Your dog is casually walking around the house or in your yard when you start to notice something weird — it is carrying something in his mouth.
You approach your dog, and to your surprise, you see it taking its poop around.
Before your cold your dog for doing this, you must understand first the reason behind this action.
Your dog may carry its poop around because it is playing with it, it does not want predators to track him, or because it wants to eat it (yes, this happens).
Here, we will share nine reasons why your dog might carry its poop around and what you can do when you see it doing this.
Reasons Why Dogs Carry Their Poop
Coprophagia is the scientific term for this behavior, and your dog might be carrying its poop around due to behavioral or physiological reasons.
Here are some of them:
1. Protecting Themselves From Predators
The first reason why your dog might be carrying its poop around is that it wants to hide it from other predators.
A dog’s poop has a distinct smell, and for a tracker, this is enough to hunt your dog down.
You may be thinking that your dog is not in the forest and that it does not have to worry about any predators tracking it down and eating it. It is correct.
However, your dog does not know this.
It may feel the need to hide its poop so that the predators will not hunt its location down.
2. Protecting Other Members Of The Family Or The Pack
Aside from protecting themselves from predators, your dog might also do this to protect their pups or other members of their pack.
It can usually be seen in mothers, especially those who have just given birth to their young.
3. They Are Playing With Their Poop
One apparent reason is that they carry their poop around because they treat it as a “toy.”
We do know what dogs do with their favorite toys.
They sleep with it, and they carry it around wherever they go.
If this happens, you can buy your dog a new toy that would be its new “favorite,” and whenever you see it carrying its poop around, bring out this toy and give it to your dog as a “poop substitute.”
4. Trying To Get Your Attention
Dogs can be petty at times, and one of the reasons they would walk around while carrying their poop is because they want to get your attention.
They know that you would stop whatever you are doing once you see them carrying their poop, which may enforce this bad habit.
The next time you know that your dog is trying to get your attention by walking around while carrying its poop, do not mind it.
Let it know that this bad behavior will not get what it wants.
5. Being Bored
Your dog might be bored or is not interested in its toys anymore, so it decides to carry its poop around instead.
Maybe this is your dog’s attempt to “try something new,” and if you think that this is the case, then you should talk your dog out for a walk or maybe go with it to the park and play frisbee with him.
After all, an exercise would be good both for you and your dog.
It would also help you form a stronger bond with each other.
6. They Are Trying to Get Their Poop Out of Your Way
Your dog might have pooped in the walkway or the corridors, and they are carrying their poop around because they want to get it out of your way.
While this may be done in good faith, your dog should not be pooping on the floors of your house in the first place.
So instead of scolding your dog and telling it that it is a “bad boy,” take your time to train it properly and teach it where it should go every time it needs to take a poop.
7. Your Dog is Trying to Eat Its Poop
When your dog is not being fed well, the chances of it eating its poop are relatively high.
You may think that it is only carrying its poop around when trying to eat it.
Make sure to schedule your dog’s meals so that you will not forget or skip any of them and so that their chances of eating their poop would be slim to remote.
8. Your Dog is Hiding its Poop From You
Another reason your dog is carrying its poop around is trying to hide it from you.
Your dog might have pooped in a place where it knows it should not, and because of this, it is trying to hide it so that you will not get mad at it when you see it.
Again, it would be best to teach your dog correctly where and how to poop instead of scolding it for doing something when you know that you did not even try to teach it what it should do.
9. Your Dog Is Exploring
Just like children, your dogs have a knack for exploring things too.
It is more evident in pups carrying their poop around.
They probably do not know what it is yet, so they are trying to take it about, thinking that it is essential since it came out of their bodies.
Key Takeaway
While seeing your dog carry its poop around may be weird or even disgusting for humans, you must understand that it means something for your dogs.
Whether it is to get your attention, to hide its poop from you, or because it is boring, there are always corrective measures you can do without having to scold your dog or punishing them for this action.
Remember that you must be patient in teaching them how they should adequately react and how they should deal with matters involving their “poop.”
