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If you’re a dog owner, you probably spend a lot of time dealing with dog poop. Not only do you need to pick up after your dog on your walks, but chances are you also spend time thinking about how consistent and regular your dog’s poop is. But how often should dogs do their business? And if your dog hasn’t pooped in a little while, should you be concerned?
If you have multiple dogs, you might notice that each of your dogs poops slightly different amounts and with different frequencies. Dr. Jerry Klein, DVM, Chief Veterinary Officer for the American Kennel Club, explains that “normal defecation of an adult dog depends on the type of food and frequency of feeding.”
With that in mind, he advises that in general “defecating one to two times daily is considered normal.” He also notes that if your dog is eating a diet that is higher in fiber, they may regularly poop three times a day.
Keeping track of your dog’s poop schedule can be an important way to monitor health. If you notice changes in the consistency or color of your dog’s poop or in the frequency of their pooping, share that information with your veterinarian.
Puppies also have a different poop schedule than adult dogs. “Puppies go more often, often following a meal,” explained Dr. Klein. This is why it’s important when potty training to make sure to take your puppy out frequently, especially after they eat.
If you and your dog live in an apartment, you are probably familiar with their bathroom routine, as you’re walking and scooping every time your pet needs to go. For people with fenced yards who allow their dogs to go into the yard alone, it can be more difficult to keep track of your dog’s schedule.
Consider going out into the yard with your dog each time you let them out. This allows you to keep track of how frequently your dog is pooping.
How many times a day should a puppy poop?
To summarize, how many times a day should a puppy poop could end being around 5 times, but often less and often more… as I will explain below. You might need to “second guess” or “predict” your puppy’s pooping habits!
Yes, it’s true. If you know when and how often a puppy should poop, it will help you to improve their house training, health, and your own sanity to be honest. When we first had Claude, it was like having a baby human all over again… that stressful.
In simple terms, the younger in age the puppy is, the more often they will need to poop in a day. As a general observation, we found that it could be as many as 5 times a day before they grow to 12 months old – but it will depend on their diet as well, not just age.
Whilst this might seem like a lot of pooping, by doing a poop as often as 5 times a day, it can actually be better for the puppy than storing it up and doing a single bigger poop. If your puppy is only pooping once a day, that could point towards constipation.
But pooping less frequently isn’t as problematic as dogs get older. In fact, as dogs advance into their senior years, they will start to poop less. In fact, you will see this as soon as your puppy becomes an adult dog – which is also helped by the fact they can hold their poop in now, whereas puppies are not so good at this.
As I mentioned earlier though, a factor that can dictate how often puppies poop will be what they eat. For example, let’s say there’s a lot of high fiber in your puppy’s diet, this is going to lead to them pooping more.
You might even find that 5 poops a day is a conservative estimate if your puppy is eating food like that, or anything that disagrees with his sensitive stomach.
Considering how often a puppy should poop will also be dictated by the frequency at which you feed them each day.
Puppies tend to eat 3 times a day, and you might expect to find them pooping just as regularly – and like clockwork too. When they get older, and reduce to 2 meals a day, the poops will reduce too.
What you should do if you are worried
If your puppy’s poop has changed in appearance, or if your puppy more often than you think is normal based on my research, you should always call a vet. Before that though, here’s some initial guidance on what to do.
If your puppy has stopped pooping as many times as they normally do, it could be age-related. As discussed earlier, when puppies reach 8 months and up, their meals might reduce and therefore, poop will too.
However, if nothing has changed in terms of diet, there could be a constipation issue at play. Vets can prescribe a stool softener or dietary tweak like adding in high-fiber foods.
When the poop is watery, it can lead to a puppy becoming dehydrated due to the water being lost. Speak to your vet, and they might recommend you encourage the young dog to drink more water (but not excessively) to keep fluid levels up.
Also try to eliminate any other factors that might lead to diarrhea. It might be stress, illness, a change in diet, something they ate, or even medication they are on.
One of the most confusing things to see with puppy poop is when it changes in appearance. Green can occasionally be due to a puppy eating grass, but as a general comment, seek advice when you see color changes.
After how Long does a Dog Poop after Eating?
Bringing a new puppy home is one of the most exciting—and terrifying—times for all new pet parents!
While my dog is a senior now, I remember his puppy days vividly and know that I was completely clueless about how often puppies poop.
Needless to say, I was completely unprepared for the amount of poop a tiny puppy can create!
Even if you’ve owned dogs before, you might get caught off guard by the amount of eating and pooping that is involved with raising a new puppy.
It is completely normal for young puppies to pee and poop much more frequently than adult dogs. However, it can be hard to tell what is “normal” when you have never raised a puppy before.
A puppy’s pooping habits aren’t set in stone, and there are many factors that affect how many times a day a puppy will poop.
Usually, these include the frequency of your puppy’s meals, their age, size, activity level, and potential health problems.
In this article, I will tell you how often a puppy should poop and how to tell if your puppy’s poop is healthy.
Armed with this information, you will easily be able to tell if your puppy’s poop is normal or not and, unlike me, won’t unnecessarily rush your pup to the vet’s office.