I have 4 dogs- A Shep/Akita mix,115 lbs, a Sheltie, 60 lbs, a Rat Terrier (s'posedly), 25 lbs, and a 16 lb Chihuahua. The thing is, the Shep/Akita mix and the Sheltie go outside and dig in the snow to find the little ones feces and they eat it! Not their own, just the smaller dogs'. They all eat the same food. I am wondering if anyone knows why they would be doing this!?

Hi Skye. Welcome to AnswerPool.

A friend of mine was just telling me how her dog does this. It is common for dogs to eat the feces of other animals. I think they really like the frozen snowcone ones. (yuck )

According to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. "Dogs are historically scavengers, and this is believed to be a scavenger behavior.
Great article from the College of Veterinary Medicine

Hope to see you around the Pool! *splash*

I think they instinctively eat puppy feces to keep the den clean so as not to attract predators.

A psychology professor at my university told his classes that he and his wife didn't bother with diapers once their kiddies were crawling. Their German Shepherd took care of things, even made it unnecessary to wipe. No diaper rash, either. (Screams of dismay from the women students! Groans of disgust from the men!)

Thank You! I love being a member of the Pool! I failed to mention their ages tho, which may be a factor. No puppies here, the youngest we have is 5 yrs old now, which is the Rat Terrier. The 2 small ones go out of their way so as not to step in it! But the bigger ones go out of their way to find it! Maybe this is a "big" dog thing? I happened to remember a Shep mix I had many yrs back, and she did it too, but with FRESH feces! (Personally, I'd take the frozen!) LOL I have looked high and low for a reason for this! Thanks!

my poodle mix eats out of the litter box. i wish i could stop it, because it's gross. the vet said it won't hurt them and that it is common.

Ewwwwww! I thought frozen was bad enough! For any who read this post, I bought some stuff in a packet for stool eating, I have no clue what the name was, but it was pricey and it didn't do a thing for it! Just to let ya know...