If you’re a dog owner, chances are that you might have run into a situation where your dog didn’t poop properly for a few days. You might have taken him out for his regular walks and urged him to do his business, but it wouldn’t happen.
There can be multiple reasons why your dog isn’t pooping. However, just like humans, dogs need to relieve themselves regularly to prevent the buildup of toxic waste in their system. A constipated dog will be irritable, unhappy, and might not be his usual playful self.
If you’ve ever run into similar problems with your dog, this article outlines topics like how often your dog should poop, how to make a dog poop quickly, and other potty training tips you should know as a dog owner.
How Often Should a Dog Poop?
Before we get into all the doody detail, it’s probably a good idea to ensure that your pup’s digestive system is functioning well. It’s always best to make sure that some medical condition isn’t causing your dog to struggle during potty time.
The digestive systems of different dog breeds and small or large dogs can differ quite a lot. It’s just about impossible to say how many times a specific dog should poop per day. But one thing’s for certain. Your dog should be consistent in its number of poops per day.
Some dogs poop only once per day, while others can poop up to four times per day, and either of these schedules are perfectly healthy, as long as your dog poops the same amount of times per day.
It’s also important to note that puppies will need to poop more often compared to adult dogs. Your dog’s pooping schedule might change as it matures.
Is Your Dog Constipated?
If your dog isn’t pooping every day, then it’s likely constipated. Constipation in dogs can result in all sorts of health issues, and these dogs will also take much longer to poop compared to a dog that has a healthy digestive system.
Before you start training your dog to poop faster, you need to ensure that constipation isn’t the main culprit that’s causing your dog to take so long on potty trips.
Symptoms of constipation in dogs
Just because your dog takes too long to potty doesn’t mean that it’s constipated. Other factors such as curiosity, struggles to find the perfect potty spot, or an untrained bladder can also be reasons why your pup’s taking a lot of time. Constipated dogs will have the following symptoms:
- Straining to defecate
- Dry and hard stools
- Going days without pooping
- Infrequent stools
Causes for constipation in dogs
There are quite a few things that can cause constipation in dogs. Some of the most common causes of constipation include the following;
- A diet that lacks fiber
- Dehydration
- A lack of exercise
- Previous surgery
- Pain medications
- Obstructions by a foreign object
Some of these causes can be home-treated, but serious problems such as obstructions or constipation after surgery should be handled by a vet.
What happens if constipation goes untreated?
Constipation that goes untreated can cause health issues for your dog. Your dog will struggle to absorb all the needed nutrients from food because its digestive system won’t be functioning well. Other issues such as pain, hair loss, and serious intestinal problems can also result from constipation.
The buildup of toxic waste in his system in the long term will also affect other organs in his body.
In addition to these health issues, it will also be very hard for you to potty train your dog or to teach your dog to poop fast if the condition is left untreated.
How to Make Your Dog Poop Faster
Once you’ve established that your dog is healthy and happy, you can start focusing on training your beloved pet. Faster potty sessions start with proper bathroom training. Before your dog can learn to poop fast, it’ll need to learn to cue you when it’s time for a potty break, and it’ll need to learn where to poop or pee.
Learn the signs that your dog needs to go
While potty training your dog, the first thing you’ll need to do is learn the signs that your dog needs to go. As a young puppy, your dog won’t know that you want it to go outside. It will instinctively start looking for a good potty spot and will go right there in the house unless you take the dog outside.
In most cases, you’ll be able to tell when your dog needs to poop or pee. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common signs that puppies show when they need to go potty:
- The puppy paces faster through the room
- They circle a specific spot
- They sniff a spot intensely
If you ignore these signs, your dog might either believe that he’s supposed to control himself, or you might end up with a messy incident in your house that you’ll need to clean up. Keeping track of these actions will, over time, give you a good understanding of exactly when your pup is getting the call of nature.
It’s important to monitor young pups carefully for these signs so you’ll know when to take your dog out of the house. Learning the signs that your dog shows you before pottying is also important so you can start using the correct words and commands to reduce accidents.
Teach your dog to go on command
It’s better to associate your dog’s peeing and pooping activities with commands right from the start. Your dog will learn what these commands mean. When you give these specific commands in the future, your dog will know that you want him to poop or pee right away in the specific area you’re in.
Any command word will work as long as you can easily remember it and apply it in the right places. Here’s a quick look at a few examples of good cue words that creative puppy owners use:
- “Get busy”
- “Empty”
- “Go potty”
- “Go pee pee”
- “Abracadabra!”
You’ll notice that these are small phrases with not too many syllables, which will make them easier for you to say, as well as for your dog to understand.
Shape good potty behavior
Before you can teach your dog to potty fast, you need to shape good potty behavior in your pet. Fast pooping sessions don’t help much if your dog ends up pooping in the wrong places or doesn’t ask you to go out for a potty break.
There are quite a few techniques you can use to potty train your dog successfully and to help establish good bathroom behavior. A favorite technique amongst pet lovers is the reward technique. This technique involves rewarding your dog with a good treat every time he or she successfully uses the correct bathroom habits until these habits have been established.
Why are dogs so picky about choosing a bathroom spot?
One of the most time-consuming parts about potty walks is finding the perfect spot. Dogs often have a tough time finding and choosing the perfect place to drop their bombs. It can be quite frustrating to sit and wait while your dog runs around sniffing every fence, rock, and plant in your neighborhood before finally settling on a good place to do their business.
There are lots of reasons why dogs are so picky about choosing the right potty spot. Here’s a quick look at the top reasons most dogs take so long to pick a spot:
Distractions – There are lots of distractions outside. The scents of nature, insects, other animals, and other dogs are all interesting and usually require further investigation.
Reading messages – Dogs are territorial animals and love to mark their territory or leave messages to other dogs and animals. When your dog is sniffing about, it’s reading what other dogs and animals have been up to. This is also the main reason so many dogs love to poop right next to or on top of other dogs’ poop.
Performance or location anxiety – Nervous dogs sometimes have a tough time choosing the right place to do their business because they’re afraid of their environment. Just like you might have a tough time using a public bathroom, a dog might find it hard to use a location that makes them feel anxious.
The magnetic pole – Some dogs love to circle an area before squatting to do their business. According to some studies, dogs do this because they are affected by the magnetic pole. Most dogs prefer to have their body aligned along the north-south axis.
Help your dog find future bathroom spots
You can try a few different strategies to help your pet find future bathroom spots. One of the first things you can do is to take your dog to a regular bathroom area that doesn’t have too many distractions. With fewer distractions and a familiar bathroom environment, your dog won’t take as long to choose the perfect spot.
Another good way to speed up your dog’s bathroom decision-making is by giving him or her some bathroom cue words. Saying phrases like ”hurry up” or giving the poop or pee cue can remind your dog of the main purpose of the trip, which might just speed up the process.
Don’t get frustrated with your dog
The most important thing to remember when you’re trying to make your dog poop faster is not to lose your temper. Bathroom experiences need to be kept positive and light-hearted. When you start to shout at your dog, your pet will become afraid.
Anxiety will certainly hold back the pooping process even more, and losing your temper can even result in future pooping issues, as your dog will become afraid to go on potty walks.
Reward your dog with treats
The best way to speed up potty breaks is by using the reward system. Always take some treats along on potty walks. Healthy treats like bones, dog chews, or beef chews are ideal treats to offer since they’ll excite your dog about potty walks and won’t cause medical issues like obesity.
Giving them treats when they poop will condition them into believing that they’re doing the right thing by relieving themselves. Make sure you carry these treats with you when you take your dog out for a walk or wherever he’s supposed to poop.
You can also learn to make your own dog treats that your dog is sure to love. These healthy recipes for treats will be much better for your dog than store bought alternatives.
Take your dog out on a potty walk and remind him that a treat is waiting when he finishes. If your dog gets too distracted, show him the treat and give him the potty cue word.
This will keep your dog focused and will encourage him to go potty much faster since a tasty reward is waiting for him. Don’t offer the treat until your dog goes potty, or your efforts will be wasted.
Be realistic about potty times
Dogs, like humans, can’t always just go potty at any given time. You need to be realistic about your dog’s potty needs while establishing a good bathroom routine. You might prefer for your dog to go potty before you go to bed so it won’t wake you in the middle of the night.
Changing your dog’s potty schedule is doable, but it’ll take some time. You can’t suddenly expect your dog to go potty at 8 pm when it usually needs to go around midnight. But you can gradually train your dog’s bladder to go earlier by setting a timer a little bit earlier every week until your dog has established a better potty routine.
The way to do this is to try to develop a fixed routine and stick to it. For example, if your work only allows you to take your dogs out for walks at 8 AM and 8 PM, you cannot expect him to go at 5 PM on the weekends. Developing a fixed schedule for exercising, eating, and pooping will make your dog more regular when it comes to his bowel movements.
Walk your dog to help them poop
Movement and walking are great for the digestive system. When your dog walks and moves around, blood circulation is promoted and your dog’s intestines work better.
Poop can also move through the intestines much easier, which can make your dog need to poop quicker. Walking your dog during potty walks is also good for keeping both of you healthy and fit.
Final Thoughts
How to make a dog poop quickly? It’s always best to start with your dog’s health when you’re trying to teach your dog to poop fast. A dog with constipation or other medical conditions isn’t likely to learn to poop as quickly as a healthy dog.
You also need to establish good potty behaviors in your young dog before you can start working on pooping faster. With these basic steps in mind, we’re sure that you’ll be able to teach your dog to poop faster – so both of you can feel better about potty breaks.
We hope that this article has helped you get an idea of what to expect when your dog isn’t pooping right, what to look for if you believe he has constipation, and how to make him poop quickly. We have a lot of other articles about similar topics regarding dog ownership, and you should definitely check them out!
