Is it normal for a puppy to eat poop?

It is common. Many puppies try it, especially between about two and nine months. Puppies explore with their mouths, mothers clean up after their litters, and poo smells interesting to a dog. For many puppies it fades with age, clean-up and training.

Why does my puppy eat its own poop?

Common reasons are curiosity, boredom, hunger between meals, copying the mother, a dirty pen or yard, and getting a big reaction from people. Some puppies learn it is a game because owners chase them. Ask your vet if you think diet or health plays a part.

Should I punish my puppy for eating poop?

No. Shouting or rubbing its nose in it can make the puppy eat poo faster, or hide where it goes to the toilet. Calm clean-up, a lead in the garden and a reward for coming to you work better.

Will my puppy grow out of eating poop?

Many do, often by the end of the first year. It goes faster if the puppy gets few chances to practise. A habit that keeps going into adulthood is still worth working on, and worth a chat with your vet.

When should I talk to my vet?

Ask your vet if the habit starts suddenly, if the puppy seems always hungry, loses weight, has diarrhoea or vomiting, or eats other odd things. Your vet can check worms, diet and health. Diet changes and supplements are a question for your vet, not a training page.

Puppy eating poop: why it happens and how to stop it

If your puppy is eating poop, you are not alone, and it is often a phase. Pick up poo straight away, take the puppy out on a lead, call it to you for a treat the moment it finishes, and teach leave it. Questions about diet, hunger or worms are for your vet. Dogs who eat rubbish, food scraps and other finds on walks have their own page, dog eats everything on walks; this page covers poo in the yard, garden, pen and crate.

I am Andrew Darov, a dog trainer. I am not a veterinarian. This is a puppy page about behaviour and management, not about health.

Why do puppies eat poop?

For most puppies, eating poo is a mix of curiosity, smell and habit. It is common, it often fades with age, and it gets better faster when the puppy has fewer chances to do it.

Puppies explore the world with their mouths. In the litter, the mother licks her puppies clean and eats their poo to keep the nest clean, and some puppies copy that. Poo also smells like food to a dog, especially if it contains undigested bits.

Then habit and the family’s reaction take over. A puppy that finds poo in a pen that is not cleaned often, or in a yard full of old piles, gets plenty of practice. A puppy that is chased, shouted at or grabbed when it picks up poo can learn that this is the best game in the house. Some start to eat it fast before anyone can stop them.

Other common reasons are boredom, long gaps between meals and a busy day with little to chew or sniff. None of these need a diagnosis. They need a better setup.

Is eating poop a sign something is wrong?

Usually it is plain puppy behaviour. Still, ask your vet if:

the habit starts suddenly or gets much worse,
the puppy seems hungry all the time or loses weight,
there is diarrhoea, vomiting, low energy or a swollen belly,
the puppy also eats stones, fabric or other things that are not food.

Your vet can check for worms and look at diet and health. Do not change food or add supplements on the advice of a blog. More on when to stop training and call your vet is on when to call the vet.

How do you stop a puppy eating poop?

Clean up straight away. Pick up poo as soon as the puppy has gone, every time. Check the yard or garden, the pen and the crate. Do it calmly and, if you can, while the puppy is not watching, so the clean-up does not turn into a race.
Use a lead for toilet trips. For a few weeks, take the puppy out on a lead for every toilet trip, even in your own garden. Stand still, let it sniff and go. With the lead on, you can gently step away before it turns round to eat.
Call it to you after it goes. The moment the puppy finishes, say its name in a happy voice, take a step or two back and give a tasty treat at your feet. Do this every time for a few weeks. Soon the puppy will finish and run to you instead of turning round.
Teach leave it and a swap. Practise leave it and drop it indoors with food and toys, where it is easy. Only then use them on toilet trips and walks. If the puppy grabs poo, offer a treat to swap rather than chasing it.
Keep the day full. Give safe chews, short training games, a few sniffing walks and enough naps. Ask your vet whether meal size and timing are right for your puppy, and whether it needs a worm check.

What if my puppy eats other dogs’ poop on walks?

Keep the puppy on a lead in places where other dogs toilet, such as the grass strip by the path or the edge of the park. Walk a little faster past the worst spots, and reward the puppy for looking at you as you pass. A longer lead in a clean field gives sniff time without a buffet.

If your puppy also picks up litter, bones or food wrappers, the full plan for walks is on dog eats everything on walks.

What about cat litter and other animals’ poop?

Cat litter trays, fox or rabbit droppings and horse muck are a big draw for some puppies. Put the litter tray where the puppy cannot reach it, for example behind a baby gate with a cat-sized gap or on a raised surface. Check the garden before toilet trips. On farm walks and in fields, keep the lead on.

Should I tell my puppy off?

No. Shouting, chasing or rubbing the puppy’s nose in it does not stop the habit. It can make the puppy gulp poo down faster, hide to go to the toilet, or start toileting indoors behind the sofa. A calm, boring reaction plus a better choice works better: lead on, quick clean-up, treat for coming to you.

Do sprays or food tricks work?

Some owners try to make poo taste bad with something added to food. Results vary a lot, and this is a diet question, so talk to your vet before you add anything. Clean-up and training work no matter what you put in the bowl.

What are the usual mistakes?

Leaving poo in the yard or pen. Every pile is another chance to practise.
Chasing the puppy when it picks up poo. It turns into a game of keep-away, and the puppy swallows faster.
Letting the puppy out alone into the garden. You cannot reward the right choice if you are not there.
Using leave it for the first time on a real pile. Teach it with easy things indoors first.
Changing food without your vet. Diet and hunger are questions for your vet.

Most puppies who eat poo get better with clean-up, a lead and a treat for coming back. Keep teaching leave it and drop it, use dog eats everything on walks for walk finds, and check when to call the vet if anything changes suddenly. More puppy guides are on the puppy hub.