Poop.
Or, if you'd rather put it more delicately, you can say your dog has coprophagia --the technical term, derived from the Greek copro (feces) and phagy (eat).
It's another one of the those things our dogs can do to thoroughly disgust and baffle us, not to mention mortify and confound us in front of others.
Once upon a time, and even sometimes today, complaining or explaining that your dog practices coprophagy brought advice to the effect that there was something inadequate in his diet.
Now we know that's rarely the case.
There are several suspected culprits for the behavior, and like most everything, it's unlikely that there is any one universal cause.
One basic fact of life to understand is that, among all their wonderful, brilliant, fabulous, endearing, charming and supremely lovable qualities, we have to acknowledge that dogs are, as someone succinctly described them, "buzzards with fur.
" Dogs are scavengers, most even more than they are predators.
"Opportunistic eaters" is the more socially acceptable way to describe the lifestyle, but it all comes out to the same thing.
Dogs will eat just about anything that tastes good (to them) or has any nutritional value whatsoever.
Dogs are geared for survival under harsh conditions.
Roadkill, fresh or aged, is a delicacy.
They'll happily clean out the trash for you after you've dumped the unidentified globs from the bowels of the refrigerator, and many, if you'd let them, would relieve you of cat box cleaning duty, although to be fair, kitty roca is fairly high in undigested nutrients and raiding the litterbox usually has the bonus of irritating the cat's territorial sensibilities.
If you live on or near a cattle farm, well, just try to keep a dog from following a nursing calf around -- especially one with scours.
A theory gaining respect as we understand more about the ethology of dogs is that it is a survival instinct left over from their prehistoric ancestors, using any available food source when life was lean.
This is particularly interesting as increased reported incidences of coprophagy appear to come with the winter months, often in types that still possess more of their natural drives.
The logic of the theory is hard to dispute.
It also explains the difficulty most dog owners have in stopping the habit.
Of course, the winter coprophagy could also be a result of the irresistible nature of frozen poopsicles to dogs and their penchant for tossing them around and getting our attention before devouring the delicacies.
While there are physiological problems that can contribute to the problem, some pancreatic and intestinal disorders, as well as severe parasitic infections that are causing malnutrition, those incidences are rarely the cause and are fairly easily ruled out with a trip to the vet.
Fear or stress can cause stool eating, especially in a kennel situation or with a dog that has been dealt with harshly when being house trained.
Dogs that are under pressure and feeling anxious may police their areas, removing as many signs of their presence as possible, or where house training was traumatic, they may have come to the conclusion that any feces anywhere is going to get them in trouble again, so they consume the evidence.
Puppies can develop the habit while they're in the exploring phase, having to taste everything they come across.
Once they've discovered something they like, it tends to stick in their menu, unfortunately.
Even though dietary deficiency is unlikely to be the real culprit, it's always a good start to examine what you're feeding your dog and make sure you're getting him what he needs.
After that, the obvious solution is to keep the dog's surroundings free of temptation.
That can be easier said than done, as we all know, particularly if other animals have access to the same area.
If it's just a matter of picking up after your dog, it's fairly simple to scoop it up right after he's dropped it.
An enclosed litter box for the cat or even one of those self-cleaning ones can eliminate that source.
There are products that can be added to food that reportedly make stool unappetizing to dogs.
They're meant to be given to any animals whose feces is on the menu.
Like anything else, different products work for different dogs and some dogs will eat anything, no matter how bad it supposedly tastes.
For the incorrigible poop eater, wearing a wire muzzle when out in places where there's an available source might be necessary.
A dog can drink, pant, bark and do most necessary activities while wearing a properly fitted one, just not eat or bite.
The most important thing to remember, though, is to never leave a dog wearing a muzzle unsupervised.