Nine out of every 10 dog owners complain about the same thing – their dog’s nasty snacking habits. To put it delicately, Coprophagia is the ingestion of poop that is neither accidental nor incidental. It is deliberate and habitual.

Here is a list of reasons why dogs eat poop. Hopefully, this will shed some light on the situation so that you can solve the problem or take some action to improve it.

1. Your dog might be hungry. If your dog doesn’t have access to food, he might eat poop.

2. Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper, particularly if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when he’s chained up or otherwise restricted.

3. If your dog likes to carry poop, and then eat it, it could be genetics. Some dogs have instincts to carry stuff in their mouths.

4. Your dog might be eating poop because of parasites or worms. They can suck nutrients out of your dog, driving him to eat poop because he’s just plain hungry.

5. Your dog might be eating cat poop or other animal poop to get key nutrients and minerals not available in his own food.

6. Some dogs will eat poop to pass the time or else they’re lonely.

7. Your dog might eat poop because he’s anxious, nervous or otherwise upset. Stress will drive animals to do odd things.

8. Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. If you punish your dog for pooping, he might eat it to stop you from getting angry.

9. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, they’ll eat poop as an experiment.

10. If your dog watches you pick up poop, he might learn to do the same – your dog observes you and learns from you, by putting the poop in his mouth, much like you put poop in a bag.

11. Your dog might see others dogs eating poop.

12. Sometimes dog poop seems like dog food. This can happen when dog food is low quality and includes materials that are easily passed and not absorbed by your dog.

13. In some cases, dogs will eat poop if they are given too much food. This is especially true if your dog’s diet is high in fat.

14. Some dogs will eat poop to gain attention. Many dog owners get very upset when their dog eats poop, which means the dog gets attention.

15. It is possible that some dogs will eat the poop of other, more dominant dogs.