Random Pooing - Any Suggestions or Advice Please?!!

Hi Everyone!

First I would like to say what a fantastic forum for Cavvies and their owners. Our six month old puppy Maisy is developing what I consider to be a real behavioural problem which we are at a loss to explain let alone think of a method of cure. We have always taken Maisy for regular toilets and she has always been encouraged to use grass and be given plenty of time to go for her toilets (and sometimes she does make a meal of it) and we have had no problems except for the odd occassion when she has decided to poo on the pavement whilst on a general walk around the neighbourhood - without any warning after she has had a 'proper' one in the last 10 minutes or so. In the last few weeks the problem appears to be getting worse and a regualr feature of walks. Today for example she had a normal toilet at lunchtime but on her walk following this she went on to poo another three times, all without warning, and all on the pavement. She must be forcing it out as the quantity gets smaller and softer in consistancy :yuk: . This is becoming embarrassing as it is usually in a public place and because of the lack of consistancy is real difficult to pick up without leaving quite a lot of it on the pavement. I am at a total loss to explain this behaviour and do not know if it is curable or something she might grow out of. Is it a cavvie thing, a puppy thing or what? :? Please help!!

Thanks, Ella, Carl & Maisy :flwr:

My first question is this: how often do you feed her? If you feed her on a strict schedule you should be able to figure out when she will go. When Chester was 6 months old I was feeding him 2X a day and he would usually go #2 within 15-20 minutes of eating.

Second question: What are you feeding her? There are many, many wonderful foods out there and it would help if we knew what she's eating. It's possible that other forum members have had the same problem as you and some may have experience with the same food that you're feeding.

As far as the consistency goes, many pups have loose stools and a spoonful of tinned, un-spiced pumpkin mixed in with her food is a tasty and natural fiber that will help firm up her stools. Have you called your vet and asked him/her about the situation? If the stools are really loose and tending to be more liquid I would definitely consult with your vet in case she has worms or some other intestinal issue going on.

Hopefully more forum members will weigh in on this issue...

Hello - thanks for the reply!

I'm certain it's not a diet problem, more likeley a behaviour thing. She's fed dry food (James Wellbeloved complete high quality adult food that we have weaned her onto in the last week without any problems, the problem started before we put her on adult food) one third in the morning and remaining two thirds in the evening. Her stool for normal scheduled toilets is nice and firm - she just seems to force a little more out on her walks which seems to be the main reason it is soft.....

Thanks again

From what I understand that is very, very good food. I'm the US so we don't have that brand here but folks talk about it a lot here on the forum.

I've never known a dog to force the poops as a behavior issue, but hopefully someone else on the forum will have a clue. Good luck!

Is she straining with these other poops ? Have you spoken to a vet?

Are you sure she has finished toileting before you continue walking??

If she's well, it sounds like you "think" she's finished but she's still "busy".

Both of our cavvies have sometimes taken "longer than expected" to finish pooping.

Cavvies aren't known for "behaviour" problems...she must just need to "go".

I wait til Mary Alice kicks the grass....then we move along. :flwr:

Hi Guys

Ella here, thanks so much for your replies so far, it seems this pooping thing is really foxing us!

We do wait for Maisy to kick the grass and do all those normal signals that she has finished doing her business, (and yes, it can take a while sometimes!) but she does have plenty of time afterwards whilst we're picking up the poop and heading back to the pavement etc to have another sniff around and finish but there are certainly no signs....then on her walk it will just happen, no signals, no sniffing or circulling of any kind, and certainly no straining....just mid stride (and often when she's walking beautifully to heel) she'll be pooping mid step...weird!

The other thing which Carl didn't mention was that it all started in one particular place, although we don't know how much that has to do with it now that it seems to have extended beyond this spot. But initially she would always do it, without any warning, and even just after going to the loo, in a certain spot on her walk - within yards of the same spot every time! We do walk her in different areas, and in all kinds of landscapes (we're really lucky because we live in quite a rural area with the countryside on our doorstep), and out of a variety of different walks, it was only ever on a certain strip of pavement that she would do it, but as I say, it seems to have extended beyond that.

Sorry about the long and rambling reply, but it's kind of difficult to explain...and we really appreciate all your help and advise.

Many thanks

have you spoken to a vet? Any biological issue is something that I would see a vet about. If she isnt doing any of the standard rituals (sniffing, circling, etc.) she could have some type of bowel problem. At the very least, it would exclude health issues as part of the problem.

Hi

Yes we mentioned it to the vet, and at our puppy training class, and both 'experts' didn't think there was really anything to worry about. She's certainly physically fit with nothing wrong with her bowels or toilet generally. The dog trainer said she would probably grow out of it and we shouldn't worry about it because there could be all manner of 'dog reasons which we would never undertand' (i.e some scent or noise or signal to which us humans are impervious), just giving her a signal there...and that she would probably grow out of it.
I guess it's just that it has escalated from that one spot to becoming a regular thing on her walk that we're becoming concerned...maybe it's some sort of strange habit she's developing?

You said you mentioned it to the vet... Did the vet actually examine the dog? If the signs are changing, perhaps it is an indicator to cause reconsideration.

Hi Cindy

Yes, the vet has examined her, in fact because she's been having her various innoculations and check ups over the last few months she's had very regular check ups - including careful inspection of her tummy and anal glands (nice!) - so we're as sure as we can be that she's physically ok. Also, her normal toilet times are regular and produce healthy stools.

It's not really the stools that are changing as such, its just this habit of seemingly 'forcing' them out at certain points on her walk, which is increasing. As I say, she used to only do it at a particular spot, and what the dog trainer told us about scents and triggers which only a dog could pick up in that area made sense...but now she seems to do it all over the place, and the fact that she's physically ok....that's why we think it may be becoming a habit....It's a tricky one I know!....thanks for all your comments so far...

In fact, we're off to puppy class now!...have a good day everyone!

Even out in the garden , mine, especially Monty , the big boy, don't do all their poo at once. They will do a bit , have a wander and sniff then do again. Also, particularly in Teddy's case, the later stools are softer, probably because they have been in the gut for less time , so less fluid has been absorbed.

Hi Barbara - Yes, I agree the last bits get softer due to being in the gut for a shorter time. I think to conclude this thread that we just have to monitor the situation and give her even more time to do her toilets but the downside will be less time spent walking especially when time is at a premium in the working week.

Thanks everyone who made suggestions it really is appreciated. I would have liked to put on a little avatar of Maisy to show everyone but whatever Flikr URL I tried I kept getting an invalid address message and now my brain hurts! so here is one here:

That didn't work either - Doh! :sl*p: