Why Does My Chihuahua Eat Poop? Causes & How to Stop It

If you’ve ever wondered why does my dog eat poop, watching your Chihuahua devour something that should disgust them, you’ve just met one of the most unpleasant scenes of dog ownership. You turn away for a second on the walk and there they are, snacking on a stranger’s leftovers. The good news is that they’re not a strange or bad dog: it’s a frequent behavior with its own name (canine coprophagia) and concrete causes that can almost always be corrected. Behind a Chihuahua that eats their feces there may be anything from a diet imbalance to a digestive problem worth ruling out as soon as possible.

It Is Not a Bad Habit, It Is Coprophagia

The technical word is coprophagia, which means “eating excrement.” It can be their own feces, those of another dog in the home, those they find on the walk, or the cat’s litter box. In small dogs like the Chihuahua it appears frequently, and although it repulses us, for the dog it’s a natural gesture that mixes curiosity, instinct, and sometimes a signal that something is off.

The first thing to internalize is that punishing the dog after the act does not work. Late punishment only creates fear and anxiety, which tend to worsen the habit. The right approach is to understand the cause and act on it.

Why Do They Eat Poop If We Feed Them Well?

Here comes the question I get by private message practically every week. The answer is that there are several possible causes, and it’s almost never just one.

• Nutritional cause. If the food is poorly absorbed, the feces retain nutrients the dog perceives as food. There may be enzyme deficiency, intestinal malabsorption, or a diet poor in quality protein. Many Chihuahuas that stop eating poop do so after switching to a better-formulated food, a detail we cover in depth in what Chihuahuas eat.
• Puppy curiosity. Up to 6-8 months, the world is explored with the mouth. A puppy that tries poop once need not turn it into a habit if redirected in time.
• Boredom and lack of stimulation. A Chihuahua that spends many hours alone, with no toys or varied walks, looks for entertainment wherever. Poop, by smell and texture, is an easy “treat.”
• Stress or anxiety. Moves, a new baby, renovations, prolonged solitude. The Chihuahua is extremely sensitive and can channel stress into strange behaviors, including coprophagia.
• Digestive diseases. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, chronic parasitism, malabsorption syndrome, or liver problems cause real hunger even when they eat their full ration.
• Learned imitation. If they live with another dog that does it, they copy it. Also if they were punished for peeing indoors and learned to “hide the evidence.”
• Diets very low in fiber or digestive enzymes. Some cheap foods do not provide enough for complete digestion.

Quick Table: What Kind of Poop They Eat and What It Usually Means

Observing which poop they eat helps enormously to orient the cause. This is the table I use with the readers who write to me distressed.

Type of poop they eat	Likely main cause
Their own feces	Nutritional deficiency, enzyme deficiency, or reinforcement from punishment
Feces of another dog at home	Imitation, resource competition, curiosity
Other dogs’ poop on the walk	Social curiosity, attractive smell, boredom
Cat poop	High undigested protein content, very appealing
Herbivore feces (horse, rabbit, cow)	Seeking fiber or gut flora
Their own freshly passed feces	Possible malabsorption or incipient pancreatitis

If the pattern always repeats with the same type, the cause usually lies in that row.

Is It Dangerous That They Do It?

Yes, it is. It’s not just an aesthetic matter. Eating feces exposes your Chihuahua to several real health risks:

• Intestinal parasites: giardia, coccidia, roundworms, tapeworms. Very frequent when eating other dogs’ or cat poop.
• Bacteria: E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter. They cause acute gastroenteritis that dehydrates a small Chihuahua fast.
• Viruses: parvovirus and distemper if the feces are from an unvaccinated dog.
• Indirect poisoning: if the other dog was recently dewormed or is medicated, your Chihuahua ingests traces of those drugs.
• Pancreatitis: if they eat fat-rich poop (for example from a dog with a poor diet), it can trigger a serious episode.

An important warning: if the habit persists despite good feeding and supervised walks, ask the vet to rule out parasites with a stool analysis and pancreatitis with bloodwork including amylase, lipase, and cPLI. These are two silent suspects in this breed.

A 4-Step Plan to Eliminate the Habit

This is the protocol we apply at home and the one I recommend. It works if maintained for a few weeks with consistency.

1. Review the diet. Make sure the food is specific for toy breeds, with identified animal protein as the first ingredient and high digestibility. If you suspect they reject the food or eat little, solve that first. A Chihuahua that isn’t eating well is a separate issue worth addressing before tackling the poop.
2. Clean fast and well. Pick up their feces from the yard or terrace the moment they finish. No access, no habit. On the walk, keep them on a short leash and cross the street when you see another dog’s poop.
3. Enrich their day. Sniffing games, stuffed Kongs, varied walks, quality time. A stimulated Chihuahua doesn’t look for entertainment on the ground.
4. Reinforce the right thing. When they pass a poop on the walk without eating it, give an immediate reward with a piece of cooked chicken and a key word (“leave it”). They learn faster with reward than with scolding.

What NOT to Do

• Do not punish them after the act. They don’t understand late punishment and link your anger to your presence, not to the behavior.
• Do not shout or force your hand into their mouth. You only achieve fear and possible defensive bites.
• Do not use harsh home remedies (chili, vinegar on the poop, pepper). You can irritate their stomach and it does not solve the cause.
• Do not normalize the habit thinking “it will pass on its own.” Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and meanwhile they’re exposed to parasites.
• Do not change the diet abruptly chasing a quick fix: it causes diarrhea and makes things worse.

Special Cases: Puppies and Senior Chihuahuas

In puppies under 8 months, trying poop once or twice is almost a rite of passage. With supervision, redirection, and a suitable food, it usually disappears on its own before their first year. You will find more guidance in our Chihuahua puppy care guide.

In older Chihuahuas, if a habit they never had suddenly appears, always suspect something medical: dental problems, cognitive decline, malabsorption, or even incipient diabetes. It’s not age, it’s a signal.

The Story of Romeo and Lorenzo

With Romeo, cream, senior, and apple-head, I’ve never had this problem: he’s calm and more interested in sleeping in the sun than sniffing other dogs’ poop. With Lorenzo, fawn, young, and also apple-head, it’s another story. He’s pure curiosity, and on walks I keep eyes in the back of my head: if he slips away for a second, he approaches any trace of other dogs’ poop as if it were treasure. I understood it was not disobedience, it was pure stimulus. With a short leash, “leave it” rewards, and walks richer in smells, he improved a lot in a few weeks.

If you recognize yourself in this scene, breathe. A Chihuahua that eats poop is not defective: they’re asking you to review their diet, environment, or health. Do that review calmly and, if the habit persists, consult the vet without delay.

This article is informational and does not replace veterinary advice.