September 23, 2026, 4:03 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Our four-legged friends have questionable hobbies: With visible enthusiasm, many dogs eat feces, vomit, or discarded food and roll in carrion. What is disgusting to us is simply pleasant for dogs–a behavior that, according to behavioral biologist Stefanie Riemer, likely dates back to the time of domestication when dogs made themselves useful by eating human waste, thus improving hygiene around the home. Veterinarian and animal behavior therapist Ronald Lindner from Leipzig is also familiar with the phenomenon: “The animals are not fixated on checking expiration dates or whether packaging is damaged. They simply consume and see if it tastes good or not.” The good news: The fecal gluttony can be unlearned.
When Does It Become Dangerous?
It only becomes dangerous if dogs can’t stop and it leads to stomach overload. This is similar to human feces or vomit with alcohol or even drug residues. In serious cases, severe health disorders are possible. “The consumption of cat feces and human feces is generally normal,” confirms Riemer. It is more concerning if dogs constantly eat the feces of their peers or plastic parts. “Healthy dogs should not actually do that.” This often involves an undetected medical problem.
Behavior like “pica” (eating things that are not edible) is often contributed to by a gastrointestinal disease. This is often not recognized without precise diagnostics. However, it is also conceivable that eating dog feces is merely for “occupation.” Dogs raised in kennels sometimes exhibit this behavior. The desire for attention can also be behind this bad habit. According to Ronald Lindner, it can be “almost 100 percent ruled out” that malnutrition is the cause. Dog food today is exceptionally good, strictly controlled, and generally provides animals with all necessary nutrients.
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How to Untrain the Behavior
To prevent dogs from eating disgusting or even dangerous things, the veterinarian recommends anti-poison bait training. Even “eating machines” like Labradors can learn not to immediately swallow things lying on the ground but to indicate them. The secret is not to want to punish the wrong behavior but to positively reinforce the correct alternative behavior. “It takes less than ten minutes to teach them the basics,” says Ronald Lindner. “But then you have to practice it thousands of times until the behavior is generalized.”
The idea behind this method is that the dog no longer considers the unwanted “delicacies” as the ultimate treat and immediately devours them but decides to just indicate them–for example, by sitting in front of them. In return, they get the absolute best treat of all time, which is even tastier: liverwurst or cheese, for example. Which favorite it is for each dog must be tried out individually beforehand.
In the initial training steps, even just looking at the owner when the dog discovers the unwanted object of desire–but does not eat it–is rewarded with the super treat.
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Why Dogs Roll in Carrion and Feces
Many dogs are not only happy when they can devour disgusting things. Somehow, owners agree, they always come running particularly joyfully when they have discovered an old carcass or fresh feces of a wild animal on which they could roll with delight. “The more gruesome it smells, the better it is,” says dog behavior trainer Alexandra Wischall-Wagner. Fox feces are at the top of the ranking.
Dog researchers suspect that this rolling preference goes back to the hunting behavior of wolves. They want to cover their own scent, have a sense of belonging to the group, and not stand out in the pack. However, Ronald Lindner sees it more as “a clear comfort behavior.” His male dog once managed to roll in a stinking, dead swan. “He felt very happy and comfortable!” The behavior therapist suspects that this rolling is a way to cope with stress–both negative and positive. “A great vacation can also overwhelm the strongest dog,” says Lindner. “Then he doesn’t know what to do with all his feelings–and if he then perhaps finds a swan, it’s a great way to relieve stress.”
With material from dpa