Dog owners lead busy lives, yet no one – not even your dog – likes to be rushed when doing their business. Your pup may like to sniff around, taking its time before pooping, or it may be constipated, leaving you waiting in a huff.
Is there a way to get your dog to poop quickly, so you don’t have to wait around forever and can get on with your own business (the employment kind)?
You can get your dog to poop quickly when it is distracted or suffers from constipation by ensuring your dog eats a healthy, balanced diet, has access to fresh, clean water, and exercise. You can also stimulate the anal glands, add more fibre to their diet, train your pup, and more!
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how you can get your dog to poop quickly.
6 Things You Can Do to Make Your Dog Poop Quickly
There are a few techniques you can try to make your dog poop quickly:
Healthy Dog Diet
Ensuring your dog eats a healthy, balanced diet helps keep things regular. A healthy dog diet comprises animal protein, whole grains, fat, vegetables, fruits, and micronutrients.
With a healthy diet, your dog should not suffer from constipation; however, internal blockages, medication, lack of exercise, etc. can influence your dog’s digestive system and decrease how regular its bowel movements are.
If you notice that your pup is having some difficulty, you can add extra fiber to its diet. If things don’t improve, calling your vet becomes essential.
Stimulation
There are a few ways in which you can stimulate your dog’s anus to cooperate and help move things along:
How Can I Stimulate My Dog to Poop?
To stimulate your dog’s anal canal, you can try one of three methods:
- The squeezing method
- The squirting method
- The wiping method
For the squeezing method, you need a pair of disposable gloves.
With the gloves on, gently lift your dog’s tail and press firmly on the soft tissues that surround the anus. This is a firm but flexible area, so press gently but firmly.
Hold your index finger and thumb about 1.5 inches apart and press inward. This stimulates the rectum opening and poop should come out.
Young puppies may not need more stimulation than this, as they get the picture of what’s expected. Older dogs may require stimulation to help them relax their sphincter.
As you squeeze, closely watch your dog for any discomfort. You don’t want to press too hard and cause damage to the rectum or the mucosa lining of the colon.
Try the squirting method by doing what the name implies. Squirting water into your dog’s anus can relieve constipation.
This method is recommended when your dog wants to poop but just can’t. The additional water helps lubricate bowel movement, leading to healthier pooping.
You’ll need a squirt bottle and cool water (cool enough to shock the anus, but not ice cold). You can also use a hosepipe to lavage the anus.
Continuously squirt water onto your pup’s anus until it starts to relieve itself. Ensure you aren’t hurting your dog with painful water pressure of the squirts or that the water is too cool.
The wiping method is similar to the squeezing method; however, instead of using your fingers, you use a baby-safe or doggie-safe wipe that is eco-friendly, biodegradable, and unscented.
With the wipe, when your dog is ready for number 2, make circular motions around your dog’s anus to stimulate a release. You can combine this with rubbing your pup’s tummy in a circular motion.
Exercise
Just like for people, moving around can also stimulate the need to go in dogs. If your pup doesn’t get enough exercise or doesn’t move around a lot, their bowels become sluggish.
To get things moving along, get your dog moving. You can take Rufus for a walk, play fetch or tug-of-war, or even go for a hike.
Exercise helps improve blood flow to the colon and massage the internal organs, which encourages bowel movement.
Ice Cubes
One way to help a dog suffering from constipation is to use the ice cube technique. You’ll need ice cubes and disposable gloves.
Before you take your dog outside to relieve itself, place your dog on your lap or sit next to it on the floor. Firmly embrace your pup and lift their tail.
Find the anal pathway and slowly insert an ice cube in the sphincter. With your finger, hold it there for about 30 seconds.
Your dog will try to get rid of the ice cube, which leads to an anal contraction. As your pup pushes out the ice cube, some poop may be expelled too. The melting ice will also help lubricate and soothe the anus.
Water
A lack of water contributes to constipation in dogs. Thus, ensure your dog has enough fresh, clean drinking water every day.
Including canned wet food in your dog’s diet also helps with preventing constipation. This kind of food adds moisture, which improves your dog’s digestion and thus their bowel movements.
Training
When you train your pup to go potty, use a command as it squats to do number 2. After your dog has relieved itself, reward it with a treat or praise.
As a result, your dog will associate the word with the action. Eventually, after lots of dog training and reinforcement of this behavior, when you give the command, your dog will know what you want it to do.
It will also become a habit, making life much simpler.
Other Tips for Making Your Dog Poop
Some other tips you can try to get your dog to go include:
Finding a Quiet Spot
Your dog may be easily distracted with sights, sounds, and smells when it needs to go potty. Find a quiet spot to take your dog to where it can do its business in peace.
Making this the regular bathroom spot will allow your dog to feel comfortable enough to go when it needs to.
As an added bonus, when they use the same potty spot, it will help them realize that they need to potty there, and the smell of their previous potty will inform them of what’s expected.
Sticking to the Schedule
Sticking to a routine with your dog’s bathroom schedule is key. Watch when your dog usually poops and then follow this schedule.
Adding More Fiber and Water
Add additional water and fiber to your dog’s diet in the form of:
Canned Pumpkin
Feed your pup some canned pumpkin, which is high in soluble fiber and water. You can mix 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin per 10 pounds of body weight into your dog’s food.
Don’t feed your dog puree or pumpkin pie filling as these are too sugar-rich.
Gastrointestinal Dog Food
Feed your dog gastrointestinal dog food that is rich in prebiotics, which supports healthy gut bacteria. This food is high in dietary fiber that encourages bowel movement.
Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
Add olive oil or coconut oil. In your dog’s food, once to twice a day, mix 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.
The gastrointestinal tract directly absorbs these types of medium-chain fatty oils, and this makes your dog poop easier.
Leafy Greens
Feeding your dog 1 teaspoon of dark leafy vegetables per 10 pounds of body weight adds much-needed fiber to your dog’s diet.
Zucchini, for example, also has high water content, and this helps prevent constipation in dogs.
Broth and Ginger
To alleviate your pup’s constipation, try this home remedy. For your pup’s next meal, feed it half a cup of beef or chicken broth with a quarter teaspoon of ginger.
What Can I Give My Dog If He Won’t Poop?
If your dog doesn’t poop, then you can add a few things to its diet:
- Canned pumpkin
- Wheat bran
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Ginger and beef or chicken broth
- Dark, leafy greens
- Dog-friendly fiber supplements
You can also give your dog a supplement stool softener. Speak to your vet first so you can be sure that you are giving your pup the right medication to help with its constipation.
When to See a Vet?
As soon as you realize your dog is suffering from constipation, call your vet. If you let your dog suffer for too long, it can lead to obstipation, which happens if there is a buildup of dried fecal matter in the colon.
Obstipation can lead to another condition that is called megacolon, which is when the colon loses its ability to move fecal matter.
The Final Poo-Patrol
Getting your dog to do a number 2 on command isn’t easy. It starts with feeding them a balanced diet, ensuring your pup has constant access to clean water, and getting regular exercise. Then there’s the potty training.
If your dog still has difficulty doing its business, you can add more fibre to its diet, check to see why your dog can’t poop, and stimulate the anal glands by using ice cubes, squirting, squeezing, or wiping methods.
If you are not making any progress or your dog’s constipation hasn’t improved in 2-3 days, call your vet for help. Don’t just assume you can give your dog laxatives that are meant for humans, as this can be toxic.
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