Why does my dog eat poop? (Coprophagia explained)

Coprophagia — the technical term for poop eating — is one of the most distressing habits for dog owners, but it is far more common than most people realise. Puppies do it, adult dogs do it, and the reasons range from perfectly normal to medically significant.

When it is normal

- Nursing mothers eat their puppies' faeces to keep the den clean — a hardwired instinct.
- Puppies often explore their environment orally, including faeces. Most grow out of it between 6–9 months.
- Eating another species' faeces (rabbit droppings, cat litter box contents) is common and while disgusting, is usually harmless unless the source animal is on medication or has parasites.

Medical causes to rule out first

A sudden onset of coprophagia in an adult dog that has not done it before should prompt a vet check:
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) — food passes through undigested; faeces still contain nutrients the dog is drawn to
- Intestinal parasites — competing for nutrients
- Malabsorption disorders — IBD, small intestinal disease
- Cushing's disease — causes ravenous appetite
- Nutritional deficiency — particularly B vitamins; some dogs seek fermented/decomposed material when deficient
- Certain medications — steroids dramatically increase appetite and can drive coprophagia

Behavioural and environmental causes

- Attention seeking — if owners react dramatically (chasing, shouting), the dog learns that poop eating gets attention
- Anxiety or stress — especially in dogs with a history of punishment for toileting accidents; they eat the evidence
- Boredom — under-stimulated dogs engage in more self-directed behaviours
- Confinement — dogs kept in small spaces for long periods more commonly eat their own faeces

What actually helps

- Rule out and treat medical causes first
- Supervise toileting and clean up immediately (within 30 seconds)
- Teach a reliable recall or "leave it" cue
- Increase exercise and enrichment
- Some dogs respond to meat tenderiser (papain enzyme) or commercial deterrent supplements added to food — evidence is anecdotal but harmless to try
- Address underlying anxiety if relevant