Hello, my name is Valerie and I am pet parent to Bentley the Clumberdoodle.
Bentley came to live with us at the age of 15 weeks, and truthfully, nothing prepared us for his arrival! I thought I was so well-prepared, and I had most things ready for the new arrival.
A warm bed, which he ignored so he could sleep with us, a box of toys, which he ignored, choosing cell phones, TV remotes, and sunglasses as he was teething, and a puppy gate to keep him downstairs, which he promptly bludgeoned his way through to follow us upstairs.
So, after taking a few steps back, things calmed down – that is apart from the fact that I had no idea about this pup’s pooping habits.
Gosh, did he poop! I suppose this must be the first question any new pet owner asks, but I was all caught up in getting things ready,
I just assumed that side would automatically take care of itself. Right…
I did a bit of research and asked around. I mostly asked people with young dogs who would remember how life was with a pup. They came back with as many different answers as possible, but there were some things that all seemed to show a similar pattern.
How Many Times a Day Should a Puppy Poop?
A puppy will poop between 1 – 5 times a day. This is normal for most pups. I also learned that there is nothing wrong if he only poops once a day, but there will not be any days when he does not poop at that young age.
If you find that your pup is not pooping at all for more than a day, or that he is simply pooping all the time, you may think about a trip to the vet.
Better get the pooch examined earlier than later when problems may happen. Your vet will also be able to advise you on diet requirements and amounts.
How Often Should a Puppy Poop?
A puppy will normally poop within 15 minutes after eating a meal. However, I found with Bentley that this was not always the case. In fact, this is not a hard and fast rule by any means. Sometimes Bentley needed to poop immediately after a meal, and on other days it took him up to an hour before he headed outside.
Bentley and I also developed a morning routing where I opened the door and (standing in my dressing gown on the step) said enthusiastically ‘Go pee’, which he did.
He would then run back to me for a treat, before I said ‘Go poop’, and off he would go again, this time to do his little circle the spot thing, and..poop!
Much to the neighbours’ amusement, this worked very well for us.
These days I still let him out in my dressing gown, but without the commands or treats. He knows the routing well now, and there’s less for the neighbours to gawk at.
I have found that there are some influencing factors to how many times a pup will poop.
Age: A very young puppy will not be able to control his bowels as well as an older puppy and may feel the need to poop more frequently. This is why a young pup will have more accidents than an older pup. It’s just not realistic to expect a youngster to get it right all the time, so be patient because it will all get better.
Diet: This plays a huge part in your pup and his pooping habits. The more he eats, the more he is going to poop, simply put. Also, the more fibrous his diet, the more he will need to poop. If you don’t believe me, try a few days of extra high fibre diet yourself and see how many times you need to head for the ‘little room!
Playtime: You will notice that after a play session your puppy starts to look for a place to poop. This is a good time to pick him up and carry him outside as fast as you can!
Nap-time: When he wakes up from a nap – and pups will nap a lot – he is going to want to either pee or poop. I found that I had to keep an eye on Bentley and get him out as soon as he woke up, otherwise we were left with puddles – or worse – poop parcels.
How do I Know if my Dog Wants to Poop?
The better you get to know your pup, the earlier you will see the tell-tale signs that he wants to poop.
These will also differ with each dog, but with Bentley I know he wants to poop when he starts to make little circles.
He starts sniffing and goes around a few times before settling down to his chosen spot.
This circling may not be the case with your pup. Also, some dogs may not like to poop on pavement and will try to head for grass. Maybe this is just where they are comfortable, who can tell?
Bentley has a way of looking up at me while he poops. I reckon he needs to know that I will be there to look after him when he is vulnerable. When he is finished pooping, he goes back to taking care of me. But this is just my theory and may not even apply to your own pooch.
What I do know is that your dog will tell you in his own way, just learn the signs.
How to Potty Train Your Dog – Develop a Routine
Believe me, if you can do this, all the better for both of you. Not only will you know when it is safe for you to go out and leave the dog at home, but you will be pretty sure that you won’t come home to piles of poop in the living room.
I think a routine is also good for the dog. He knows where he stands, knows when he needs to poop, and unless he is ill, he will very soon develop a routine which will give you a little more freedom. With a pup, you can expect to have to get him outside often, just so he knows where to go and what to do there, but this is laying a good foundation for as he gets older.
There is nothing worse than having no idea at all when your pup is going to need to poop. You will find yourself restricted because you can’t go out and leave him – just in case he needs to toilet.
The Method I Used to Get my Dog Into a Toilet Routine
Set the alarm. Every twenty minutes either call him outside or carry him to the chosen spot.
Have treats in your pocket for the minute he actually poops in the spot.
A lot of praise and a treat and your puppy will be eager to please you again.
Try not to get stressed if he does not make it, he will pick up on this and it will become a viscous circle. Neither of you will win. So, smile, mop the floor and set the alarm again. You will soon wonder what all the fuss was about!
A habit really pays off as he gets older. It will also give you an indication of when things are not right with your poop. If he always poops at 9am, and suddenly needs to poop at 6am, watch him to make sure that he is okay.
If I see any changes in Bentley’s pooping habits, I keep a close eye on him for other signs, and they are usually there, such as vomiting (Bentley occasionally eats things he should not).
If you have a puppy and work a full time job, it can be difficult to potty train then. I suggest you check out THIS article on potty training whilst you work.
Can a Puppy Poop Too Much?
Well, technically no. But, if your dog is pooping significantly more than five times a day, you may think about how much you are feeding him.
If you are feeding the required amounts and still see huge amounts of poop, there may be another reason such as raiding the bin, or sneaking treats from the neighbours.
After all, who can resist that adorable face? And how hard is it to not give a pup a treat or two, or three..
Final Thoughts…
Well, I hope you’ve learned a little about how many times a day your puppy should poop.
As I found out, it does vary from pup to pup.
Some will poop right after a meal, others will wait, some will poop as soon as they wake up while others will only poop later.
One thing I have found is that all pups are different, there is no ‘average’ pup, they are all individual and will all have a different poop routine. What is important is that the poop is a good solid consistency and is regular.
What I have found is that as long as Bentley is pooping regularly, and the quality of the poop is constantly the same, I don’t worry if every now and then he poops three times instead of four.
I would worry if he has an upset stomach, and I would also worry if he did not poop for over two days (that’s not normal for Bentley). We would then be heading for a vet visit.
Better to be safe than sorry.
