Why (some) dogs eat poop

This is not my favorite subject, but I’ve had some emails and googles about it and it always comes up in dog forums. This is not an unusual behavior and there are several reasons for it

Why do dogs eat poop?

• Because they can. Dogs don’t have human sensibilities. They don’t know what “disgusting” means.
• They may have a nutritional or medical need. This probably isn’t the reason, but you can try new diets to see if this stops it. Your veterinarian may be able to tell if the dog has a medical problem.
• Dogs have an instinct to keep their living areas clean. A mother dog will keep the puppies and the litter box clean by consuming the fecal matter of the puppies.
• The puppy may have been kept in a cage for long periods of time and forced to soil the cage. They become bored and instinctively try to keep their surroundings clean the only way they know how.
• The puppy may have learned to do this by having their noses stuck in it while the owner was trying to housebreak the dog. They learn that their owner doesn’t want it there and they dispose of it the only way they know how.
• It might just be an immature puppy behavior. When they are housebroken, when they figure out you don’t like it, the behavior may stop.

If it has become a habit, it is not always easy to change. The best way, and it takes time and effort, is to allow the dog time for his outdoor elimination, distract him and remove it quickly as you give him a doggy treat or praise for being a good puppy.

When all else fails, the veterinarian has a product to put into the puppy food that will make the poop smell so bad that he will not want to eat it.

No, I can’t imagine what that would smell like either.

Comments

[Laura]

Hmmm, I wonder if the vet has something to put in my cat's food to make her poop smell bad so my dog will stop eating it. My dog finds her own poo disgusting (as do I) and won't eat it. The cat's poo, however, is some sort of delicacy.

[Jan]

Many dogs seem to find kitty poo to be a delicasy. One of my dogs used to bring samples from the cat litter box in to put on the carpet and then tried to focus my attention on it. Like, "Look what the cat did on the carpet." The kitty litter scattered around pretty much exonerated the cat.

[Therese]

I used to have a problem with my dogs doing this but I got a litter box with a lid. The cat can get in but the dogs can't, and therefore, can't get to the 'delicacy.' I suppose if they tried hard enough, they could but they respect the power of the litter box hood...thank goodness!!

[Jill]

Good report. Cesar Milan said basially the same thing on his show.

[jean]

That is the problem I have. My dog eats cat poop. Thanks for the suggestion of a hooded box.

[Ma Titwonky]

I just posted something about this on my blog! What I didn't understand why the dog kept eating what made her barf.

[michele]

That's new to me,i've had at least 8 dogs
in my life and never experienced them
eating their own poop.

Stop by for a visit

[Dave]

Heh, that definitely falls under the "Things I didn't need to think about" heading, but good information for those that need it

[Michael J]

Can anyone tell me where to find information on this dog that is pictured in this topic.
My wife likes the dog and is wondering if we could get any info on purchasing the puppy.
Thanks
MJ

[Jan]

You want a puppy even after reading this post? :>) I emailed a lot of information to you. Hope it helps.

[Daisy]

A long while back our vet recommended adding a slice or two of tinnned pineapples to each meal. Apparently when pineapple is digested and, um, expelled, it tastes and smells disgusting, even to pups.

[shilo]

Hi Jan!
This is a nasty topic, but I've had dogs too in the past and every one of them did that. If not their own, it was my cats. Nasty.
Wish I'd have known about the pineapple treatment back then, I would have tried it.

have a great day!

[gazard]

I never see cats eat poop though, they always bury their poop.

[pam]

My dog thinks cat poop is a delicacy. Never occurred to me there might be something missing from her diet that makes her seek out the "kitty roca". I'll ask the vet.

She *hates* the smell of her own poop, though. When she was a puppy, she would dig holes in the yard. We used to take some of her poop and shovel it into the holes. She would take one sniff and avoid the entire site. It broke her of the habit.

[jan]

I don't really believe the "missing from the diet" explanations. Like the dog is going to sniff cat poo and say, "Oh, vitamins and protein. I must munch on some of that." I think this is just something to make the owners feel guilty because their dogs are...well, just being dogs.

[kim]

I can't get my dog to stop eating kitty poo! I have a lid on my cat litter, and she still gets in. This is so disgusting! My husband now calls our chocolate lab "Turd Muncher!" We did buy a plastic gate to block off the stairs so only kitty can get through, seem to be working..untill someone forgets to put the gate back up!
UGH!!

[Kathy]

My dogs love the delicacy of my cat's turds. I don't really know which dog it is or both. But my cat box has a power hood with a flapper door and this does not help. The delicacies only seem to be eaten when we are away. We come home and there is cat litter on the carpet!!!
I give up!!!

[Holly Jade]

My little Dexter won't leave his alone. Does putting pineapple in the food really work as that would be fantastic.
We've tried all kinds of distraction methods but to no avail. Please tell me it works.

[michelle]

i want to kno if the pineapple thing really works?
and what kind of dogs it is that do this?...i used to think it was just bulldogs bu ti have a pitbull n she does it too!!

[Nate]

Thank god, we aren't the only ones out there. Thanks for all the tips. Gonna try them all!!!!!!! Anybody know of any good doggy mints 'til I figure it out???