Dog Coprophagia (eating feces)

Ewwww...  really?!  Yes, unfortunately many dogs do this, so we’re going to look at this nasty habit a bit closer....

There is a lot of speculation as to why a dog eats their own, other dog’s, or cat poop.  Generally, it’s either a behavioral problem or an underlying medical problem.  

If you think your dog’s behavior is possibly caused by a medical problem please visit the vet for an examination to eliminate any serious issues.  Make sure they are up to date on vaccinations and worming treatments. Various diseases, including internal parasites, can be passed along through coprophagia.

Reading various articles on this subject I ran across lists of ideas, some reasonable, others not so much.  I've listed some of the more common ones here:

• It tastes good.  (yuck!)
• Could be anxiety, stress, or boredom.
• Vitamin or mineral deficiency.
• Misinterpretation of punishment received for eliminating in the house so he hides the evidence.
• May be cleaning up his living area (because you haven’t...?)
• Some think they copy this behavior after seeing their owners pick it up.... (I don't know about this one)
• Overfeeding may cause the food to pass through not completely digested so it smells and tastes like dinner.  (I have no idea if this is correct but I don't advocate overfeeding animals so I added it.)
• Scavenging for food because they’re being fed once a day and they’re hungry.  
• Side effect of certain medicines or antibiotics.  Check with your vet.

And, here are some ideas for hopefully stopping this undesirable behavior.  You should try one method or combine a few until the habit is broken.

• Feed well balanced nutritional meals.
• Keep their living area clean inside and out, especially if they have a specific area they eliminate.
• Exercise and stimulate your dog physically and mentally.  I can't stress this enough!
• Teach your dog the basic obedience command "leave it".  As long as you have established yourself as the leader of the pack in your relationship this command will work. 
• Always reward desired behavior.
• As soon as you see your dog in the act of pooping provide a distraction. Maybe run off or call him over to you - then praise or reward him. This may be sufficient to break this nasty habit, but you must be consistent.
• Remember that unnecessary punishment or getting angry with your dog does not work - for this or any other dog behavior problem.

Whichever method you try with your dog be sure to be consistent. You must enforce your strategy every time in order to stop dogs eating dog poop. The longer you let this habit establish itself, the harder it will be to break.