Kroki

Question · Puppy

How do I stop my puppy eating poop?

The short answer

Eating poo is common in puppies and often fades as they grow. Make it impossible rather than forbidden: go out with your puppy on a lead, pick up straight away, and reward it with a treat the moment it has finished and looks at you. Practise Leave it at home. Never scold, because some puppies then gulp it faster. Ask your vet about worms, diet and hunger. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, includes a house-training plan and Leave it.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Check health and feeding with your vet

    Ask about worming, the amount and type of food and whether your puppy seems hungry all the time. A puppy that is unwell, has diarrhoea or loses weight needs a vet visit before any training.

  2. Clean up straight away

    The simplest fix is no poo to find. Go out with your puppy for every toilet break, on a lead in the garden too, and pick up immediately while it is busy with something else.

  3. Make the toilet break end in a treat

    The moment your puppy has finished, say “Top!” and give a tasty treat from your hand, a few steps away from the spot. Soon it will turn to you after pooing, ready for its reward.

  4. Teach Leave it at home

    Practise with a treat in your closed hand: when your puppy stops trying to get it and moves away, mark and reward from your other hand. Build up slowly until it can walk past food on the floor.

  5. Manage walks and other animals’ poo

    Keep the lead short near dog poo, horse droppings or the cat’s litter tray, and walk on with a cheerful voice. Put the litter tray where your puppy cannot reach it.

Your dog is already grown?

In an adult dog, poo eating is often a long-practised habit, or it starts suddenly with a change in health, appetite or medication. Then the vet check matters even more, and walks may need a long line or a basket muzzle. The page for grown dogs covers that.

What a large survey found about poo eating

Researchers at the University of California, Davis analysed two online surveys of dog owners. In one of them, 16 percent of dogs had been seen eating dog poo at least six times. The dogs mostly went for fresh poo, no more than two days old, and the researchers found no link to diet or the dog’s age (Hart and colleagues 2018).

Poo-eating dogs were just as easy to house train as other dogs, and they were more likely to be described as greedy eaters (Hart and colleagues 2018). The authors suggest the behaviour may be an inherited habit from wolves, which keep the den clean of fresh droppings. Mother dogs also clean up after their young puppies, so the behaviour is not strange to a dog.

Owners in the survey reported that sprays, powders and other products almost never worked, and that training approaches also had very low success (Hart and colleagues 2018). That is why prevention, quick clean-up and rewarding the puppy for turning to you carry most of the weight. Telling a puppy off adds stress and can make it gulp poo before you arrive; aversive methods can also harm a dog’s physical and mental health (Ziv 2017).

Why puppies do it

  • Exploring: puppies investigate the world with their mouths, and poo smells interesting.
  • Copying: puppies see their mother clean the nest by eating their poo.
  • Hunger or an unsuitable diet: a vet can check the food and feeding amounts.
  • Attention: if eating poo starts a chase, it becomes a great game.

Common mistakes

  • Scolding or rubbing its nose in it. It adds fear and can make your puppy eat poo faster or hide it.
  • Chasing your puppy to take poo away. It learns that grabbing it starts a fun game.
  • Relying on additives alone. Many owners report little or no effect.
  • Letting your puppy out alone in the garden. You can’t clean up or reward what you don’t see.

When to see a professional

Poo eating is common, but some signs need a vet:

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for a puppy to eat its own poop?

Yes, it is common in puppies and often fades with age. Clean up quickly and reward your puppy for coming to you, so the habit has no chance to grow.

Will my puppy grow out of eating poop?

Many puppies do, especially when there is rarely any poo to find. Some keep the habit as adults, so prevention in the first months is worth it.

Can eating poop make my puppy ill?

It can pass on worms and other parasites or germs, especially from other animals’ poo. Keep up with your vet’s worming plan and ask if you are worried.

Does pineapple stop a puppy eating poop?

There is little evidence that pineapple or other food additives work. Ask your vet before adding anything to a young puppy’s diet, and focus on clean-up and rewards.

Why does my puppy eat cat poop?

Cat poo is rich in protein, so many dogs find it tempting. Put the litter tray behind a baby gate or in a room your puppy cannot enter.

Why does my puppy eat poop at night in its crate or pen?

A puppy that has to poo overnight may tidy up after itself. Plan a last toilet break before bed, ask your vet about meal times, and clean the area first thing in the morning.

Sources