Coprophagia in Dogs: Why Dogs Eat Poop and How to Stop It (2026)

Coprophagia (the eating of faeces) is one of those dog behaviours that prompts owners to wonder whether something is genuinely wrong with their pet. The honest answer is that for most dogs, it is a normal scavenging behaviour with no underlying pathology, and the goal is management rather than cure. For a smaller subset of dogs, the behaviour points to a medical or behavioural driver that does need addressing. This article walks through how to tell which case you are in, what actually works to reduce the behaviour, and where the commonly recommended fixes (sprinkle this on the food, add that supplement) stand against the evidence.

How common it is

Surveys of large samples of pet dogs consistently find that around 16 to 24 percent of dogs eat faeces regularly, with another large fraction doing it occasionally. It is more common in:

• Multi-dog households
• Younger dogs and puppies
• Greedy or scavenger-temperament dogs (often retrievers, terriers, mixes with those backgrounds)
• Dogs who spend significant time alone in yards with faeces present

Sex, neuter status, and breed have smaller effects in the data than household setup and access.

The medical work-up: when to start there

Most coprophagia is not medical, but a small percentage is, and ruling out medical causes is worth doing before behavioural work if any of the following apply:

• Sudden onset of coprophagia in an adult dog who has never done it
• Dramatic increase in appetite or food-seeking generally
• Weight loss despite normal feeding
• Loose stools, mucus in stools, or chronic diarrhoea
• Polyuria and polydipsia (drinking and urinating much more)
• Vomiting, abdominal distension, or other GI signs

Conditions that can drive faecal eating include exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, malabsorption disorders, intestinal parasites, Cushing’s disease, diabetes, and uncontrolled hunger from under-feeding. A vet visit with a stool sample, full physical exam, and basic bloodwork sorts most of these. If nothing turns up, the work is behavioural.

The behavioural drivers

When medical causes are ruled out, the common drivers are:

Normal scavenging. Dogs are evolved scavengers. Many otherwise normal dogs will eat faeces opportunistically because that is what their brain rewards. The behaviour is not pathological, it is annoying.

Reinforced by attention. Owners often react dramatically (yelling, running over, prying the mouth open) to faeces eating. To a dog, that is engagement. Some dogs increase the behaviour because of the reaction.

Boredom and under-stimulation. Dogs left in yards for long periods with limited enrichment often develop the behaviour as a self-directed activity.

Anxiety. Some dogs eat faeces as a stress-coping behaviour, similar to other stress behaviours like lip-licking or yawning. Often seen in dogs from shelter backgrounds, or dogs with separation anxiety.

Clean denning instinct. Some bitches eat puppies’ faeces in the first weeks of life as a normal part of keeping the den clean. Some dogs continue this beyond puppyhood.

Hunger or imbalanced diet. Severely under-fed dogs may eat faeces from caloric need. This is more common in rescues than in well-fed pet dogs.

Habit. Whatever the original cause, once the behaviour has been rehearsed dozens of times, it becomes its own driver.

What actually works: a layered plan

The plan that works for most dogs combines management (prevent the behaviour from happening) with training (build an alternative behaviour) and, where relevant, environmental enrichment.

Layer 1: management. This does the most heavy lifting.

• Pick up faeces in the yard immediately. Walk out with the dog, supervise, pick up, dispose. Daily yard sweeps catch what slipped through.
• In multi-dog households, supervise the immediate post-toilet window for every dog. This is the high-risk moment.
• On walks, keep the dog on a short enough lead that you can intervene before approach to faeces on the ground.
• Use a head halter or front-clip harness for stronger control on walks if the dog is fast to lunge.
• Consider a basket muzzle for known severe scavengers. Modern basket muzzles allow drinking, panting, and treat-taking. They are not punishment, they are management.

If the behaviour is not rehearsed, it stops being a habit. Most failed plans skip the management step and go straight to “stop it” cues.

Layer 2: training a leave-it cue and a strong recall.

• Build “leave-it” as a positively reinforced cue, paid with a high-value reward, with practice in dozens of low-pressure scenarios before testing in real situations.
• Strong recall lets you call the dog away from a discovered pile before they decide.
• Keep training sessions short (2 to 5 minutes) and frequent (3 to 5 per day).
• Pay the leave-it generously. The reward must outcompete the dog’s interest in the faeces.

A cue trained in the living room will not work in a forest the first time. Generalise across environments before relying on it in high-temptation settings.

Layer 3: address attention reinforcement.

If your dog appears to eat faeces partly for the reaction:

• Do not approach loudly or panic.
• Calmly cue the dog to come or do an alternative behaviour and reward heavily.
• Quietly pick up faeces yourself rather than making it a game.

This breaks the cycle where eating faeces predicts dramatic owner engagement.

Layer 4: enrichment.

For dogs whose coprophagia is partly boredom or self-stimulation:

• Multiple food puzzle feeders per day instead of a bowl
• Scent work games, snuffle mats, hidden treats around the house
• More frequent shorter outings with sniffing time
• Training sessions as enrichment, not just for behaviour problems
• Appropriate chews available during alone time

A tired, satisfied dog spends less of its mental budget on scavenging.

Layer 5: address anxiety if present.

If the dog shows other stress signs (separation distress, generalised anxiety, hypervigilance), the coprophagia may improve with anxiety management. This is a credentialed positive-reinforcement trainer or veterinary behaviourist conversation, not a DIY project.

The supplement question

A range of products are sold as coprophagia deterrents. They are designed to make the dog’s own faeces taste unpleasant. The evidence:

• The Hart et al. 2018 survey of over 1,500 owners found that food additive deterrents had a low success rate, generally below 2 percent across products.
• Some individual dogs respond to specific products. Most do not.
• These products do nothing for dogs who eat other dogs’ or other species’ faeces, since the additive is only in the affected dog’s food.

If you want to try one, do so as a low-cost experiment after starting management and training. Do not skip the management and rely on the supplement alone.

What does not work

Punishment-based approaches. Yelling, alpha rolling, scruffing, or punishing the dog when faeces have been eaten. The dog has no way to connect the punishment with the act, and the most common result is a dog who eats faeces more secretively when the owner is not watching.

Adding pineapple, pumpkin, or spinach to the food. Frequently recommended on social media. Owner reports are mixed, controlled evidence is essentially absent.

Bitter sprays on faeces. Most dogs that eat faeces are not put off by bitter taste.

Hoping the dog will outgrow it. Some do, but the longer the behaviour is rehearsed, the harder it is to break. Manage from day one.

When professional input makes sense

Bring in a credentialed positive-reinforcement trainer or veterinary behaviourist if:

• The behaviour persists after 6 to 8 weeks of consistent management
• The dog shows broader signs of anxiety or compulsive behaviour
• Coprophagia is paired with food guarding, scavenging in indoor environments, or other concerning patterns
• The dog has had multiple parasite infections traced to faecal eating
• The household is at the end of its patience

A good professional will assess the household setup, the dog’s history, the specific triggers, and build a plan tailored to your situation. This is more useful than another supplement.

Living with a scavenger

For some dogs, especially confirmed adult scavengers, the realistic outcome is significant management for life rather than full extinction of the behaviour. This is fine. Daily yard pickup, short lead walks in areas with known faeces, and a leave-it cue are not failure, they are reasonable accommodations for a dog whose brain is wired to scavenge. The goal is reducing parasite exposure, owner stress, and the dog’s ability to develop habits that escalate. Always consult your veterinarian if the behaviour appears suddenly, intensifies, or is accompanied by other signs.

Frequently asked questions

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