Without question, seeing your dog feasting on dog droppings is quite disgusting. This habit of deliberate intake of poop is known as coprophagia. So, why do dogs eat poop? Behaviorists and veterinary specialists have spent years trying to determine the reasons why dogs eat poop. At base, it is important to look at the history of the canine and their natural instincts. History says it may be because of their natural instinct to put things in their mouths. In the wild, dogs survived by eating their feces to keep predators from catching their scents, and to this day, wild dogs eat the internal organs of their kill. Some animal behaviorists speculate this may inherently cause dogs to associate the meaty substances found in feces with the internal organs of their kill. Below you'll find some of the common reasons and answers to the question "why do dogs eat poop?"

Why Dogs Eat Poop

1. Lack of Nutrients
One of the primary reasons why dogs eat poop is improper diet. This can happen when we do not watch what our dogs eat. Unknowingly, your dog may be lacking certain vitamins and nutrients, which may be due to poor quality food or parasites and worms. In this case, a dog will resort to eating poop to restore the missing nutrients. Cat feces, for instance, is very rich in proteins.

2. Indigestion
When a dog eats too much food, they can find it hard to digest all the food they have eaten, especially if their diet is relatively fatty. Undigested remnants of their meal would turn out in their feces, making their poop look and taste like their actual meal.

3. They Copied it From Other Dogs
Sometimes, when there are too many dogs in a house, or if your dog is left to wander freely outside, they might simply witness another dog eating feces. Thinking that it is normal behavior, your dog may copy it and eventually adopt the behavior as its own.

Additionally, you may be surprised to know, if your dog shares a house with an unhealthy dog, he may eat his sick housemate's feces. This has to do with a canine's instinctive tendency to hide and protect their sick family member from being targeted by predators.

4. They are Lonely or Bored
Some dogs eat poop to pass their time because they are feeling lonely and bored. This is one sign that you are neglecting your dog. Try to spend some time with them as much as you can to avoid this kind of behavior from developing.

5. They are Curious
Some dogs are just plain nosy. They tend to become too curious about things. In some instances, they even eat poop as an experiment.

6. They Simply Like the Taste
Gross but true. Some dogs just find the taste of animal droppings more delicious than their actual dog food! This doesn't make much sense to us humans except for the fact that feces looks a lot like what you gave your dog when he was just a puppy.

7. Hiding Evidence
If you are being overly harsh with your dog whenever you find them eliminating inside the house, your dog might be driven to eat their feces to erase the evidence and avoid scolding. The next time you find poop inside the house, pick it up and reprimand them gently. You can also enroll them in dog obedience training classes to eliminate this kind of behavior.

8. Stress
Finally, dogs, just like humans, may also feel stressed because of some anxiety problems. Stress can drive your dog to do strange things like eating dog poop. To rehabilitate your dog, eliminate stressors that may be affecting your dog or, if the problem persists and you feel you've done all you can, sign them up in dog obedience training sessions.