Coprophagia is the correct terminology for poop eating. Many dogs, especially young puppies will do this and while it seems fairly disgusting to humans you must understand that dogs are different. The answer to the question why does my dog eat poop is not a single answer. There can be many reasons your dog is snacking in the litter box or cattle field.

The first and most obvious reason a dog will eat the poop of other animals is because they like to. Their taste buds are not nearly as refined as yours and most of the time edible means it smells good to them and has a pleasurable texture. While you may disagree, you have to look at this from your dog’s perspective.

Most animals do not fully process their food; many of the nutrients will then pass through the system and out through their feces. Herbivores are particularly prone to this and dogs will find cow patties and horse dung to be very nutritious in nature.

In some cases, this is simply a learned behavior or habit. Puppies are like small children in that they investigate the world with their mouths. At a young age, they may begin eating poop and simply develop a bad habit. The best solution is to quickly clean up any feces before your four-legged friend can find it!

Generally dogs will not eat their own feces, as most indoor pet owners will attest to, however if they are you may need to have them check by your veterinarian for parasites and other digestive problems. If the problem persists some vets recommended feeding them fresh pineapple, the fruit makes their poop distasteful.

You will probably always find your dogs poop eating habit quite distasteful, especially if he wants to love on you afterward. Nevertheless, it is generally nothing to worry about and some puppies will outgrow the behavior.