Why Do Dogs Eat Poop? Here's How to Stop Them

Who do dogs eat poop? You might be feeling nauseous upon seeing that your furbaby eats his poop. Dr. Bejamin Hart, from the University of California, Davis, led research and found that one in six or 16 percent of dogs is "serious" stool eaters. They also observed that one in four or 24 percent of the dogs in their study ate their feces at least once. 

American Kennel Club explains why dogs eat poop, and how to stop them from doing so. 

Reasons why dogs eat poop

More often, dogs start to eat stool due to environmental stress or behavioral triggers. Here are the reasons why they do. 

Isolation and enclosed in a small place

Dogs who are kept alone and away from people are likely to eat dung. You will also notice it if they are confined in a small space. 

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Anxiety

Canines who often receive punishments or taught using harsh methods may remove their feces by eating them to eliminate any evidence. 

Association with real food 

If you feed your dogs near the area where they do their business, they get confused with the odor which could make them think that they could also eat their stool. 

(Photo : pixabay/Alexas_Fotos)

Living with an elderly or sick dog

A healthy canine would sometimes eat the poop of their weaker dogs. Scientists think that it could be caused by their instinct to protect the weaker from predators. 

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Seeks attention

Some hounds eat their poop to get their human to notice them. When you see them do it, do not overreact to prevent them from doing it again. 

The scent they smell from their mothers

Animal behaviorist, Steven R. Lindsay, said that some puppies smell the odor of feces through their mom's breath after cleaning them. Sometimes, their mom would regurgitate food mixed with their pup's fecal matter, which could set the puppy to develop the bad habit, known as "appetite inoculation."

How to stop your dog from eating their feces

The habit of eating feces has a scientific name known as "coprophagia," which can be stopped by doing certain strategies. 

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Supplement with enzymes

The ancestral diet has higher fats and meat-based proteins than their modern counterparts. Nowadays, dog's food also has high carbohydrates than they had before. Adding an enzyme called papain could help as it tenderizes the meat that they eat. 

Supplement with vitamins

According to a long-standing theory, some canines eat their stool because of lacking something in their diets. They believe that it could be caused by vitamin B deficiency, so giving them multivitamins could stop them from doing so. 

Products that avert their taste

Based on theories, certain smells and taste disgust dogs so adding them to their poop could make it less appealing to them. You could use products that contain camomile, pepper-plant derivatives, monosodium glutamate, garlic, yucca, and parsley. 

Keep the dog's area clean

If you regularly clean their area then there would be nothing for them to eat besides their food. Steer them clear of the cat litter box if you have one. 

Train your dog

You could train your dog to "leave it" and "come" and make sure to give him treats so you get to stop them from eating their yucky poop.