Puppy eating feces

Question
My 6 month old Italian Greyhound is eating his feces.  He loves to hang out outside in the sun so he can't be watched all of the time.  But as soon as I start to clean up after him, he begins to eat it.  It seems as if he knows that he shouldn't do it but does it anyway.  I've heard that putting toothpaste in his mouth afterwards will deter him but am afraid to give him anything like that.  Any suggestions?

Answer
I have never heard of the tooth paste trick and wouldn't recommend it due to the floride and detergent content-- it is not meant to be swallowed or safe for dogs.  

You can try adding FORBID to his food which will impart a bitter taste to the stool to discourage eating it.  Other things that people have tried are digestive enzymes, meat tenderizer, Deter, canned pineapple...The technicial name for this behavior is Coprophagia and you and find a lot more suggestions on the internet as well.

I would recommend a stool sample be checked to rule out any intestinal parasites.  

Also, keeping him leashed for his business and telling him "NO" of "OFF" if he sticks his nose in it and pull him away can help, but you must keep doing it and reinforce it...when he does pull away, tell him GOOD BOY and then quickly reward him with a treat.  

The best thing is to really deny access to the stool and clean it up before he has the chance to get to it.