If you have ever witnessed your German Shepherd taking a big bite out of their own feces, you were probably alarmed (and very grossed out). Your first thought might have been, “What’s wrong with my dog?” And we don’t blame you. However, you will be surprised and maybe a bit relieved to find out that dogs eating their poop is natural. But why?
Why do German Shepherds eat poop? Your German Shepherd likely eats poop for one of the following reasons:
- It Tastes Good
- He’s Eating Too Fast
- It’s a Natural Instinct
- He’s Bored
- He’s Embarrassed
- He Wants to be Clean
- There is a Lack of Nutrients in His Diet
Knowing the reasoning behind why your German Shepherd eats poop will help you understand and hopefully be less grossed out by the entire thing. We’re going to discuss the top 7 reasons your dog is eating his poop and how you can possibly stop it.
Top 7 Reasons Your German Shepherds Eat Poop (and How to Fix It)
There are actually 7 different reasons why a German Shepherd might munch down on his own doo. Let’s chow down:
1. It Tastes Good
What may send us humans gagging and running out of the bathroom is rather pleasing to your German Shepherd. They see and smell their poop and think it’s another delicious meal just waiting to be consumed.
Sounds a bit crazy, right? To your German Shepherd, though, he is looking at a tasty treat that not only looks great but smells fantastic. This is mostly because your dog is able to smell the last food they consumed, which makes this pile of dog doo an even more appetizing meal.
Solution: Whenever you find your German Shepherd eating his poop, try to tell him to ‘leave it alone’, then shoo him away. Remember that German Shepherds are incredibly smart and easy to train. You should be able to train your dog to stay away from his feces quickly.
2. He’s Eating Too Fast
You are probably wondering what the connection is between your dog eating too quickly and him eating his own poop. When your dog eats his food too quickly, his digestive system doesn’t have the ability to breakdown the food correctly.
This means that the food is almost in the same condition as it was when it was originally served. There should still be huge chunks of remaining food left in the stool. This makes the German Shepherd’s poop looks and smells like a tasty treat they are happy to consume again.
Solution: This one is more of a challenge and you can’t necessarily change how your German Shepherd eats his food. However, you can try and train your German Shepherd to slow down. You may also want to give your dog less food at a time so he doesn’t have the chance to overeat and mess up the digestive process. A slow feeder bowl
3. It’s a Natural Instinct
This works in two different ways. The first natural instinct of a dog is to be a scavenger. Before German Shepherds were introduced to the family as a domesticated pet, they lived in the wild. Dogs had to find their own sources for food. If they were running low and couldn’t find anything else to consume, their own feces was a viable option.
Secondly, momma German Shepherds will eat their puppies’ feces to protect them from predators. If a predator smells the puppy doo, then they will know there is an easy target nearby for prey. To make sure their puppies didn’t become another animal’s dinner they simply hid the scent by consuming the poop.
Solution: The natural instinct of a German Shepherd can’t (and shouldn’t) be modified.
It’s best to wait it out as it will stop once the puppies are grown. However, grownup German Shepherds should be trained to leave their feces alone and shooed away. Always make sure your German Shepherd as enough to eat so he does not need to scavenge.
4. He’s Bored
Dogs will begin to act up when they are bored. This is especially true for the larger-sized dogs who have more energy and need to expend their energy in a healthy fashion. Without enough attention and exercise, dogs will resort to behavioral problems, such as barking excessively, tearing up the yard/furniture, and even eating their own feces.
Solution: Keeping your German Shepherd active and expending his energy the right way is imperative to fix this problem.
Always make sure your dog is given lots of attention as well. Walks and playtime during the day combined with cuddles at night is a great way to keep your German Shepherd happy.
5. He’s Embarrassed
Some puppies who are new to the potty training world may have a difficult time deciphering what’s ‘right’ and what’s ‘wrong’ in terms of pooping. Right off the bat, a small German Shepherd puppy who isn’t quite sure where to go may end up consuming his own feces out of embarrassment.
Solution: As your German Shepherd puppy gets older and learns where to go potty, he should outgrow the embarrassment and not eat his feces as much.
6. He Wants to be Clean
Humans aren’t the only ones who like to live in a clean space. If you have a dog who is particularly interested in having a clean environment to sleep, eat, and play, he will likely start consuming his feces to make his space cleaner.
Solution: Keep your dog’s area clean.
When he has gone to the bathroom, clean it up right away. You would do this for messes in your household, so make sure you are doing it for your pet as well.
7. There is a Lack of Nutrients in His Diet
If your dog is lacking any type of nutrients from his diet, he may try to eat his poop to supplement it. This is likely due to the fact that your dog is either not getting enough to eat or isn’t eating quality food.
Solution: Buy high-quality food and make sure your dog is getting enough to eat.
There are many German Shepherd specific dog foods on the market with the proper nutrients to keep him healthy and strong. It may cost a little extra but it is worth it for your dog’s health.
Related Questions
Yes. Not only is it an instinctual thing that both male and female German Shepherd’s have, but there are also psychological, physical, and emotional reasons behind it. While some of these issues can be resolved to lessen the occurrence of feces being eaten, it’s always going to be an instinctual thing for your dog to do.
Sometimes. While a German Shepherd should be okay eating his own feces, problems may occur when your dog starts to consume the poop of other animals. German Shepherds may feast on the feces of cats, birds, deer, etc, which can sometimes lead to an infection that needs to be treated by a veterinarian.
Most of the time these diseases will clear up on their own. However, if you notice your German Shepherd is beginning to vomit and have excessive diarrhea he may need immediate help. This is especially true to avoid dehydration and further complications.
