My dog keeps trying to eat poo.why is he doing it?

I'm not exactly sure why dogs do this bad habit. One guess was puppies needed something they were missing in their diet and it helped with digestion, but there was no solid reason why they start. Stool or poop eating is called coprophagia and usually has no underlying medical basis.

Nursing mothers will do this as part of the natural grooming of their puppies but they don't stop at that, they will eat their own stool also. There can be underlying medical reasons why this starts such as malnutrition or malabsorption disorders. Poor diet can also be a contributing factor as the dog may be lacking in some essential mineral that's not found in its food but there no guarantee either. Switching out food to a no grain or better brand, raw diet etc does not guarantee a stopping the stool eating but some cases it works. Consult with your vet before you make any changes, they may want to see ex dog first, check for parasites or if there is anything wrong before you start any treatments.

There are many products on the market like 'Forbid' or 'Detur' that you give the dog daily to help chemically change the taste of the stool so the dog is less likely to recycle it, also the usage of pineapple will change the stool to more of a metallic taste (acidity) and the dogs tend to leave it alone. Pineapple is usually given 6 to 10 chunks daily for a 50 pound dog. Your vet may have some other recommendations to use also. Some people have had good success using cabbage or Brussels sprouts as they will also chemically change the odor and taste of the waste, however there is a worry they can also cause the dog to be gassy or possibly bloat from the gas on larger dogs so that cure may not work as well as the others. Though pineapple can be high in sugar, either using fresh or canned in natural juices or no sugar added is best to use as the sugar added variety cute down on the acidity of the pineapple which is why your giving it to your dog to begin with.

Other ways to deter your dog from recycling (eating) his or others stools are to have the dog go in a specified area in the yard, clean up immediately after the dog goes. If the dog knows the command 'leave it' will help the dog not take action until it is cleaned up. If your dog does not know the command it's advisable to teach it.

Most dogs will grow out of this phase, especially puppies but using an additive to their diet will speed the process up if not entirely stop it. It may take a couple weeks to totally stop and some dogs can be persistent because they have done it a long time and it's now habit. Just working daily with your dog and making sure the toileting area is kept free and clear of old waste helps greatly.

There are as many theories for this habit, as ways to stop it. I first saw this is my foundation b itch when she was pregnant and immediately went to the one that suggests there is something missing in the diet. However, after her, generations on some, not all, of the rest of mine would do this and quite honestly the only way to prevent this is to PICK IT UP - as soon as done.

Some people suggest that a poor diet tends to go straight through, not being properly digested so it's still appealing !! It might be a good idea to consider switching to a better product? If you do, do it gradually, mixing the new in with the old over at least a week. And choose something that instead of being cereal based, lists meat, or fish, as the first, main ingredient.

Because you're allowing this poor behavior, failing to constantly supervise it, contain when you can't, immediate correction when caught in the act and picking it up immediately before it can eat it.

Feed the dog properly instead of randomly "I thought maybe he was hungry so I gave him food" Adult dogs should only be fed twice daily.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e224/GLLNTKNIGHT...

This happened with one of my dogs. We asked the vet about it was told its some kind of deficiency, not necessarily to do with what you feed him. We were recommended to give him carbon tablets! He ate them and stopped eating his own leavings so I guess it worked!

Next time you're at the vet, ask about it?