It's possible that some dogs eat their own feces in order to 'hide the evidence'. Some believe that this can occur with dogs who have been punished for inappropriately going to the bathroom. Others believe that eating feces is just a trait passed down to dogs from their ancestors. Coyotes and wolves have been known to eat their own feces during food shortages, and have also been known to eat the feces of herbivores which contain many of the B vitamins. Eating feces can also be a learned behavior if dogs observe other dogs doing this. It's also very normal for females to eat the feces of their offspring. Some think that they do this to keep the den clean while others think it's a deep instinctual response that was meant to conceal the presence of their litter from predators. And then again, it's always possible that there really is no big theory behind it and dogs just eat feces because it tastes good to them.

Whatever the reasoning, eating feces is probably something you'd like to keep your dog from doing. And even if you're not overly concerned about this behavior, you should be aware that there are some health risks associated with eating feces. The main concern is that many parasites, including giardia, coccidia, roundworms and whipworms, can be transmitted through dog and cat feces.

Additional information on why dogs eat feces.
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