my dog eats poop

Question
HELP!! My 2 1/2 yr old Pomeranian "Gracie"Eats her own poop
she will also occasionaly eat the poop of our other 2 dogs
what can we do to stop this,she has done this off and on
since she was a puppy.

Answer
This is called coprophagia and it isn't an uncommon behavior.  Puppies can develop this behavior because of inadequate nutrition (vitamins lacking in food) or in response to observing their dam (mother) cleaning up after her pups, or even in response to the presence of poop causing anger in humans.  The first thing you must do is bring this to the attention of the veterinarian so you can be certain your dog is not suffering some health related problem.  The next step is to be absolutely certain the area around your home (where your dogs eliminate) is perfectly clear of excrement at all times.  Observe your dogs and clean up after them IMMEDIATELY. Your dog might very well be "cleaning up".  She also needs to be closely observed during her outings; the moment she finishes pooping, DISTRACT her by calling her, clapping your hands joyfully, etc., get her indoors and go out immediately to pick up her poop.  (Don't let her see you cleaning up poop as this might actually worsen her behavior.)  If you interrupt her behavior (make it impossible for her to eat her poop or that of the other dogs) often enough, the behavior might extinguish.  Feed your dogs twice a day, as hunger can be an impetus for coprophagia and be certain you feed a very high quality dry dog food (as inadequate nutrition will continue to cause this behavior.)  If you are unsuccessful in eliminating this behavior, you can try adding something to her diet.  There are products available at pet stores or you might try a home remedy first.  Adding a small amount of pineapple to food is supposed to deter coprophagia, as pineapple is very acidic when eliminated.  Some people have used meat tenderizer in food but I don't consider this a healthy alternative.