Why Dogs Eat Poop, According to a Canine Behavior Expert

You may not want to admit it, but your dog has probably eaten poop once or twice. While this type of behavior makes dog owners shudder, it’s shockingly common for our four-legged companions to eat poop. 

But why would dogs, especially those with food bowls full of delicious kibble, choose to indulge in such a nasty habit? You might be surprised to learn that there are several reasons why some dogs eat poop.

Also known as coprophagy or coprophagia, eating fecal matter is a normal behavior for many animals, including dogs. In fact, research has shown that 25% of dogs eat poop regularly and that nearly half of all dogs have tried to eat feces at some point in their lives.

Some wild animals, including foxes and wolves, will eat their puppies’ stools to help keep the den clean and reduce scents that might attract predators. Studies also show that eating fresh feces might minimize the likelihood of intestinal parasites being spread, providing an evolutionary advantage to our dogs’ wild cousins. 

Like their wild counterparts, domestic dogs also eat their puppies’ poop in the first few weeks of life to keep them clean. This gives puppies a chance to observe and learn this type of behavior. 

“Puppies are naturally exploratory - and they’ll taste anything,” said Dr Emily Blackwell, lecturer in companion animal behavior and welfare at the University of Bristol. “And feces don’t taste or smell gross to them in the way they might do for us.”

As unappealing as it may seem to us, poop still contains many nutrients and can serve as a good food source when times are hard. Experts speculate that Valerie, a miniature dachshund that has survived 529 days in the Australian wilderness did so partly by eating other animal’s poop. 

Let’s not forget that dogs have different preferences from us when it comes to the taste, smell, and texture of their food. 

There’s little research about coprophagia in dogs, but so far, it seems that there’s no apparent connection with diet and age. Researchers are looking for links between gut flora, diet, and diseases that may cause dogs to eat poop. 

An underlying health problem could be the reason why your dog is eating poop. Schedule an appointment with your vet if your pooch has started eating poop all of a sudden. Your vet will run tests to rule out health problems. 

Poor living conditions that don’t allow the dog to move a lot or explore, like kennels, a lack of mental stimulation, and punishment during potty training have been linked with dogs eating their own poop. 

Even if there’s no underlying health problem or your pooch doesn’t actually like the taste of poop you might be inadvertently encouraging them to eat poop while trying to discourage that behavior.

“Normally, the consequences of this behavior are that owners rush over to any feces during walks, trying to get there first to stop their dog. But this signals to the dog that feces are important to the owner, increasing its value. And that could make the dog ever more determined to reach it before the owner,” explained Blackwell. 

“In this way, a lot of dogs are actually eating poo because they’ve almost been trained to by their owner. It’s all about how you respond,” she added. 

While Valerie, the miniature dachshund, may have eaten poop to survive, most poop-eating canines aren’t forced to eat feces to stay alive. 

The good news is that coprophagia is manageable. Understanding why your dog eats poop - whether it’s the result of a health problem, evolutionary instinct, or poor living conditions - can help you address this behavior with understanding rather than revulsion. 

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