Help with Coprophagy

Hi there.

What cute dogs you have! As disgusting as it may seem, poop eating is actually quite a common canine behavior. There are many theories as to why a dog will eat feces:

- because of a vitamin deficiency, the poop offers something that they are not getting from their daily meals
- this behavior could be an instinct passed on from before dog domestication - mother dogs would eat their pup's feces to cover their trail from predators
- or it could be that they just like the taste of it.

While its a natural behavior in dogs, understandably humans find the behavior quite repulsive.

Obviously the easiest way to stop them from eating their own feces is to remove the poop before they have a chance to eat it. However, as you have mentioned, this is not always possible.

Do they have all-day access to your yard? If they are indoor dogs, you can use that to your advantage. When they go to the door to be let outside, quickly run outside to clean up any stools that might be in the yard, or follow them outside and if they poop, clean it up before they get a chance to eat it.

Try lacing the stools with pepper, or perhaps you could try Tabasco sauce, or lemon juice. However, some dogs will eat the poop regardless of the taste.

Some have added pineapple or spinach to their dogs diet, while others use a meat tenderizer. This makes the poop less palatable.

You could also try to teach your dogs not to touch their feces by issuing a reprimand when they go to eat it. Leave a stool in your yard, then when they begin to eat it, squirt them with cold water or make a loud noise (such as shaking a can of pebbles) and growl loudly at them. If you do this consistently, they will soon come to associate the two, which will hopefully put them off eating any more feces.

Good luck