Your puppy poop chart: what healthy (and unhealthy) poo looks like

A healthy puppy poo is chocolate brown, shaped like a firm log, and holds together when you pick it up. If that sounds like what you're scooping, you can carry on as you were. When the colour, texture, or contents start to change, your puppy's poo is one of the earliest and clearest signals that something inside might need a closer look.

New puppies come with a lot of mess, and a fair bit of worry to go with it. The good part is that you don't need to be a vet to read the signs. Below, we've put together a puppy poop chart and a plain-English guide to what's normal, what's worth keeping an eye on, and what would signal a trip to the vet. We've leaned on credible UK research throughout, and everything here is meant to help you feel more confident, not to replace your vet's advice.

Your puppy poop chart at a glance

Keep this handy for the next time you're out with the poo bags. The two things to read first are colour and consistency.

What healthy puppy poop should look like

A good puppy poo ticks four boxes: colour, consistency, contents, and coating.

• Colour: a rich chocolate brown.

• Consistency: firm but not hard, shaped like a log, and squishable like soft dough.

• Contents: smooth, with nothing odd poking out (no worms, grass, plastic, or foreign objects).

• Coating: none. A healthy poo leaves little to no residue on the grass when you pick it up.

If your puppy's poo matches all four, their digestion is very likely doing its job. The single most useful habit you can build is simply taking a quick look each time, because the thing you're really watching for is change from what's normal for your puppy.

Puppy poop colour chart: what each colour means

Colour is the fastest read, though it's rarely the whole story. Many changes come straight from your puppy's last meal.

• Brown: the goal. Any shade across the brown range is generally fine.

• Green: often just a sign your puppy has been grazing on grass. If it keeps coming back, or comes with an upset tummy, it can occasionally point to parasites or a gallbladder issue, so have a word with your vet.

• Yellow or orange: a slightly yellow-brown poo can be normal, but a true yellow or orange can mean food is passing through too fast, or hint at a liver or gallbladder problem. If your puppy seems off in any other way, ring your vet.

• Black and tarry: this can be digested blood from higher up in the gut. It's one to take seriously, so contact your vet promptly.

• Red streaks: fresh blood, usually from the lower gut or a little tear around the bottom. A small streak after a firm poo may be minor, but blood is always worth a call to your vet.

• Grey and greasy: can suggest your puppy is struggling to digest fat. Worth a vet check rather than a wait-and-see.

• White: a few white, rice-like specks can usually mean worms (more on those below). An overall chalky-white, hard poo is more often linked to a very high-bone, raw diet.

A quick chat with your vet can help put your mind at ease whenever a colour change lingers for more than a day or two, or arrives alongside other signs like low energy or a poor appetite.

Puppy poop consistency: the WALTHAM 1 to 5 scale

Most charts online describe poo in vague terms. Vets and pet nutritionists tend to be more precise, using the WALTHAM Faeces Scoring System, a British scale developed by the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute in Leicestershire. It runs from grade 1 (hard, dry, and crumbly) to grade 5 (liquid), and a healthy poo usually sits around grade 2 to 2.5: firm, formed, and leaving little behind when picked up (WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute).

It's a handy way to track your puppy over time, and a useful thing to mention if you ever phone the vet.

• Too hard (grade 1 to 1.5): dry, pebbly poo can mean your puppy is a little dehydrated or short on fibre. Make sure fresh water is always available and speak to your vet if it continues.

• Just right (grade 2 to 2.5): firm, holds its shape, easy to pick up. This is what you're aiming for.

• Runny poop (grade 4 to 5): soft or watery poo is diarrhoea. A single soft poo in a bright, playful puppy often settles on its own. UK surveillance data from first-opinion vet practices shows younger dogs are brought in with diarrhoea more often than adults, so puppies do seem more prone to the odd upset (Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network). If diarrhoea lasts more than a day, or comes with vomiting, low energy, or any blood, call your vet, as small puppies can become dehydrated quickly.

How often should a puppy poop?

There's no single right number, because it depends on your puppy's age, size, and how much they eat. As a rough guide, young puppies often poo soon after most meals, so several times a day is common. As they grow, that usually settles to once or twice a day.

What matters more than the count is the pattern. A sudden jump in how often your puppy goes, or a drop to nothing at all, is the real signal to pay attention to.

It's also normal for a new puppy's poo to wobble a bit in the first week home. Their first poo with you may look healthy, dark, and firm, while the next is softer and lighter. Moving home, leaving their mum and littermates, and meeting new food all at once can unsettle a young tummy. Introducing any new food gradually, mixed in with their current one over a week or so, gives their digestion time to adjust. If loose poo carries on past those first few days, check in with your vet.

Why is my puppy eating its poop?

It's not the most pleasant to watch, but a puppy eating poo is more common, and usually less worrying than owners fear. The behaviour has a name, coprophagia, and research suggests it's often a normal, inherited habit rather than a sign that something is wrong.

In a large study of dog owners, around one in six dogs were frequent stool-eaters, and most went for fresh poo only a day or two old. The researchers concluded this likely traces back to ancestral wild dogs, who kept the den clean of fresh droppings to lower the risk of parasites spreading (Hart et al., 2018).

For puppies specifically, the usual everyday reasons include:

• Curiosity: puppies explore the world with their mouths, and poo is just another thing to investigate.

• Hunger or fast eating: an empty tummy or a rushed feeder may go looking for more.

• Boredom: a puppy left to their own devices may snack out of sheer lack of anything better to do.

• Stress or being told off: scolding around toilet training can sometimes make a puppy more likely to hide the evidence.

• Copying mum: mother dogs naturally clean up after their litter, and pups can pick up the habit.

Most puppies grow out of it. That said, eating other animals' poo can pass on worms, so it's a habit worth gently discouraging.

How to stop a puppy eating poop: home remedies and training

There's no single magic fix, and it's only fair to say that the same research found most shop-bought deterrents and food additives didn't work reliably (Hart et al., 2018). What tends to help most is good, patient management.

• Clean up straight away. The simplest and most effective step. If there's no poo to find, there's nothing to eat.

• Teach "leave it" and "come". Reward your puppy generously for turning away from poo and coming to you. Positive reinforcement beats telling off, which can backfire.

• Keep them busy. Plenty of play, walks, and chew toys can ease the boredom that drives some puppies to it.

• Feed a complete, balanced diet. A puppy whose food meets all their needs is less likely to go scavenging, so a wholesome, complete puppy food recipe can help here.

• Don't make a drama out of it. A calm, matter-of-fact clean-up gives the behaviour less attention and less reward.

You may have seen home remedies like adding pineapple or certain powders to make poo less appealing. Owners do try them, but the evidence that they work is weak, so don't be surprised if they make little difference. If the habit is constant, or your puppy also seems unwell, a quick chat with your vet can help rule out any underlying cause and put your mind at ease.

Worms in puppy poop: what to look for

Worms are very common in young puppies, partly because some are passed from mum before the pups are even born. You can sometimes spot them in your puppy's poo, where they tend to look like:

• Small white, rice-like grains (often tapeworm segments), sometimes around the bottom or in bedding.

• Long, thin, white strands, a bit like spaghetti (often roundworm).

• Fine white threads scattered through the poo.

Here's the catch many guides miss: plenty of parasites are microscopic, so a clear-looking poo doesn't guarantee your puppy is worm-free. That's why routine worming matters more than waiting to see something.

Current UK guidance recommends worming puppies from two weeks of age, then every two weeks until two weeks after weaning, and monthly until they're six months old (ESCCAP UK & Ireland, 2025). Roundworm in particular has a human health angle too, so keeping on top of worming protects the whole household. Your vet can recommend the right product and schedule for your puppy.

Mucus in puppy poop: what the slime means

A little clear or jelly-like mucus on your puppy's poo now and then is usually nothing to panic about. The gut produces mucus naturally to help everything slide along comfortably.

It becomes more of a flag when there's a lot of it, when it keeps appearing, or when it comes with diarrhoea, blood, or a puppy who seems under the weather. Persistent mucus can be a sign of irritation or inflammation in the lower gut, which can be triggered by things like a sudden food change, stress, an intolerance, or a parasite. If you're seeing it regularly, save a photo or a fresh sample and speak to your vet, who can get to the cause.

When puppy poop is an emergency

Most poo changes can be watched at home for a day or so. A few should prompt a call to the vet straight away, especially in a young or unvaccinated puppy:

• Watery, foul-smelling diarrhoea, often with blood. In an unvaccinated puppy, this can be a sign of parvovirus, a serious and highly contagious illness that needs urgent veterinary care (PDSA).

• Black, tarry poo, which can mean bleeding higher in the gut.

• More than a trace of fresh blood.

• Diarrhoea or vomiting that lasts beyond about a day, or any sickness paired with low energy, a swollen tummy, or refusing food and water.

Puppies are small and can go downhill faster than adult dogs, so when in doubt, it's always safer to ring your vet. If you can, take a photo or a fresh, bagged sample, as it helps your vet work out what's going on.

How your puppy's diet shapes their poop

What goes in has a big say in what comes out. A complete, balanced diet that suits your puppy's tummy tends to mean firmer, more consistent, and less smelly poo, while frequent food changes or a recipe that doesn't agree with them can show up quickly at the other end.

A few diet habits that can support healthier poo:

• Choose a complete puppy recipe made for their life stage, so they get the right balance of nutrients as they grow. Our puppy food is made with freshly prepared meat and no artificial colours or flavours, which can be gentler on developing tummies.

• Change foods slowly. Mix new food in with the old over a week or so to give their digestion time to settle.

• Keep portions sensible. Overfeeding can lead to softer, bulkier poo. Weigh meals with kitchen scales rather than guessing by eye, and follow the guidance on the pack as a starting point.

• Consider a simpler recipe for sensitive tummies. If your puppy is often unsettled, a limited-ingredient option such as our Just 6 recipes, or a recipe from our sensitive stomach range, can be a straightforward thing to try alongside your vet's advice.

If your puppy has a bout of diarrhoea and your vet is happy there's nothing serious behind it, a short spell of plain, easy-to-digest food can help things settle before you ease back to their normal meals. If you batch-cook or use wet food during this time, store any leftovers safely in an airtight container in the fridge; our guide on how to store wet dog food after opening walks through the details.

All of our recipes are developed with veterinary and nutritionist input, and for anything beyond the everyday, your vet will always be your best guide.

References

ESCCAP UK & Ireland. (2025). Worm control in dogs and cats (Guideline 01). https://www.esccapuk.org.uk/

Hart, B. L., Hart, L. A., Thigpen, A. P., Tran, A., & Bain, M. J. (2018). The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy. Veterinary Medicine and Science, 4(2), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.92

PDSA. (n.d.). Parvovirus in dogs and puppies. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/pet-health-hub/conditions/parvovirus-in-dogs-and-puppies

Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network. (n.d.). SAVSNET. University of Liverpool. https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/savsnet/

WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute. (n.d.). The WALTHAM faeces scoring system. https://www.waltham.com/