Coprophagia: How to stop dog from eating poop home remedies!

Having a nice day with your fur babies and amidst enjoying the blissful moment, you catch them gobbling up a fresh pile of poop with gusto. Imagine the poop filled mouth and poop lapping tongue covering your face with wet sticky licks… Yikes! And that’s how your fun filled day will be morphed into a day where your brain will be filled with just one thought - how to clean dog’s mouth after eating poop?

But rinsing the mouth of your dog is not enough, you need to discourage this behavior and learn how to stop dog from eating poop home remedies. Come! Let’s uncover the secrets to keeping your dog's taste for poop at bay and restoring harmony to your walks and home.

Coprophagia in dogs

Coprophagia, fecal consumption, stool-eating or scatophagy is the behavior observed in dogs where they are seen eating poop. This behavior can be quite distressing for pet parents and it is crucial to address it. To manage this behavior in dogs, it is important to understand the causes behind coprophagia.

Why does coprophagia occur in dogs?

The following are some behavioral and medical reasons that can lead to coprophagia in dogs:

• Parasitic infections: Parasites like roundworms, hookworms, or tapeworms can cause irritation, inflammation, or discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract of infected dogs. Such dogs can also eat feces in order to expel the parasites.
• Attention seeking behavior: This behavior can be seen in dogs who want attention from their human companion. In case as a pet parent you are not providing enough attention to your pet, it can resort to behavior like eating feces especially if they learn eating poop can elicit a response.
• Boredom or lack of stimulation: Lack of stimulation such as physical exercises and activities in dogs can also lead to coprophagia, this behavior is caused by restlessness and boredom so providing adequate stimulation can help eradicate it.
• Anxiety or stress:  Dogs dealing with anxiety or stress can be seen eating poop as a means of coping mechanism. This can be a result of multiple reasons like changes in routine, loud noises, environment or separation.
• Nutritional deficiencies: If your dog is not receiving adequate nutrition or a balanced diet, it can eat feces by considering it a source of missing nutrients. Certain deficiencies like Vitamin B12 or some minerals can also cause coprophagia.
• Gastrointestinal issues: Due to some digestive disorders such as malabsorption syndromes or enzyme deficiencies, the food is not properly digested and this makes the feces with undigested nutrients more appealing to dogs.

Why is it important to address this behavior?

• Health risks: This behavior of coprophagia can not only lead to infections or diseases but it can also cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort leading to potential health complications in dogs.
• Behavioral concerns: Coprophagia can cause embarrassment or discomfort for the pet parents, especially in front of others. Secondly, if ignored this can become a persistent behavior in dogs that will be difficult to remove.

How to stop dog from eating poop home remedies….

Remedy 1: Dietary adjustments

Implementation: Make some changes in your dog’s diet by adding foods like pineapple, pumpkin, or sweet potato as these food options will make the poop less appealing. You can make them eat the food items in the form of snacks or add them in regular meals.

Remedy 2: Limited ingredient diet

Implementation: You can introduce a limited ingredient food to your dog’s diet to ensure your dog is not facing any deficiency related issue. A limited ingredient dog food uses a minimal number of ingredients that can minimize the triggers of coprophagia. Once the behavior of the dog is under control you can slowly switch the food to reduce digestion problems.

Remedy 3: Environmental management

Implementation: Keeping your environment clean is essential and when your dog has coprophagia cleaning becomes a necessity. Remember to clean up feces promptly with poop cleaning materials, use deterrents like bitter apple spray or hot sauce and restrict your dog’s access to areas where feces are present, in order to stop your dog from eating poop.

Remedy 4: Behavioral training

Implementation: Train your dog to respond to the commands like "Leave It" or "Drop It" to distract them from feces. Learning the commands is a gradual process for your dog so remember to be patient and consistent when modifying the behavior of your dog through training. Also, reward your dog if they obey your commands. 

Remedy 5: Use of positive reinforcement

Implementation: When training your dog, using positive reinforcement is necessary to achieve the desired behavior. You can use treats, praise or verbal cues to discourage poop eating habits. And avoid punishments while eradicating coprophagia in your dog.

How to stop my dog eating poop on walks or at home?

Other than how to stop dog from eating poop home remedies, check out the basic steps to discourage or stop your dog from eating poop during walk or at home.

Steps to follow during walks:

#1 Leash control: Keep your dog on a leash so you can control your dogs movements and stop them from investigating feces. Remember to use a sturdy dog leash to ensure comfort and safety both for your pet.

#2 Watchful supervision: Observe your dog’s behavior, check for any signs or body language that shows they are interested in feces and be ready to intervene in case they are about to eat it.

#3 Use distractions: When you catch your dog showing interest in feces, it is important to shift their attention to something else. And what better way than introducing their favorite toys or high value dog treats.

#4 Modify walking routes: When taking your dogs on walks, it’s important to select the route that gives  better distractions to your dogs. Also make sure that it doesn’t have a high concentration of feces.

Steps to follow at home:

#1 Supervise indoors: Keeping an eye on your dogs is also crucial when they are at home, especially when they are in the areas where feces may be present so that you can intervene when it is required.

#2 Find out the reason: Identifying the cause of coprophagia in dogs is important because there are multiple reasons why this behavior is seen in dogs. Check whether it is deficiencies, stress or other underlying health issues.

#3 Use deterrents: You can use commercial deterrent products or learn how to stop dog from eating poop home remedies to stop this behavior in dogs. Such products can include bitter tasting sprays when applied to feces can reduce its ingestion in dogs.

#4 Take help from vets: Even after using home remedies or deterrents, if your dog is still showing the same behavior then seek guidance from a vet. They can assess the behavior of your dog, provide advice, dog poop eating medicine or strategies to stop dog from eating poop.

What to put in dog food to stop eating poop?

• Applesauce
• Green beans
• Papaya
• Sweet potato
• Pineapple
• Pumpkin
• Kelp powder
• Lean meat

These foods are rich in fiber, aid in digestion and improve the overall nutritional content of your dog’s diet, further reducing the appeal of feces and deterring them from eating poop.

Wrap-up: How to get dogs to stop eating poop?

Coprophagia, a habit that we never want our dogs to possess as it not only causes health issues in dogs but it is also not good for us. With the above guide we now know how to stop dogs from eating their poop home remedy. These home remedies will ensure that our dog is free from this behavior and also  promotes a healthier life for pet and pet parents both. With patience, consistency, and dedication, managing and removing this behavior will become easier for your dog. 

Pet parents on the hunt to find the best dog treats to reward their pup on the journey of avoiding poop or to reward the fur babies who have overcome this bad habit. Check out Nestpets as it has a variety of dog treats available that can meet the needs and preferences of your dog!