Why Do Dogs Eat Poop and How to Deal With it?

Well, if you could not resist yourself after reading the title of this article, I can sense your embarrassment when your lovely dog eats poop when many other people are around or even if there is no one around.

There are several reasons behind your dog eating his poop such as boredom, health-related issue, or just a habit.

So, if you are looking for the possible reasons why does your dog eats poop, keep reading this post. You’ll find the 10 common reasons why your dog eats his/her poop and how to deal with it.

Read about Destructive Chewing Problem in Dogs

Let’s explore more about it below.

10 Reasons Why Your Dog Eats Poop

Underfeeding

Well, we are sure you always try to feed your dog on time and don’t miss any meals but you still need to make sure whether your dog has had enough meals and is consuming enough nutrients. If you are unsure about your dog’s diet, ask your vet and prepare a feeding timetable as per the vet’s instructions. Usually, a hungry dog will try to find and eat food items or non-eatables that he is not supposed to eat, and poop is one of them.

Related: Human Food Your Dog Can Eat

Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal Parasites are common in many dogs and are among some of the major causes of many diseases. These parasites survive on the food eaten by your dog so your dog needs some extra nutrition and ends up eating poop, as well as, other unnecessary things.

Puppyhood

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Puppies love to explore almost everything around them. Likewise, they try to eat everything they find and poop is an easier target for them. Luckily, they get out of this stage gradually as they grow younger, still, you need to keep an eye on it and should not ignore it.

Different Types of Deficiencies

There are several types of deficiencies that lead your dog to eat poop. Some of these deficiencies are:

• Deficiency of Digestive Enzymes
• Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)
• Hydrochloric Deficiency
• Mineral Deficiency

Malabsorption

Now, this is something weirdly interesting. Malabsorption is a condition that results in the absorption of fewer nutritions due to which your dog not only eats its own stool but also shows a keen interest in eating the cat’s stool. It is all about the lack of nutrients and the dog tries to get undigested nutrients back wherever he finds them.

Boredom

A bored dog is among the destructive ones, especially the one that spends all of his time alone in the home. The bored dog always tries to find the newest ways to entertain itself such as destructive chewing, excessive barking, tail chasing, and poop eating.

Punishment

NEVER punish your dog if he has an accident in the house and try to tackle this situation calmly. Overreacting to an accident might let your dog hide the evidence in the future that results in eating the poop.

Stress

Stress causes several conditions in dogs such as isolation, aggression, increased sleeping, and most importantly, a decrease in appetite. So, a dog may eat stool to deal with his stress. Make sure your dogs are not stressed and keep them away from what they don’t like or are afraid of.

Copying Other Dogs

The puppies and dogs may see other dogs eating poop and they pick up this bad habit from them or just copy them for fun. Usually, the puppies learn it from their mothers and other old-aged dogs.

Attention Seeking

You may have noticed your dog trying to entertain or please you. They do this because they love you and want to seek your attention. So, they feel poop hunting is fun and entertaining and you’ll be happy seeing them eating poop. In such a case, distract them and let them know you don’t like it at all.

How to Deal with Poop Eating?

As you already know some top reasons behind your dog’s bad habit, let us find some best practices to deal with it.

Exercise and Mental Stimulation

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Give your dog enough exercise and daily walks, as well as, mental stimulation activities to keep its brain active and healthy. Use entertaining but safe toys, enrichment activities, and play fun games such as hide n seek, etc.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is the key, especially, if you have more than one canine or non-canine pet such as a cat. While your dog is in the backyard or on a regular walk, keep an eye on it and clean the poop as soon as it happens. Also, keep the cat’s litter boxes clean so your furbaby won’t have a chance to try it.

Balanced Diet

Don’t stick to one type of food and try to add a variety of diet that contains digestive enzymes and other necessary ingredients. Ask your vet about the best diet plan for your dog.

Get Your Dog Checked

Visit your vet and get your dog screened for parasites and any possible deficiencies. It won’t take much time in finding out about the intestinal parasites and deficiencies in your dog.

Never Punish Your Dog

As we have already mentioned, punishing your dog while they poop in the house may result in several other problems. So, try to be rewarding and polite if any such thing happens.

Add Supplements in your Dog’s Diet

To add supplements to your dog’s diet, it is recommended to ask your vet instead of doing experiments by yourself. Every dog has different requirements so you may end up underfeeding or overfeeding your dog if doing it by yourself.

Wrapping it up:

So, mighty friends and dog parents, these were the 10 most common reasons behind your dog’s weird and embarrassing habit- poop eating and some handy ways to deal with it. Remember, a puppy needs more attention than your real human child and it is always recommended to train and socialize them well to avoid such behavioral and health-related issues.

Recommended Read – Neutering Your Dogs and Cats