Question: My 7-year old golden retriever, Jurgen, is a friendly dog, affectionate and socialized. He doesn’t scare easily and doesn’t appear to be a nervous or anxious dog. His “issue”: Why does my dog poop so much? He sometimes poops up to four times on walks. Not to be gross; it’s essential to the issue. The poo isn’t runny or soft, just regular dookie. I let him out frequently. People look at me as if to say, “What the heck is up with all the pooping?”
He has regular wellness screens for dogs and veterinarian visits and is (thankfully) very healthy. Well, why does my dog poop so much?
If this is the way Jurgen has always been, then it’s probably just the way his body works.
If you feed him only once or twice a day, try giving the same amount of food, but in smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. Over time this may split up the sole daily poop session (instead of pooping four times during one walk, he’ll go once during each of the two to three walks you give him daily).
Don’t Overlook Diet
Also, have you made any changes Jurgen’s diet? This could affect his bowel movements and make the dog poop a lot.
Maybe it’s time to try a new brand of food. Consult your veterinarian for recommendations. Of course, we can’t help plugging our book on this very subject, wherein we lay out exactly the types of food Jurgen should be eating and even give you our personal top 10 list of commercial dog foods. Regardless of your chosen brand, incorporate the new kibble slowly into your dog’s diet, over the period of a week.
If you’re exercising Jurgen a lot, taking him on really long walks, then you can expect more poopage… This is probably natural, and you’ll just need to get used to bringing more bags for the waste.
Go Easy on Mother Nature
By the way, if you’re looking for an environmentally friendly poop bag for your puppy, look no further than BioBag Dog Waste Bags, the world’s first biodegradable and compostable plastic dog poop bag. Did you know that other plastic bags can take over 100 years to decompose?
Photo: Davidswayze/Flickr.com
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6 Comments So Far - Where Is Yours?
I think that many dogs do that while out on a walk mainly from excitement, but also as a way to mark territory. I once had a very feisty little dog that did the same thing — just on walks. At home the evacuations were more normal.
I have a 10-month-old rescued German Shepherd, who has not known anything except kennel life. He reacts well to rewards, e.g. sits, lays with the aid of a clicker and treats.
His only problem is that when he is in the garden or out walking, he will not toilet in front of me. If i could see him doing his business, we could work with him to get housetrained, but he seems to save every thing up for when we are not around. I don’t know how to get him out of this habit, as all the literature you read is about training puppies/dogs that will toilet in front of you.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Paul
Paul,
I think you need to go to a dog behaviorist. I think your dog maybe was traumatized; maybe something in the past happened to him that made him afraid to go to the toilet in front of the owner.
I only can suggest not to push him, but praise him a lot when he’s going outside, even if he just for wee.
Try taking long walks with him on an extendable leash, or don’t let him out of your sight even for a second (I know it’s a bit difficult with GS). And the moment you notice he’s done a sausage, make a big deal from it – praise him, give him treats or play with him.
It’s a long shot. He seems very unconfident, maybe scared that you will punish him. (Like I said, he maybe was traumatized in the past.) I hope you resolve this problem very soon. They are an amazing and intelligent breed. With love and passion they will understand very fast what you want from them. Best of luck.
Sounds like some solid suggestions to us. Thanks for weighing in on this, Anna.
On the subject why a dog poops a lot, my vet said it was a sexual thing.
Wow, never heard that before.
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