dog pooping on walks

[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).

 

[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.