How do you stop puppies from eating poop?

Coprophagia is the act of eating feces (poop). Dogs may eat their own poop, the poop of other dogs, or the poop of other animals, such as poop in a litter box. They may do it because they were raised in dirty conditions, such as a puppy mill, because they were removed from their mother too soon, because they are missing nutrients or ill, or simply because they like to.

First rule out a medical cause. If your dog is not receiving proper nutrition he can start eating poop to try to meet any deficiency. A disease called Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) can cause a dog to not metabolize his food properly, even if you feed a high quality diet. If your dog is a German Shepherd and the poop he makes is of an unusual texture, color, or is diarhea,and if he has difficulty keeping weight on, suspect EPI and get a vet evaluation. There may be other diseases that cause a dog to eat poop, so regardless of whether you suspect EPI, discuss this problem with your vet to rule out a medical cause.

If it is a bad habit, with no medical cause, you must start first with prevention. There are food additives you can put in the food of the dog whose poop is being eaten. It does not work by feeding it to the dog that eats the poop unless he only eats his own poop. So if you have multiple dogs, you will probably have to treat all of them. One such product is "Forbid," which is available at most pet stores. Your vet may have other products to recommend.

When you take your dog out to toilet, watch closely. If he goes for his poop, so "No!" sharply (or "leave it"). Hold the leash so that he can't quite reach the poop no matter how he tries. When he stops trying, praise and reward, then immediately scoop the poop up. This is a tough issue to fix, so be determined. It may take a few months, but it can be done.