dog eating own poop

Question
why is my dog eating her own poop? Is there something wrong with her or what can i do to keep her from doing that.

Answer
Hi Amanda!

As revolting as it is to humans, eating feces is fairly common among dogs.

Coprophagia (the official term for eating feces) is not usually a sign of illness. Once in a great while, it can be a symptom of malnutrition: the dog could be having trouble digesting and absorbing its food, or the food itself may be the problem. If your dog's coprophagy is caused by malnutrition, you would probably see other symptoms, such as loss of weight and energy, a poor hair coat, or greasy, loose stools, for example. Poop eating may be boredom related in many dogs.
This has actually been studied by several people but no definitive answer for "why" has been found.

Most of the time, eating feces is simply a bad habit. It's also unhealthy: it can transmit intestinal parasites, contribute to tooth decay, and cause stomach problems.

Some people recommend sprinkling the dog's food with a veterinary product called "ForBid", or by supplementing their dog's diet with one spoonful of canned pineapple or a teaspoon of spinach or with a dash of a meat tenderizer such as Accent or Adolphs. Pouring Tabasco sauce on your dogs feces is another favorite tactic of some. What works for one dog may or may not work for another.

Aside from the food additives, you must pick up your dog's feces from your yard on a daily basis to prevent the problem in the first place. Do not give your dog the opportunity to indulge herself.

You should also work with your dog to train her not to try and eat feces.

Try teaching your dog not to touch feces using the command: "LEAVE IT!"
Put your dog on leash and walk her by some feces. If she shows any interest in it, tell her, "LEAVE IT!" in a stern voice. If she continues to try and eat it, then loudly scold her: "NO!" and pull her away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. (never hit your dog)

When she stops trying to eat the feces praise her! Let her know what a good dog she is! Continue walking and keep returning to different piles of feces over and over, repeating the "Leave it" command until she gets the idea that you disapprove of her dietary interests.

Whenever she shows no interest in the feces, be sure to tell her how happy you are through praise and reward.

If you can keep the dog from eating stool for a month or so it is sometimes long enough to break the habit.

I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best of luck!Please keep me posted!
Nicole.D.