Coprophagia (eating poo...)

Eating poo may seem disgusting to us, but it is in fact perfectly normal behaviour in puppies, and thought to be a case of copying mum, who usually 'cleans up' after her babies. Most dogs grow out of coprophagia, but unfortunately some do not.

The behaviour is not due to a deficiency in your dog’s diet. It can continue after puppyhood because it has been rewarded by accident (an owner’s previous reaction to the poo eating is seen as a reward by the puppy), lack of cleaning of the environment or simply reasons unknown.

There is no treatment that consistently fixes this problem apart from cleaning up your dog’s poo straight away. Try training your dog to come for a food reward as soon as they have finished pooing, enabling you to clean it up.