet is eating your own or someone else's feces, you should give the animal a deworming drug and consult a doctor. It is important not only to examine your dog for diseases, but also to consult a specialist on proper nutrition.

Nutrition correction

In essence, this method is interconnected with the previous one, since in this matter, consultation with a veterinarian is necessary. It is advisable to check the balance of your pet’s diet. If only dry food is used, on the advice of a doctor, it is better to introduce natural food, without mixing the 2 types of food, and purchase a vitamin complex.

Some doctors recommend giving your dog beef tripe. There is also an opinion that in the fight against coprophagia it is advisable to treat food with enzymes. They help improve the breakdown of nutrients. Thus, the problem of eating excrement as an additional source of vitamins is solved. Some owners use mint, pineapple, and pumpkin seeds. But there is no reliable information about the results of such treatment.

Ignoring or paying attention to the problem

According to experts, lack of attention affects the development of this unpleasant habit in an animal. To eradicate it, it is recommended to plan walks with the dog outside so that it is as busy as possible with communication. At the same time, some owners are of the opinion that if the addiction to poop is nothing more than an attempt to attract attention, it would be correct, on the contrary, to ignore the pet when it eats droppings.

No punishment

You cannot punish a dog if it has eaten feces. Aggressive actions will not help stop this behavior. It is better to distract your pet and gradually wean him from the bad habit.

Cleaning

It is important to clean up after your dog and other pets their excrement in a timely manner. This will significantly reduce the possibility of your dog ingesting feces. Also, if there is a bitch with offspring, it is necessary to monitor and immediately clean up after her and the puppies.

Use of special means

There are medications designed to make your dog lose interest in eating feces. They give feces an unpleasant taste to the animal. According to their application they are divided into 2 types. Some people treat animal excrement and even cat feces in the house. The latter are given to individuals whose droppings are consumed by a dog suffering from coprophagia. The disadvantage of the latter method is the lack of its effect when eating personal excrement, as well as with an interspecific type of addiction.

Drugs used as dietary supplements are prescribed and dispensed with a prescription from a veterinarian.

Appeal to the dog handler

In this case, there is a high probability that the situation will be resolved by training the dog not to pick up anything from the ground.

Using a muzzle

It is advisable to use the method simultaneously with the process of eradicating a behavioral habit, and if the animal is being treated.

General Tips

When teaching an adult dog not to eat feces, owners often make mistakes. And the efforts come to naught. The following recommendations will help you avoid mistakes:

do not scream, do not hit - such training of a dog is useless, it will aggravate the situation and ruin the relationship, and the intimidated pet will continue the “dirty deeds”, but in secret;
walk, train and play with the dog every day;
While the pet is weaning itself from eating feces, a muzzle is put on it during walks;
if you catch an animal eating feces, do not chase it, do not scold it or coo;
Don’t poke your muzzle into the piles - the dog won’t understand what’s going on, and its sense of smell will weaken, plus in the future the little tail will get rid of excrement on its own.

Eating feces is an unpleasant habit, but not fatal. With the right approach, it will disappear in 2-3 weeks. If you can’t cope on your own, turn to a dog handler.

General recommendations

Solving the problem of a dog eating feces requires special attention. To combat this situation, it is advisable to simultaneously use several methods, but their combination in each case must be selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the animal’s character. In this case, it is necessary to minimize the possibility of the pet tasting feces.

create a diet together with a veterinarian;
monitor the health of the animal;
spend more time with the dog;
clean the apartment or house (with the surrounding area and enclosure, if there is one);
If you have other pets, exclude the dog from access to places where they defecate and keep them clean.

Coprophagia is not a disease, but a consequence of problems that the pet has. This habit cannot be left unattended by simply washing the dog and giving it deworming medication. After all, failure to contact a veterinarian in a timely manner can lead to irreparable consequences.

Treatment of the disease

Based on the diagnostic results, the necessary treatment is prescribed. Addressing underlying medical problems usually reduces the incidence of the disease:

Based on existing problems, a nutritionist will help adjust the dog’s diet.
Enzyme therapy will improve the process of food digestion.
A course of probiotics will help improve your intestinal flora.
In case of underfeeding, increase the calorie content of the diet and the amount of food eaten.
Special vitamin and mineral complexes will eliminate the deficiency of microelements.
Sedatives are prescribed in case of excessive excitability, fear or stress.

Prevention measures

In order to avoid the appearance of coprophagia in their pet, the owner must know what to do to minimize this risk:

Promptly clean the “nest” where there are newborn puppies. The mother will not have to “clean” her place herself, and the puppies will have the opportunity to follow this example.
The dog's diet should include healthy complementary foods and vitamin and mineral complexes.
If necessary, the digestion process should be facilitated with the help of enzymatic preparations or probiotics.
You need to take care that your pet is not bored - show your attention in every possible way, play, give good physical activity.
What you shouldn’t do is raise your voice at your pet, scream, and, especially, hit. This can only drive the problem deeper, but not solve it.
Ignoring unwanted actions is also not recommended. The best solution to the problem is to encourage the dog to follow the owner’s command and not touch the unwanted object.
To prevent starvation coprophagia, you need to give your pet enough food and feed it twice a day.
Sometimes simply waiting solves the problem. The puppy may outgrow this habit if it is due to simple curiosity.

We tried to answer the question: why does a domestic dog eat feces? In any case, the main thing that is needed from the owner is patience and attention to his pet. And then it is very likely that he and his dog will be able to solve this unpleasant problem.

Why does a dog eat poop from a cat who lives in the same house?

In our case, there was a psychological reason for eating cat feces. The purr lives during the warm half of the year in the country, regularly eating mice and moles. In winter he lives in an apartment, dreaming of warmer weather. The dog does not understand why the cat appears in the house again and takes away its food.

By eating the dog's feces, the dog is trying to regain its territory. Gain authority. Since a cat leaves piles, demonstrating the position of the owner under this roof, it means that these piles must be destroyed - eaten.

We thought about how to solve this problem and came to a wonderful solution. I hope it helps you too. We trained the purr to do things on the toilet. The piles are no longer in the tray and the tray itself has been removed as unnecessary. Clean, no smell, no need to buy litter for the toilet. True, the problem of the miniature schnauzer's uncertainty remains.