What are some of the behavior reasons that a dog might eat its own stools?
Coprophagia is a common problem in some puppies, which usually clears up by adulthood with good nutrition and proper direction and supervision. There have been many explanations suggested for this behavior. When left unsupervised, puppies may simply begin to investigate, play with, and even eat stools as a play, investigative or scavenging behavior. Since coprophagia may attract a great deal of owner attention, the behavior may be further reinforced. “The owner that uses the outmoded, inhumane and useless training technique of “sticking the dog’s nose” in its stool when it has soiled the home, may be further encouraging coprophagia.” There may also be an observational component, since the bitch cleans and ingests the puppy’s excrement in the nest, and puppies may learn to mimic the behavior of their mother or other playmates that perform this behavior. In adult dogs the innate behavior of grooming and cleaning newborn puppies and eating their excrement, along with the well documented f
