# Can you train your dog to poop?



## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Hehe.

Seriously. Can you train your dog to poop _quickly_ when you go outside...

I'm loosing my cool with Donatello and that's not a good thing. 

I take him out at 6:00pm to pee. In the mornings he usually poops, and the last couple months he's been on that schedule and would do so quickly.

Well he's in a phase again where now I don't know _when_ he's going to poop, and it can take forty-five minutes of standing outside to get him to poop.

I'm not joking.

He will squat, get ready to poop, then pinch his butt together and walk off to start sniffing another spot; Squat to poop, then pinch his butt together and walk off to start sniffing another spot... That continues for forty-five minutes... 

I have tried the following:
1) Walking him to different spots;
2) I know this sounds bad, but I encourage him to chase the cats around (who make a game out of it) which seems to help him poop faster;
3) I've tried changing the times, like last night I went out at 7:40PM hoping he'd be more than ready to poo. Nope. I came in at 8:27PM after he _finally_ found a spot.
4) I've tried changing his feeding schedule around with his potty-breaks.
5) I've tried naming the action, _"Poop Donatello,"_- That doesn't work...

So then when I get frustrated he clams up and refuses to poo, even if it's been two days!

My mother told me "the only way to fix that is..." to get him on another schedule, time-it. When you're outside 10 minutes, if he hasn't pooped come inside... He'll start to realize he better poop when you're out there. 

Well... I don't see how that will help. It's not like he can tell time.

There are a lot of dogs I know that are picky about where they drop their load... WHY???? It's crap, and I pick it up anyway, why does it matter where it goes?

So. Can someone help Donatello and me? Please?


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You can teach a dog to poop if he has poop that is. It's the same as teaching dogs to pee on command.

What you do is watch him when he poops and while he's pooping say something like poopoo or another keyword. When he's done, praise and give a treat.

After a few times (may take a little more than a FEW) he will get the idea that poopoo means to do his business and he gets a treat for it.

My breeder has all her show dogs trained to peepee and poopoo because before a show she really needs them to go. They sure can't during the show..


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## louise_674 (Jun 24, 2009)

Yes you can - just as the answerer said before hand. Don't encourage him to chase cats though you will regret this a lot in the future. Take him for a quick jog or play fetch with him first. This will loosen him up and build your bond.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

All of these time Donatello has had to go poo, trust me... It just about comes out when he pinches it back to go find a "better spot". lol!

I've mentioned before that I _can not_ jog/walk in my complex... Others have agreed with me. It's too dangerous for myself and Donatello. If I go out of my small cul-de-sac I'm ambushed by off-leash dogs. Literately _every_ time; Not to mention the frequent gang-shootings and domestic disturbances from sun-up to sun-down. : ( I do my best to keep Donatello occupied.

Chasing the cats is more or less a game for him and game for them; He finds them intriguing and has tried playing with the kittens before, but the Mama-Cat would have none of that... There is no threat of me regretting this later for I have no plans for a cat in my future my family is _severely_ allergic... But anyway, that's neither here nor there...

I have tried doing the "name, praise and treat" like I said, but it doesn't work... I've been doing that since I've rescued him in December, he's not highly motivated with anything, (food, toys, or praise) so it's extremely hard to train him to do something like this...

Thank you for the suggestions and I will just keep trying to "name, praise and treat". : ) You'd think it would have stuck by now.


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## louise_674 (Jun 24, 2009)

sorry i was unaware of that. 

Have you seen those foxes on a line type toys? He must have a good prey drive as he is chasing the cats but you could do label - poop - then use the toy to simulate a cat type chase as a reward?


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

That's alright Louise_674, it appears you're new and I'm sure I mentioned this many months ago... I was just adding that for a reminder to others, not just to you. 

I could try that... I wouldn't say he's got a "strong" prey-drive, he is part Jack Russel, but I have more or less reconditioned him to follow my commands. He'll chase a cat, bark and carry on, then play bow and wag his tail... The few times a cat has chased him he's come running back to me screaming like a two-year old. lmao.

He's not really toy/food/praise motivated... I mean, he _is_... Sometimes. lol. I'm not even sure if the NILF program would work with this...

I will look into that toy though, because even if it doesn't work to train him he'd probably still like to play with it. ; )


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

if you really, really need him to poop fast and he's just taking his sweet time, you can always "match him". We do it if we have a lot of dogs to exercise at shows and don't have a ton of time to wait on each dog. Hard if you have 25 dogs. lol

But I like to put a command to pottying, so it makes it easy when I'm on the road.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

"match him"?? I'm sorry but what does that mean? lol.


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## harrise (Jan 9, 2008)

Hee hee. I got sick of five plus piles being spread out over several miles on our hikes. Last week the match came out.  Charm! One of the many things I've learned here.


Look at the back of your dog, lift tail, and the match... Ya' know... Just barely...


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Wow... Why does it work so well?


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Oh it works well. The dog thinks there is something there and CAN'T pinch it back. 

A Q tip can work well too.. insert like a thermometer.. LOL 

When the dog is pooping.. actually bearing down and things are "exiting," I say a word (mine is Crapcrap) and stuff food in the dog's mouth. It takes time, but they get it. 

Too bad you don't have a treadmill. Train Donatello to trot on that. It helps to move things along if the dog exercises!


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## ara28 (Feb 18, 2008)

Elana55 said:


> Oh it works well. The dog thinks there is something there and CAN'T pinch it back.
> 
> A Q tip can work well too.. insert like a thermometer.. LOL
> 
> ...


so you feed them WHILE they're pooping?


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Wow... Umm... I asked for advice and I got it. lmao. I just wasn't expecting anything to be so graphic. lmao. 

Thanks guys. A BUNCH! I'm going to keep at the whole, "name-praise-treat" thing... It'd be awkward for others in my complex to keep watching me cram stuff up my dog's bum. lmao.


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## Chels_girl (Aug 2, 2008)

Hey Dege, have you tried just taking him out, even carrying him to the same spot, just stand there iwth him on a six foot leash and just wait for ten minutes. When he goes, praise him, if he doesn't go in the alloted time, take him inside and confine him or something for a bit, like an hour and try again. I had to do this with Kali, she is just like Donatello, likes to stop mid poo to find a new spot, so I wouldn't let her, I'd stand in one place, and refuse to budge, if she didn't go in the time I gave her, which I actually shortened down to 5 minutes, then less as I wanted her to poop faster basicly. You can name it that way too, and if you use a clicker it makes it even easier rofl


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Well, that's basically the advice my mother gave me... But call me a big softy, or persnickty, but I'd love nothing more than for Donatello to poop each morning and each night that way I know he's comfortable in-between, lmao.

I will try that though, the clicker won't work (not his thing), but I will keep at this... I'll resort to the "match him" as the last resort. ; )


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Do not light the match!!!


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Wally's learned not to pull that "find a better spot" crap on me.

He tried it a few times - he was practically begging me to let him pee after an hour long walk without a single potty break 

Perfect set up to praise a 10 second "jump on a spot and pee my bladder out" 

Before we start walking or playing, he has to pee (or poop on rare occasion he'll poop first). He doesn't - we go back inside. Pee/poop = start of our walk/games. 

Basically, I give him 30 seconds to pee/poop/or start the "poop run" (he runs up and down an area sometimes before he poops). I don't care which he does. 

Now it's down to a pattern. He looks up at me while walking (his signal to me that we've developed, or sometimes he'll suddenly stop in place when he has to go and he smells a spot he likes if he's off leash, and no he doesn't just pee on whatever - he's learned "ask" if the spot is okay by looking at me first), and I say "go potty" and silently count to 30. 

If he hasn't gone by the time I get to 30 OR I see him pull that "okay I'll pee here, oh no wait, maybe there's a better spot over here" thing OR he's just sauntering around and not sniffing/finding a spot - it's over and we move on. I don't care if he still has to go. I don't care if the spot he wanted was 2 feet away. He goes where ever we are when he gives me the signal.

He doesn't get another "go potty" command for at least 5 minutes and it's a walking/moving/active 5+ minutes so things want to get moving even more. 

By then, if he really has to go, he's basically staring at me while we're walking. I'll say "go potty" and count to 30 again. Usually this time, he's doing his business before I even get to 5. 

When he goes, he gets praised. I figure the feeling of relief and the chance to pee on something is extra reward enough. Judging by his reaction to that ever-golden "go potty" command I seem to be right. In fact, he's seem to generalize this to any peeing. Some spot he wants to mark. He'll sniff it, stand over it, look at me. If I say "go potty", he'll sniff again and pee on it. If I give him any other cue, he'll do it (usually I say "let's go" to keep him moving)

Of course, being the "that's good but can't we do better?" type, I'm trying to speed it up even more. Right now, our best is 3 pees and a poop in 6 minutes (total walk time, not just the "bathroom time"). 

He's also smart enough to figure out that if he gives me the signal right near where he wants to pee, he can pee where he wants and do it as fast as I want. I've learned a lot of usual spots he likes to use so that speeds things up as well, but of course, can't rely on that always.


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## zimandtakandgrrandmimi (May 8, 2008)

the toy mentioned above is called a flirtpole. 

and as far as pooping goes..

Im a schemer. I had a dog like donatello. I stopped feeding her multiple times a day and just fed her one really big meal a day so when she had to go it would be a doozy. then we'd play the potty game...she'd start to squat/sniff...id put a treat in front of her nose and start moving. she would have to follow..and then she'd start to squat again and id lure and start moving.

the idea being she had to figure out that she'd better poo before I started moving. if she managed it..she'd get the treat. 

After a week she would go instantly as soon as her feet hit grass. 

id move all crazy too..like going in random circles, moving backwards etc..


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

zimandtakandgrrandmimi said:


> the toy mentioned above is called a flirtpole.
> 
> and as far as pooping goes..
> 
> ...


 I like this idea as well! OMG... That's great... That's easy for Donatello and I to try. Donatello does only get one meal a day, and he is usually on a schedule where he poops once a day, usually the next morning after he eats... But that doesn't keep him from being picky.



KBLover said:


> Wally's learned not to pull that "find a better spot" crap on me.
> 
> He tried it a few times - he was practically begging me to let him pee after an hour long walk without a single potty break ; )
> 
> ...


All I have to say to that is, _"WOW!"_ I would love for Donatello to do that! : P The whole, "ask-to-pee" thing is brilliant! I usually have to yank Donatello away from the damn flowers! 



spotted nikes said:


> Do not light the match!!!


**KA-BLAM** 

*


valleyjays said:



Your dog is probably wanting a walk. Do you walk him regularly? Hes probably smart enough to turn the "poop" session into a night out session walk. You need to go out and give him 5 minutes max if its to take him out to poop. Bring him back inside if he doesn't go. Hell, make him hold it in overnight. Usually they will go inside and be sure to call him out on it so that he feels bad.

I dont know how long you can pull off inserting objects into your dogs behind as the final solution lol.

Click to expand...

*A previous post of mine, up above. ^


deege39 said:


> I've mentioned before that I _can not_ jog/walk in my complex... Others have agreed with me. It's too dangerous for myself and Donatello. If I go out of my small cul-de-sac I'm ambushed by off-leash dogs. Literately _every_ time; Not to mention the frequent gang-shootings and domestic disturbances from sun-up to sun-down. : ( I do my best to keep Donatello occupied.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

deege39 said:


> All I have to say to that is, _"WOW!"_ I would love for Donatello to do that! : P The whole, "ask-to-pee" thing is brilliant! I usually have to yank Donatello away from the damn flowers!


I see that a lot. Usually with an annoyed owner/handler either yanking, yelling, or with a look like "if it wasn't wrong to kick you in the butt really hard, I would right now."

I just smile to myself whenever I see it and thank nature for that she provided a way for dogs to learn these things


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Okay guys, I'm starting the new "timed" schedule... I took Donatello out at 7:10 tonight... I took him to a slightly different area, (which didn't help him poop), but I've decided he needs to get used to pooping wherever I take him. 

I gave him 10 minutes, which doesn't seem like much, be he hasn't pooped since _last_ night... I know he was going to go eventually, he was doing the whole, _"Gotta find a better spot, gotta find a better spot, gotta find a better spot..."_ Ugh! I was getting bit up by swarms of Mosquitoes! 

Anyway, the 10 minutes went by quick and I finally hurriedly pulled him back upstairs and brought him home... You should have seen the look on his face! He literately looked shocked and speechless! 

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt he'll poo tomorrow morning, first thing. ; ) I figured if I can get him to understand that he has to pee/poo immediately then I can start adding the cues. It seems simplest for me and him.


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## RubyLove (May 4, 2009)

That is basically how I did it. Ruby goes twice, once around 6am and once around 6pm. She wakes me up for the 6am one because I go to bed around 3am. She went through a period of waking me up at 6am and then not going... which was driving me crazy because I could barely keep my eyes open, never mind walk... 

So I took her in after 5-10mins set an alarm for two hours later and went back to sleep... she was just sat there for a little while, like "really? So when you said hurry up you meant it..." Two hours later we went back out and she went straight away. After a few days of that we now walk outside at 6am, I say hurry up and she goes, every time. 

I will add that she did whine and ask for those two hours, so it wasn't the best sleep  And I wouldn't have made her wait if I wasn't sure she was housebroken.

I hope it works for you, it is so good when you can predict it.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

deege39 said:


> Anyway, the 10 minutes went by quick and I finally hurriedly pulled him back upstairs and brought him home... You should have seen the look on his face! He literately looked shocked and speechless!


I love getting that look. Means I made my point. 

He used to bark in frustration (used to be the only time he'd bark...). Another I-made-my-point "signal".




RubyLove said:


> she was just sat there for a little while, like "really? So when you said hurry up you meant it..."


Ah I love that look/expression too.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Okay guys... I started a thread in _Health_, about "expressing dog's anal glands", because I'm starting to wonder if he needs it done...

Anyway... Last night, after watching the video, posting my question here, I went to my room. I clean Donatello's bum every night with a baby-wipe, (natural and un-scented), anyway, I started to clean him and decided I'd massage the area with the baby-wipe. I was _not_ trying to "express" anything, but I was morbidly-curious if you could feel the glands from the outside... I massaged his bum for a minute or two and when I stopped Donatello looked at me like, _"Why'dya' stop?"_  Dogs...

Anyway, not but a second later, whether it be by coincidence or fact he went and sat by the door... I had already determined he wasn't going out anymore tonight since he couldn't poop in the allotted time.  

I thought, _"Well maybe massaging that area "stimulated" something and now he has to go..."_ I dunno, lmao. Either way, I took him outside, the minute we're in a spot for him to go, he just drops it! He didn't wait for a "better spot" he just dropped it... I was speechless this time... But it got me worried too, lol. I don't want to have to massage his butt everyday just to get him to poop quickly. 

Either way, I could tell he was happy. He pranced all the way back home.


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## Jessieanne (Feb 8, 2009)

My pup is the same way...I dont wait out side any more we come back in and about 45 mins later I take him back outside lol...Guess I'm to lazy to train him better but he wont do it he just trys to run back in the house...Its a battle that I never win lol


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

deege39 said:


> Okay guys... I started a thread in _Health_, about "expressing dog's anal glands", because I'm starting to wonder if he needs it done...


(couldn't quote what I wanted to since the smilie limit applies to quotes too *sigh*)

Or maybe you made your point and he's starting to get it  

Hopefully, he is fine and in full health. 

As far as massaging the butt - I'd do it everyday (as long as it's not masking or creating a health problem) if it means: a) he goes and sits by the door, b) he understands it to mean "go poop fast!" 

I understand the not wanting to do it, but it could be a ritual of sorts at least until he gets the habit. I don't know how long you massage, but a couple minutes in trade for fast pooping (which saves much more time) - it might be a price worth paying. It could also be a reward for going by the door and wanting to get out (I have a feeling that's more of it than the massaging since you said he was already by the door).

LOL @ being happy - Wally's the same way. It's like he feels lighter than air


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Well, actually you're right KBLover; It'd be a small price to pay so I wouldn't have to stand out there 45 minutes, _waiting_ for him to find that "spot"...

I'll try it again today, I think he pooped when I was over at my step-mothers... I say "think" because he was running around in the rain with the Pug puppy, and whenever I take him over there, pooping is the first thing he does- Even if he poops before we go over there...

Dogs' and their pooping-habits is a ritual that eludes me.  lol.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

deege39 said:


> Dogs' and their pooping-habits is a ritual that eludes me.  lol.


You and me both.

Which is why I try to teach a ritual I can understand/activate on cue 

The whole "this spot but not that spot" is interesting in and of itself. It seems 10x as much with pooping, especially with Wally. 

Wally pooped in 20 seconds today (including the "running back and forth") but I bet that's because 

-he really REALLY had to go. If he really, REALLY, has to go, spot seems just about unimportant. This is what led me to spread out/limit "go potty" cues.

-it was a familiar spot. He's used that spot before so all the stuff that goes on in his head about "this spot or that one" went out the window because he's done it already.

Makes me wish I could figure out a way to pick it up that leaves a little trace behind for him sniff and find again, especially out and about on our walks. Basically a "POOP HERE - You've been here before" sign for him.


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## Brucey (Jul 31, 2009)

I find the phrase "lmao" suitable for this thread. But anyways i'm glad you were able to get some help.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Even though it is a matter to laugh at on here... It's not quite so "lmao" in person, when you're actually out there getting eaten alive by Mosquitoes, waiting for your dog to dump... Uuuuugh... It's brutal and more like a "wtf" situation. 

I just hope I can nip-this-in-the-bud quickly.


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## Brucey (Jul 31, 2009)

Yeah, I feel for you. Good luck!


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Ummm... I don't even know what to say in response to that "not-so-lovely" shot of a puppy-pooping.

Anyway, thanks guys for the advice, the last couple days I've been working at it really hard... 10 minutes, not a minute more! I'm sticking to my guns this time!


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## Erick Aguilar (Jun 9, 2008)

deege39 said:


> All of these time Donatello has had to go poo, trust me... It just about comes out when he pinches it back to go find a "better spot". lol!
> 
> I've mentioned before that I _can not_ jog/walk in my complex... Others have agreed with me. It's too dangerous for myself and Donatello. If I go out of my small cul-de-sac I'm ambushed by off-leash dogs. Literately _every_ time; Not to mention the frequent gang-shootings and domestic disturbances from sun-up to sun-down. : ( I do my best to keep Donatello occupied.


Hey, what about a makeshift doggy treadmill??

I remember i saw plans to build one on the web...


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

If I had the space for a treadmill, I'd get one for myself most definitely... There's absolutely no space in our tiny apartment.  

Before my mother got laid of in January, oh wow... She had plans to purchase a _beautiful_ home, almost brand-new, with close to half an acre of land fenced in... A finished basement that she was planning on giving to me and Donatello as our own apartment... Donatello would have been in heaven for sure... But... As it became, my mother was laid off and now we're stuck until farther notice with no hope of being in a house anytime soon...

Anyway though, I wanted to tell everyone I tested the "match him" thing this morning... I used a Q-tip... I'd prefer Donatello to be on his usual schedule of pooping in the morning, because after all he does eat in afternoon/early evening, so asking him to poop in the morning isn't all that much...

I've been sticking to my guns about the 10 minutes thing... It was pushing 8 minutes, and I remember I had a Q-tip in my pocket... I thought, _"Hmm... I wonder..."_ So- I did it, I stuck just the cotton-ball head inside his *ahem*, and not even a minute later he was squatting!! I was speechless and thankful... I praised him repeatedly and made sure to say, _"Poop, Donatello,"_ beforehand.

I don't have intentions of "matching him" every time, but I'm glad to know, like tomorrow, when I have to leave in the morning I can get him to poop and not worry about coming home early...


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