Coprophagia in dogs: why they eat faeces and how to reduce it

A dog that has always eaten normally and suddenly starts seeking out faeces is telling you something that deserves a check before any training. Several conditions increase appetite or reduce nutrient absorption, and in those cases coprophagia is a symptom, not a behaviour problem. Pushing correction while the cause stays active means fighting the effect and leaving the root intact.

• Intestinal parasites that drain nutrients and keep the dog hungry despite regular meals.
• Pancreatic insufficiency or malabsorption, which leave faeces still rich and palatable.
• Poor or badly balanced diets, or rations too small for the animal's real needs.
• Drugs that increase hunger, in particular some steroid based treatments.
• Conditions that markedly raise appetite, always to be assessed with targeted tests.

Once the medical side is ruled out, what remains are reasons tied to learning and management. These are the most common in puppies and in dogs that spend many hours alone or in dull spaces. Recognising which pattern is at play helps you choose the right intervention rather than trying everything at random.

One case deserves particular attention: the dog that was told off in the past for soiling indoors. Many animals learn from that experience not to hold on better, but to make the evidence disappear, and coprophagia becomes a way to avoid punishment. It is an example of how a wrong training method produces the very behaviour it was meant to remove.

The rule that always works, whatever the cause, is to remove the opportunity while you work on everything else. A behaviour that cannot repeat does not consolidate, and every successful repetition makes coprophagia harder to switch off. Management is not the final solution but it is the base everything else rests on.

1. 1

   Pick up straight away, every time

   The dog's faeces should be removed as soon as they are produced, in the garden as on a walk. Fewer opportunities means fewer repetitions.

2. 2

   Keep other animals' litter clean

   Cat faeces are highly attractive to many dogs. The litter tray goes out of reach, on a raised surface or behind a barrier the dog does not clear.

3. 3

   Manage outings on the lead

   At critical spots the lead lets you anticipate the move towards faeces and redirect before the dog reaches its target.

4. 4

   Do not leave the dog alone for long in a bare space

   Boredom is a powerful driver. An environment with chewing and searching opportunities reduces the urge to seek out undesirable stimuli.

5. 5

   Avoid any theatrical reaction

   Running, shouting or chasing turns faeces into a prize to win. Management is done quietly and calmly.

Management prevents the behaviour, but a dog that sees faeces needs something more convenient to do. This is where training comes in, and the reference method is to teach an incompatible, highly rewarding behaviour, so that in front of faeces the best choice becomes moving away towards you.

1. Teach the trade first in a neutral setting: the dog leaves an object and gets something better, never having anything forced from its mouth.
2. Build a strong recall, well paid, so the dog comes back even with interesting distractions around.
3. On the walk, when the dog notices faeces, call and reward the return with something high value, before it approaches.
4. Repeat until the association faeces equals a chance for a reward from the owner replaces faeces equals swallow fast.
5. Fade the rewards only once the new pattern is stable across several different environments.

Most puppy coprophagia resolves with growth and consistent management. In some cases, though, the behaviour persists or comes with other signals, and then it is better not to push on alone but to ask for a reassessment. The criterion is simple: if something beyond the coprophagia has changed, that is the priority.

• The dog eats much more than usual or always seems hungry despite correct rations.
• Weight loss, loose or altered stools, vomiting or coat changes appear.
• Coprophagia started suddenly in an adult that had never shown it.
• The behaviour comes with signs of anxiety, such as vocalising or destruction during time alone.
• Consistent management and training over several weeks produced no improvement at all.

Where there is significant anxiety or a deeply rooted pattern, support from a vet skilled in behaviour or a trainer who works with gentle methods speeds up results and reduces everyone's frustration. Asking for help is not a failure: it is the fastest way out of a problem that, handled alone, tends to become chronic.