My boss has a young dog who loves nothing more than a snack of poop. Every time she goes outside, she runs around looking for a pile that she can sink her teeth into. If he lets her outside without supervision there is she, munching away. He now has to immediately clean up every time one of his dogs does their business.

Why do dogs eat poop?

Eating feces is such a common behavior that it actually has a clinical name: Coprophagia. The oddest thing about this behavior is that it is a learned behavior. Mothers will lick the genitals of her puppies and eat their feces as a way to keep their den clean. However, most mothers will stop when their puppies get old enough to take care of themselves.

Another reason dogs tend to eat dung is because they are attracted to the undigested nutrients. This is very common with cat stool. Cat food tends to be much higher in protein, and the body can’t digest all of it. That protein acts as a dog magnet, and most dogs will dog anything to be able to consume that undigested protein.

Solutions to stop coprophagia include adding substances to your dog’s food, seasoning the poop, changing food or simply picking it up. If your dog eats his own poop, you can try adding canned pumpkin or meat tenderizer. This doesn’t always work, but for some dogs it has had success. You can sprinkle ground red pepper on the poop. Most dogs hate the taste of pepper and this will stop them from eating it. You must be consistent in peppering the poop or your dog will catch on. Give your dog a premium food. Dog’s whose diets are low in nutrients are likely to look for supplements elsewhere like another dog’s feces. Of course the only method guaranteed to work is to pick up the poop right away. This way your dog never has the option, and your neighbors will like that too.