When your dog eats his own feces or the feces of another animal, his behaviour is quite natural, although we humans find it an utterly disgusting behaviour. Coprophagia, to give it it's technical term, can have a number of different causes, so let us look at the most common causes, for a dog eating excrement.
Hunger
If a dog has not got access to regular meals, or is not getting enough food to satisfy his individual nutritional needs, he may supplement his diet by eating his or the excrement of other animals.
Too much food
Alternatively, a dog may be getting to much food, and as a result any food eaten by the dog will be passed both smelling and tasting much like the meal he has already eaten.
Worms or other parasites
A dog who has worms, for example tape worm or some other kind of internal parasite may eat feces due to his nutrients becoming depleted.
An unsuitable diet
The diet the dog is receiving could be inadequate to his needs or may be made up of an inferior food that lacks essential vitamins, for example vitamin B. The diet may be too low in protein and high in carbohydrates. If this is the case, then the dog will quite naturally look elsewhere in order to replace the missing vitamins or minerals.
Hiding the evidence
Housetraining can be a difficult time for some puppies, especially when they are not getting the message of where they should go to relieve themselves. This can lead to stress, and as a result the puppy may begin to hide the evidence by eating his excrement.
General stress
A dog who who is under stress for a particular reason, may turn to eating faces as a way of diverting his attention from his stressful feelings.
Boredom and lack of attention
Some dogs spend much of their time alone with very little contact from their owners. Some of these dogs develop the habit of eating their own or other animals feces, as a way of provoking a reactions from their owners. This kind of behaviour is highly self rewarding, as the dog receives attention he would not otherwise get.
Experimentation
This is more common with puppies, and may be related to their food not being digested sufficiently, or in some cases motivated by the need to try something different.
Bitches behaviour
All female dogs clean up after their puppies by eating their feces. This is a biological response to keeping the nest clean and clearing away any evidence of the scent of her puppies, in order to keep them safe from potential predators.
If you have a dog who indulges in this type of behaviour, a two way approach to cure the problem, involving management, and positive reward training is the best way forward.
First of all you will need to be observant and manage all situations around your dog relieving himself. If your puppy or older dog uses the garden or yard to relieve himself, do make sure you clean up after him regularly. Follow him outside when he decides to relieve himself, wait for him to finish ,and remove any mess immediately.
If your dog is in the habit of running off, and eating his excrement after defecating, or looking for the excrement of other animals to eat when you walk him, then keep him secure on his lead until you have successfully retrained him.
If you haven't already done so, teach your dog the 'let go' or 'leave' command. Try training him these commands using his toys; give your dog a toy to play with and keep hold of one end of the toy. Wait for a few seconds and then give your dog the command 'out' or 'leave', when your dog gives up his toy, replace it with a nice tasty food treat. Keep practicing this exercise until you get a rapid and regular response.
Be vigilant when you take your dog out for walks, and if he finds some feces, and decides to eat it, try diverting his attention with the promise of a game or tasty food treat. The emphasis should be on rewarding him for a correct response, rather than punishing him, especially if his behaviour is quite deep rooted.
If your dog finds some feces during his walks and begins eating it, be patient and put your new leave command into action. Don't get frustrated and shout at your dog, as he may well wonder what all the fuss is about, and this could cause him to intensify his efforts into keeping hold of his little find.
If you are not giving your dog regular exercise, and the much needed mental stimulation he needs, and you think this may be the cause of his excrement eating, then change this and devote time to your dog; take him for regular walks, play stimulating games with him and give him positive attention, rather than the negative form of attention he has become used to ie. being punished when you catch him in the act of eating his faces.
If you think your dogs diet may be causing this unwanted behaviour, look at the type of food you are feeding him. If the food you are feeding him is too low in protein and too high in carbohydrates, look towards changing this. Provide your dog with a more balanced diet, that includes a higher amount of protein in relation to carbohydrates, making sure his diet is balanced with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. Your vet will be able to advice you as to the right diet that will be more suitable to your dogs particular nutritional needs.
Try adding a meat tenderising ingredient to your dogs meals. You can purchase a meat tenderising ingredient from your local supermarket. The enzymes in the tenderiser will help your dog fully digest his meals, and he will be less likely to be attracted by the smell and taste of his own waste.
You may want to try some pineapple or ,pineapple juice or pumpkin mixed into your dogs food. Use 1 spoon full for smaller dogs and a large spoon for larger dogs, with each meal. When digested along with food, and passed, your dog will not be attracted by the taste at all. Alternatively you can use a specially prepared additive from your vet or pet store. These additives are natural and, come in the form of vegetable based powder or tablets. These additives have the same effect as the pumpkin or pineapple, in that the dogs feces will become unpalatable to him.
Finally, if you think your dogs faces eating may have a medical cause, then have him examined by a vet as soon as possible.
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