10 Ways To Stop Your Dog Eating Poo

November 19th 2020

As much as we love our canine companions, they can have some habits that we find disgusting. One of those is eating poo (or coprophagia). If you are one of the owners embarrassed to admit you find your dog eating poo, be assured that some studies found that 49% of all dogs have done this at some point or another and nearly a third currently eat poo.

Why does my dog eat cat poo?

Many dogs will eat cat poo given the chance. Cats’ diets are naturally high in meat and protein, it is this that makes their stools irresistible to dogs.

Vet Know-how Tip: Cat faeces can contain bacteria and parasites that can pass to dogs, so if you suspect your dog is snacking on cat poop, regular worming is important.

Why does my dog eat herbivore poo?

It is common for dogs to eat rabbit, sheep, cow, and horse poo. Again, there are different theories surrounding this habit. Some say they like the fibre and other sources suggest that it is just part of a dog’s normal scavenging behaviour. Farm animal faeces may contain bacteria, parasites or medication that is harmful to your dog, however, the risk is low so if they do snack on a bit while your back is turned, don’t panic.

Conspecific coprophagia (eating dog poo)

Some dogs eat their own poo, or those of the other dogs they live with. Unfortunately, some dogs prefer to eat other dogs’ poo, making walks unpleasant if owners haven’t picked up after their dog. There are many different reasons why dogs perform this habit. Bitches that have a litter of puppies will eat her puppies’ poo to keep the nest clean. Puppies may then copy their mother or may eat poo as part of their natural exploratory behaviour. These pups will often grow out of it.

Other reasons believed to trigger this common, yet less than desirable pastime:

Vet Know-how Tip: It is often suggested that dogs eat poo because they are lacking in some nutrition.  This, however, is very rarely the case.   Speak to your vet just in case there is a medical or behavioural trigger, especially if your dog has never eaten dog poo before and then suddenly starts.

How can I stop my dog eating poo?

1. Get Help. Speak to your vet to rule out any medical reasons and for help regarding behaviour.

2. Stay Calm. Do not punish your dog. Studies have shown that this can make poo eating worse. Some dogs will eat poo because they have previously been chastised for pooping indoors/in an inappropriate place.

3. Speedy Scooping. If your dog eats his own or other household dogs’ poop (coprophagia is more common in multi dog households) try to restrict access by removing any faeces from the garden as soon as possible.

4. Distraction. If your dog is showing interest in poo, try to distract them with a toy or something else instead. Reward them for leaving the poo alone.

5. Training. Train a ‘leave it’ command, so that on walks you can supervise them and ask them to ‘leave it’. Make sure you reward good behaviour – at Vet’s Kitchen we have a delicious range of dog treats that can be broken into smaller fragments so perfect for training. 

6. Muzzle Training. If you have tried other options, you may wish to consider muzzle training. It is very important that your dog learns to wear a muzzle in a positive way, and they should not be used as a punishment. Here’s how to prepare your dog to wear a muzzle.

7. Change the Feeding Regime. Smaller more frequent meals may help if your dog is a hungrier breed or if they have any other digestive issues.

8. Supplements. There are also commercially available supplements and powders that claim to reduce coprophagia. However, reviews from owners seem to be somewhat hit and miss.

9. Diet Change. It is a fallacy that dogs on a certain type of diet will not eat poo. Dogs have been known to eat poo on dry, wet, home-prepared, and raw food diets. Theories about adding things to your dog’s diet like pineapple, chilli powder or pepper to make the poo less tasty have not been shown to have any long-term success and are not recommended.  Whatever, you decide to feed, it should be the best quality you can afford and easy to digest. Dogs that have digestive problems such as loose or frequent stools will often eat poo. Finding a diet that enables them to produce normal stools, may help reduce coprophagia.

10. A prebiotic or probiotic supplement may help to support the digestive system, although there is no evidence of them preventing coprophagia directly at the moment.

Vet Know-how tip: The best way to determine how digestible it is, is to see how much poo your dog produces. Dogs on a highly digestible diet should produce small amounts of stool.

If your dog is coprophagic and you would like any Vet K