Why is my dog eating faeces?

If your pet is one of those dogs that considers faeces a special delicacy, you are probably wondering if this behaviour is normal and if eating faeces could be harmful to your dog. It is possible that your dog eats his own faeces, digs in your cat's litter box, or eats faeces he finds on the street during daily walks.

While this behaviour may seem disgusting to us humans, it is actually a normal behaviour in most dogs, especially puppies. But can eating faeces be harmful to your dog, and should you interrupt him in this?

Why do dogs eat faeces?

The behaviour in which a dog eats its own or others' faeces is called coprophagy. This is a normal behaviour in many animals. There are many reasons why your pet may exhibit coprophagy, but the most likely reason is quite innocent: he just likes the taste.

Although this behaviour seems pretty dirty to us, dogs get a lot of interesting information from the faeces of other animals.

Some of the reasons why your dog eats faeces could be:

1. He likes the taste
The most common reason dogs eat faeces is that they simply like the taste of it. Your dog's sense of smell and taste differs from ours in many ways. Your dog may smell undigested food, proteins and other nutrients in faeces that seem to smell delicious to him. It is also possible that he simply likes the texture and taste of the faeces, especially if the faeces are no more than two days old.

We, humans, explore the world mainly with our eyes and by touch, while dogs use their nose and taste to understand what is going on around them and to extract as much information as possible from different situations. Therefore, your dog might lick your face or hands to greet you, or carry different objects in his mouth. For him, eating faeces may be another way of exploring something he finds interesting.

2. He learned this behaviour as a puppy from his mother
Good dog mothers instinctively lick their puppies to help them do their needs and to keep them clean. Similarly, the mother will eat her puppies' faeces to keep them and their habitat - their litter - clean and free of diseases and parasites.

In the wild, this instinct can be useful to mask scents and prevent predators from smelling their prey.

Since the mother raises her puppies while they are still young, puppies will instinctively copy their mother's behaviour. Usually, mothers stop cleaning their puppies when they are no longer nursing, and most puppies lose interest in excrement after that. But some puppies never grow out of this habit.

3. Boredom, stress or anxiety
Your dog may eat faeces out of boredom, but coprophagia can also occur as a result of stress or anxiety.

For example, if your dog is home alone for long periods of time, he may eat excrement because he is bored and has nothing else to do. It is important to provide your dog with sufficient mental stimulation, especially if he has to stay home alone for a long time or if you cannot offer him enough physical activity for various reasons.

Your dog may also be stressed because of separation from you, which could be a reason why he eats his own faeces when you are not at home. This sounds strange, but for him it could be a way of calming himself down. If your dog starts eating his own faeces, never punish him. Punishing a dog who is already anxious can worsen the stress and make him even more anxious.

If you notice that your dog is stressed when left home alone, he may be suffering from separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is a very difficult problem for your pet and it is important to recognise it so you can deal with it as soon as possible to help your pet.

Your dog may be hungry
Many dog owners often joke that their dog is always hungry - it is rare for a dog to refuse the food you offer.

However, research has shown that dogs that seem to be constantly hungry are more likely to eat faeces. It is possible that your four-legged friend simply loves food, and that faeces have a particularly attractive smell to him.

If your dog frequently eats faeces, consider the following points:

• Does your dog eat excrement when he is hungry, such as just before feeding time?
• Are you feeding your dog enough food?
• Does your dog have a set eating routine?
• Is your dog eating quality food and getting enough nutrients from his diet to stay satiated?

How do you prevent your dog from eating faeces?
There are several ways to try to stop your dog from eating faeces:

• Teach your dog the command "let go" or "leave it" using positive reinforcement. Be patient with your dog and reward him with a treat and compliments when he listens to your command.
• Keep your dog on a leash until he has fully learned the desired behaviour. If you are struggling to train your dog, consider consulting a dog behaviourist, who can explain in detail how to work on specific behaviours.
• Reward your dog if he listens to you or independently decides not to eat faeces. Give him a tasty treat as a reward for his good choice.
• Use a toy or ball as a distraction. Give your dog something to carry in his mouth while you are out and about.
• Always clean up your dog's faeces so he cannot eat his own faeces.
• Provide sufficient mental stimulation throughout the day. Mental activity is just as important as physical exercise. Eating faeces can be a sign of a lack of mental stimulation, boredom or stress. Add games, practising tricks and lots of sniffing activities to your dog's daily routine. Also consider offering meals via interactive toys and try to incorporate new activities into his schedule.

How do you clean your dog's mouth after it eats faeces?
No dog owner likes it when his dog has bad breath, especially when the dog wants to give kisses after his "meal".

Here are a few simple ways to clean your dog's mouth after eating faeces:

• Give your dog something to eat and drink after eating faeces.
• Wipe the area around your dog's mouth with a damp cloth.
• Brush your dog's teeth with toothpaste made especially for dogs.
• Give your dog a snack designed to clean teeth.