dog pooping on walks

[ellabear]

I don't know if anyone can help with this problem, but I would appreciate any advice! I usually take my dogs on walks every day; either mid morning or late afternoon. Always, while walking, they decide they have to poop, and do it while walking! They don't stop to sniff, or lag behind or anything; they just go! We do not stop to take bathroom breaks, or to sniff during these walks; it is purely for exercise. Their usual bm's are in the morning after breakfast; and in the evening after dinner.
Why would they have to go always on their walks (when sometimes they have just gone) and how can I alleviate this behavior?
Does exercise just aggravate the bowels?
Any help would be appreciated.

[Buddy'sParents]

Um. Really? You want to STOP your dog from eliminating?

Exercise gets things moving in the dogs bodies... thus, they eliminate. My advice is to let the dog go, clean up after it and then continue walking.

[adojrts]

Some dogs need to continue moving while having a BM, which is normal for them.
Now the other reasons, could be that while on leash they need to go, and the person walking them hasn't noticed fast enough and stops. So now the dog has been trained that while on leash, keep moving even if they need to go.
The other reason can be stress and being nervous, when either of those happen the dogs can't control it. We see this all the time when a dog is stressed or nervous while competing.
And why wouldn't you stop to allow them to have a BM while out walking???
Exercise does stimulate the digestive track to start working, therefore it is normal for a dog to go.

[showpug]

^^^ Agree with the others.

It is natural for a dog's system to eliminate once it gets moving and in fact, should be expected.

I say ease up a bit. Let them sniff, have fun and eliminate! No more doggy boot camp while on walks;)

[ellabear]

we are NOT in doggie boot camp while on our walks; in fact it is quite the opposite! they see their doggie friends and bark at squirrels, etc. I just let them know that this is their exercise time, and play/bathroom time is at another time of the day.
I merely asked if anyone knew if elimination while walking (without stopping or being still) was normal or something that could be modified.

[Buddy'sParents]

But, movement gets their bowels moving.. I really don't think it's possible...how would one even train that OUT of a dog? :confused:

[Herschel]

Haha.

[ellabear]

ok. obviously you all do not understand what I am saying. the dogs eliminate prior to their walk; after their walk (after eating) and my question was why do they have to go WHILE walking as well? and, no, I am not trying to ever stop them from having normal movements.
My bad for thinking you people may have had some knowledge and experience in this matter; from these responses I now know better.

[Buddy'sParents]

Well, then.

What you seem to be missing is that dog's movements get their bowels moving. I take Buddy for a run, he poops AT LEAST twice. And very often he goes right before we leave the house. That has nothing to do with the fact that moving gets the dogs bowels moving and thus they eliminate.


Exercise does stimulate the digestive track to start working, therefore it is normal for a dog to go.


We've all answered in one form or another ^ perhaps you just don't like the answers?

[showpug]

ok. obviously you all do not understand what I am saying. the dogs eliminate prior to their walk; after their walk (after eating) and my question was why do they have to go WHILE walking as well? and, no, I am not trying to ever stop them from having normal movements.
My bad for thinking you people may have had some knowledge and experience in this matter; from these responses I now know better.

We gave you the answer. It's NO. Movement gets the bowels MOVING...it's nature.

[Maxy24]

I think people are confused...You don't like them pooping on walks, that shouldn't be stopped IMO but I don't think that's your main question is it.

do you want to know :

1. Why she goes to the bathroom on walks?

2. Why she poops while still moving/does not squat down and stops, she just keeps going and pooping at the same time?

Many people answered the first one but as for what I THINK your asking, the second one I wrote Adojrts answered for you:
Some dogs need to continue moving while having a BM, which is normal for them.
Now the other reasons, could be that while on leash they need to go, and the person walking them hasn't noticed fast enough and stops. So now the dog has been trained that while on leash, keep moving even if they need to go.
The other reason can be stress and being nervous, when either of those happen the dogs can't control it. We see this all the time when a dog is stressed or nervous while competing.

[adojrts]

ok. obviously you all do not understand what I am saying. the dogs eliminate prior to their walk; after their walk (after eating) and my question was why do they have to go WHILE walking as well? and, no, I am not trying to ever stop them from having normal movements.
My bad for thinking you people may have had some knowledge and experience in this matter; from these responses I now know better.

Oh we understand, we also understand that we politely answered your questions and that you didn't like the responses because it doesn't fit into whatever it was that you wanted to hear.
So unless you have SPECIFICALLY TRAINED YOUR DOG/S not to go while on the walks, they will go!! That is what their bodies are telling them to do, its their bodies schedule and not yours. Stress and being worried or nervous can also have a huge impact on how often or when a dog goes (same as all mammals btw)

[houndlove]

The ole poop n' walk. Marlowe does this sometimes. He doesn't really just keep walking without stopping at all, but he'll squat for a second and then do this shuffling squat-walk thing while he's pooping. He's multi-tasking. Sniffing the ground is a major part of his day and he just can't come up with a good reason to stop moving around and sniffing just because he's in the middle of pooping. I don't really stress over it though. It's just the way he is.

[Saintgirl]

It's what dogs do. I can take my dogs out for their regualr BM and then go for a walk and usually they have to go again (granted it is a tiny little thing) BECAUSE exersise stimulates the bowel for another movement. This is a natural phsiological occurance that should not be repressed. It is just how the canine body works. It may not be the answer that you want to hear, but I suggest you get some poop bags and enjoy the walk, stop and scoop, and then continue! If you do not wan this to happen on your walks, I suggest letting your dog run about your yard and get some at home exersise so his bowel is stimulated before you head out on your walk, otherwise nature will take its course.

[lizzybeth727]

If you do not wan this to happen on your walks, I suggest letting your dog run about your yard and get some at home exersise so his bowel is stimulated before you head out on your walk, otherwise nature will take its course.
Even if I do this, my dog still poops on walks.

AND she doesn't stop, just keeps walking. It makes it really annoying to pick up - little pieces spread out over several feet.:rolleyes:

[Brattina88]

Even if I do this, my dog still poops on walks.

AND she doesn't stop, just keeps walking. It makes it really annoying to pick up - little pieces spread out over several feet.:rolleyes:

What do you do when she starts to "go"? Do you stop and wait?
Dogs give subtle signs just before they're about to go. Some sniff and make it more obvious... other dogs you have to watch for the lifting of the tail, arching of the back, whatever
Maddie used to pee-walk when she was a puppy. :o She was so excited to go on walks, that she didn't want to stop to pee. She would squat briefly in the grass, and then start to walk before she was quite finished... sometimes ending with pee on her hair on her back legs. So, I made sure to watch for the signs and stopped behind her (backed up if I had to) when she would go. The leash prevented her from walking, but she typically stopped when she noticed I stopped in my tracks (she usually stops to wait for me). After doing that consistantly she got the hint that 1. I'm not going to leave without her and 2. We would continue to go on a walk if she stopped LOL or 3. she grew out of it ;)

Just my 2 cents :p

[Renee750il]

My mom's little Terrier, Katy does the walk & poo, and she does it when she's out in the backyard loose. It's just her thing . . . I'd say some dogs just do it that way. She pees the same way.

[lizzybeth727]

My mom's little Terrier, Katy does the walk & poo, and she does it when she's out in the backyard loose. It's just her thing . . . I'd say some dogs just do it that way. She pees the same way.
Yeah, that's how my dog is. She pretty much walks and poops everywhere, it's just more annoying on walks because I have to make a point of cleaning it up! I read somewhere that wolves "mark" with their poop, they scatter it by walking and pooping. BUt what I read said that there's no proof that domestic dogs mark this way. I still wonder if that's what my dog's doing.

[misticaleclipse]

Well it sounds since you have indicated you taught the dog its 'walk" time and not eliminate/play time that it would make sense that she would just try and go while walking since walking encourages a dog to go to the bathroom...
You may need to work on slowing down, look for signs of pooping, praising and un-training what you trained.

[MafiaPrincess]

Smudge poops and walks. He's more apt to stop and squat on a walk. In the yard loose he poops and runs..
Cider is an active pooper. She holds it in till afternoon even if she gets 10 chances to go. She'll eventually go.. Take her on a walk, she can go a good 5 times and they are all good. She's just over poopy with movement.

[Xerxes]

ok. obviously you all do not understand what I am saying. the dogs eliminate prior to their walk; after their walk (after eating) and my question was why do they have to go WHILE walking as well? and, no, I am not trying to ever stop them from having normal movements.
My bad for thinking you people may have had some knowledge and experience in this matter; from these responses I now know better.

From a biological perspective, your question has been answered. However I will try to get more technical for your edification.

When a dog or any other mammal gets excited-for whatever reason, it could be happy excited, scared excited or whatever, that animal has a parasympathetic neural response. This response releases the neurotransmitter epinephrine. One of the effects of "epi" is to induce a bowel movement. The gastric intestinal system is "encouraged" by "epi" to process food boli quickly and eliminate the waste as well.

Since canis familiaris has a relatively straight intestine, the contents are processed very rapidly and there is very little room for storage of waste. Therefore exacerbating the need to eliminate.

So in the biological response to "why" the answer is very simple: The combination of exercise, food, and external stimuli hasten the processing of the food bolus as well as the need to defecate.

From a historical perspective, considering that Canis Lupis has a similar biology, when wolves gather together and play it is usually a prelude to a hunt. On a hunt, extra weight (detritus) serves no purpose but to slow the hunter, therefore it is eliminated.

The behavior you are describing is completely natural and is based in biology. Many hunting breeds will defecate several times on a single outing-to eliminate "dead" or useless weight. The first stools are usually well formed while the subsequent ones may be loose or even runny. Again, it is completely natural and the only way to prevent this is to stop feeding your dogs.

[BostonBanker]

The behavior you are describing is completely natural and is based in biology. Many hunting breeds will defecate several times on a single outing-to eliminate "dead" or useless weight. The first stools are usually well formed while the subsequent ones may be loose or even runny. Again, it is completely natural and the only way to prevent this is to stop feeding your dogs.


Interesting. Thanks for the info! I've wondered why, when we do long hikes offleash, Meg not only goes several times, but tends to get "runny" towards the end. I've never seen her with loose stools in any other situation. Is it just that the stuff coming later hasn't had time to really be processed completely?

[adojrts]

From a biological perspective, your question has been answered. However I will try to get more technical for your edification.

When a dog or any other mammal gets excited-for whatever reason, it could be happy excited, scared excited or whatever, that animal has a parasympathetic neural response. This response releases the neurotransmitter epinephrine. One of the effects of "epi" is to induce a bowel movement. The gastric intestinal system is "encouraged" by "epi" to process food boli quickly and eliminate the waste as well.

Since canis familiaris has a relatively straight intestine, the contents are processed very rapidly and there is very little room for storage of waste. Therefore exacerbating the need to eliminate.

So in the biological response to "why" the answer is very simple: The combination of exercise, food, and external stimuli hasten the processing of the food bolus as well as the need to defecate.

From a historical perspective, considering that Canis Lupis has a similar biology, when wolves gather together and play it is usually a prelude to a hunt. On a hunt, extra weight (detritus) serves no purpose but to slow the hunter, therefore it is eliminated.

The behavior you are describing is completely natural and is based in biology. Many hunting breeds will defecate several times on a single outing-to eliminate "dead" or useless weight. The first stools are usually well formed while the subsequent ones may be loose or even runny. Again, it is completely natural and the only way to prevent this is to stop feeding your dogs.

Well that sums up perfectly. Awesome post!!
Thanks

[corgipower]

It is possible for the dogs to learn to walk without pooping. It is easier if they have a chance to poop both before and after the walk. I do it all the time with my dogs.

I tell them to heel, and they walk and they don't poop. It takes time to teach them that heeling is work and you don't stop to sniff or to potty along the way.

Also, how long are your walks? How big are your dogs? What do you feed and how much?

[heartdogs]

ok. obviously you all do not understand what I am saying. the dogs eliminate prior to their walk; after their walk (after eating) and my question was why do they have to go WHILE walking as well? and, no, I am not trying to ever stop them from having normal movements.
My bad for thinking you people may have had some knowledge and experience in this matter; from these responses I now know better.

I think it is because we have some experience that your post is being answered the way it is. Some dogs, no matter whether they have gone already or not, have their bowels stimulated by exercise. Thus, it is the mere fact of walking that gets them needing to go again. I have noticed that some breeds are prone to this more than others. My Aussies will go, and they're done. My Border Collie/Spaniel mix (RIP, sweetie) used to walk while pooping. My hound will actually run just before, presumably to stimulate himself into pooping (he does know when it's poop time -he's the most "regular" of my dogs). I guess I don't understand why this seems to bother you so much, but if it reassures you, it is quite normal behavior, and not cause for concern. If you are really interested in taking "poopless" walks, perhaps for the purpose of practicing your heelwork outdoors, then it might help to train your dog to poop on command (yup, it's possible - they do it with service dogs).

[Khalid]

Ya its nature.....like humans, whenever our body gets cold, we had to go for a peee....:)

[ihartgonzo]

Gonzo and Fozzie almost NEVER poop on walks... actually, I don't think either of them ever have... not including off-leash park exercise.

They usually poop in the backyard, in the morning and again at night. They are fed at regular times every single day. Do you have a set schedule for your feedings? What are you feeding? How many times a day are they pooping?

If you have a yard, let them out and get them running, when you expect them to need to go. Exercise ABSOLUTELY does stimulate a dog's bowels... so, if you don't want to have to pick up on walks, you will need to exercise them before-hand (or teach them to poop on command... which I'm sure isn't easy).

[Xerxes]

I should have added this, but was pressed for time today at work.

If your question is referring to the process of defecating while still walking, this too, is very common. Most of the dogs I have noticed doing this are either neutered males or females (both spayed or intact.)

Unlike humans, dog's aren't ashamed of their poop. Dog poop tells alot about a dog, to another dog. It spreads their scent and can contain fluids from their anal glands as well. By walking and defecating, the scent can disseminate further and about a wider area.

So the "Poop and Scoot" method is an effective way of marking territory, especially among dogs that don't normally mark.

Another reason for this behavior, in my estimation, is that the muscular contractions throughout the body may actually aid the dog in passing the stools.

[heartdogs]

Ed, not for anything, but you seem to know a lot about poop.:lol-sign:

[Xerxes]

Ed, not for anything, but you seem to know a lot about poop.:lol-sign:

Anne, I have no fenced yard. So everytime the boy has pooped, and everytime I dog sit, I'm there for the clean up. I get many, many chances to see the pooping. Not to mention all the time walking all the other dogs I've had in my lifetime.

But also I don't want to let all my schooling in physiology go to waste. (pun intended!) :)

[ellabear]

Well, from everything everyone has written, apparantly exercise stimulates poop production, and if you don't stop to let the dogs poop, then they will just do it while walking.
Answer to one of the responses: I have 2 dogs, a 2.5 year old coton du tulear, and a 9 month old shih tzu, both spayed females. They eat 2 times a day, in the morning and early evening, the coton eats 2/3 cup per day of wellness super 5 lamb kibbles, and the shih tzu eats about 1/2 cup per day of orijen, but I'm thinking of switching her to something else because she doesn't seem to like it anymore; she is not eating like she used to. Maybe her teeth hurt? Any suggestions for a new food? I have also tried her on the evo small bites, and innova, and she did not like those either.
They both run around the yard and house prior and after their walks, and also have bathroom time before and after their walk, fyi.
Thanks for your responses

[lizzybeth727]

They eat 2 times a day, in the morning and early evening, the coton eats 2/3 cup per day of wellness super 5 lamb kibbles, and the shih tzu eats about 1/2 cup per day of orijen, but I'm thinking of switching her to something else because she doesn't seem to like it anymore; she is not eating like she used to. Maybe her teeth hurt? Any suggestions for a new food? I have also tried her on the evo small bites, and innova, and she did not like those either.
THe shih tzu could be not eating because she's loosing teeth. SHe could also not be eating as much because she's pretty much full grown. Growing puppies eat more than adult dogs. I've honestly never heard of Orijen food, maybe someone else can tell us about that one. Wellness is not bad, though, has the shih tzu tried that one?

[Rebecca4614]

Hi...

As the others have mentioned, exercise does tend to get those bowels moving! Dogs who poop on the move are often trying to hold it, but nature just gets the better of them!

If you take the dogs on a regular route when you walk, take note of where they tend to do their infamous "walking poops". Try stopping a block or two before getting into the danger zone to give them an official pit stop. Chances are pretty good that they'll be ready to go and you can empty them out, scoop and get back on the road.

I understand your desire to take an uninterrupted walk, but I think a planned interruption will be a lot more pleasant than an unplanned one!

[chanda]

let your dog do his thing since its natural to poop... just dont forget to bring some doggie bags when you go out for a walk with your dog to clean after he poop...

[minpinluvrs]

My old rottie, (14 years ago,) was not fixed, and he would mark everything. If we took him for walks in town, after he did all the marking with pee that he could the normal way (20 times in the first 10 blocks,) he would resort to marking with poops. If we took him for walks around home, where there weren't any dogs, he'd pee every so often, but that was it. We talked to our vet about it and she said that the runny poops in town were just his way of continuing to mark. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I do know that if we walked him in town for a half mile, he'd have the poops halfway through the walk, if we walked him in the country, he'd still be lifting his leg at the end of 2 miles, but only every 15 minutes or so, and NEVER, ever, get the poops.