How to stop a dog from eating cat poop

Many dog owners have pets who eat from the litter box, but you can help your companion unlearn this unfortunate habit with a few changes.

How to stop a dog from eating cat poop

Dogs are scavengers by nature and to your canine companion, cat poop is just another food to forage. To help curb this unfortunate habit, remove easy access to the litter box and provide acceptable alternatives, such as chew toys filled with healthy snacks.

To dogs, cat poop is an acceptable, protein-packed source of food. Known formally as coprophagia, your pet’s habit of eating feces comes naturally to him, even if it is disgusting to you. Many puppies learn this habit from their mothers, who sometimes ingest their pups’ feces as a means of housekeeping. Though most pets outgrow this exploratory behavior, some develop a habit of eating snacks from the litter box that can be tough to break. This can lead to some potentially negative consequences for your pet’s health, including ingesting harmful bacteria and parasites. Some of these, such as salmonella, can be transmitted to humans, too, creating more cause for concern about your dog’s litterbox habit.

To stop Fido from feasting from the litter box, you may want to simply put it out of his reach. Baby gates can keep wandering canines away from certain rooms while allowing cats to have a space of their own. If this is not a viable option in your house, you can purchase a litter box with a lid to discourage your dog from breaking in or a “dog-proof” litter box that makes it harder for him to access it. Clean the litter box as often as possible to discourage your dog from visiting it or invest in a self-cleaning model. Switching to crystal cat litter can help, too, by reducing the smell that can lead Fido to the source of the problem.