Few things horrify a dog owner quite like watching their beloved pet eat feces. Coprophagia — the consumption of poop — is one of the most frequently asked-about behavioral issues, and yet it remains somewhat mysterious even to researchers. Before you can stop it, you need to understand why it happens. The causes range from the purely medical to the entirely behavioral, and the intervention depends entirely on which category applies to your dog.

Is This Normal? What Research Says

A 2012 study by Dr. Benjamin Hart at UC Davis — the largest survey of coprophagia to date — surveyed 3,000 dog owners and found that approximately 16% of dogs engaged in coprophagia frequently (more than 6 times), and 23% at least occasionally. The study also found that the behavior was significantly more common in multi-dog households, in dogs described as "greedy eaters," and that certain breeds (Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers among them) appeared more prone to it.

Interestingly, the study found no association between coprophagia and diet type, feeding schedule, or most nutritional variables — suggesting the behavior in most adult dogs is driven by factors other than nutritional deficiency.

Medical Causes (Rule These Out First)

Before assuming coprophagia is behavioral, a veterinary exam is important — particularly for new-onset coprophagia in an adult dog who never previously showed the behavior.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)

EPI is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce sufficient digestive enzymes. Food passes through the gut largely undigested, resulting in feces that retains significant nutritional content — making it genuinely appealing to eat from the dog's perspective. EPI typically presents with weight loss despite a ravenous appetite, voluminous feces, and poor coat condition. Diagnosis is via a blood test (TLI). Treatment involves enzyme supplementation with every meal.

Malabsorption Syndromes

Similar to EPI, any condition that impairs nutrient absorption (inflammatory bowel disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) can result in nutritionally rich feces. These dogs may also show weight loss, soft stools, and increased appetite.

Intestinal Parasites

Heavy parasite loads can impair nutrition and drive hunger, potentially increasing food-seeking behavior including coprophagia. A fecal exam is a low-cost, useful early step.

Medications

Steroids (prednisone, prednisolone) dramatically increase appetite and may drive coprophagia in previously normal dogs. If the behavior started after beginning steroid treatment, this is a likely cause.

Underfeeding or Inadequate Diet

A dog receiving insufficient calories will actively seek additional food sources. Review feeding amounts against the dog's body condition score and energy requirements.

Behavioral Causes

Maternal Instinct

Mother dogs routinely consume the feces of their young puppies as a normal part of maternal care — both to stimulate elimination and to keep the den clean. This is entirely normal and should not be interfered with. Puppies up to approximately 9 months old may also engage in coprophagia as exploratory behavior that most outgrow.

Attention-Seeking

A dog who discovered that eating poop results in a dramatic owner reaction — chasing, scolding, yelling — may repeat the behavior for the attention it generates. From the dog's perspective, any attention (even negative) is better than no attention. The remedy is the opposite of instinct: no reaction, immediate removal of the resource.

Learned Behavior in Multi-Dog Households

Coprophagia can be learned by observing other dogs. Hart's 2012 study found it significantly more common in households with multiple dogs, suggesting social learning as a factor.

Anxiety and Stress

Dogs in kennels or confined spaces, or dogs experiencing anxiety, may engage in coprophagia as a stress behavior. This is more common in dogs that have spent significant time in shelters or other institutional environments.

Boredom and Understimulation

Under-stimulated dogs engage in a wide range of unwanted behaviors; coprophagia is among them. A dog with adequate physical exercise, mental enrichment, and appropriate outlets rarely develops stress- or boredom-driven coprophagia.

How to Stop It: Practical Interventions

Immediate Pickup: The Most Effective Single Intervention

The simplest and most reliably effective management strategy is to eliminate access to the resource. Pick up feces immediately after the dog defecates — before they have a chance to eat it. In a multi-dog household, keep dogs separated during and immediately after elimination. This does not resolve the underlying behavior, but it prevents rehearsal, which is critical.

Teaching a Reliable "Leave It"

Train a solid "leave it" cue and apply it consistently when the dog shows interest in feces on walks. This requires prior training in low-distraction environments before using it in real situations. A dog who will "leave it" reliably on any other item may not generalize it to feces without specific practice.

Deterrent Products and Supplements

Various deterrents work by making feces taste unpleasant, theoretically breaking the habit. Options include:

• For-Bid or Deter — food additives given to the dog (or the dog producing the feces in multi-dog households) that make feces taste aversive.
• Coprophagia deterrent supplements — combination products containing enzymes (papain, bromelain) and taste aversives (glutamate, yucca); may address both behavioral deterrence and mild digestive insufficiency.
• Meat tenderizer (unseasoned) — contains papain, a protease enzyme; sprinkled on food of the feces-producing dog; anecdotally reported to help but lacks robust controlled studies.

Deterrents work inconsistently. The dog may eat feces from other animals (wildlife, cat boxes) that have not been treated. They are most useful as a complement to management (immediate pickup) rather than a standalone solution.

Increase Mental and Physical Stimulation

For boredom- or anxiety-driven coprophagia: increase exercise, add food puzzles, training sessions, scent work, and chew outlets. A genuinely stimulated, tired dog is less likely to engage in stress behaviors.

What Does NOT Work

• Punishing the dog after the fact — the connection between behavior and punishment is not made, and it increases stress.
• Scolding the dog in the moment with high emotion — for attention-seeking dogs, any reaction reinforces the behavior.
• Adding hot sauce or other aversives directly to feces in the yard — dogs typically just avoid that specific piece and find others.

References

1. Hart BL, Korber MJ. (2018). The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy. Veterinary Medicine and Science, 4(2), 106–114. PMID: 29911731
2. Horwitz DF, Mills DS (eds). (2009). BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine (2nd ed). British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
3. Wills JM. (1992). Dietary management of gastrointestinal disease. In: Wills JM, Simpson KW (eds). The Waltham Book of Clinical Nutrition of the Dog and Cat. Pergamon Press.