My dog takes forever to poop on walks. How to make her go faster?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
During our walks, my dog takes forever to poop. She keeps sniffing and getting distracted. Any tips on what can be done? I spend upwards of 30 min.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 26th, 2016
Designate one area and use it. Take her outside to that spot and wait. You can use a spray attractant to keep her interest to one area. As soon as she begins to go, say "Go potty", "Do your business" or similar phrase. Once she goes, offer profuse praise and a small reward then take her for a short walk. Do this every time she goes out. Eventually, she will go 'on command' because she knows she will get a reward afterwards. Be consistent. Be patient.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 9th, 2018
Some dogs are very picky about where they poop, and can indeed take a very long time to find a spot that they like. To help encourage him to do this a little faster, I would recommend taking very tasty treats with you when you take Oakley for walks. When he finally does poop, immediately praise and give him a jackpot of several treats. Once he catches on that he gets a great reward for pooping, he should be much more motivated to do it quickly when you take him for a walk :)
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
I understand dogs smell their “spot” to go to the bathroom but sometimes my dog takes 30-60 min just to go poop. He is not constipated and I know the times of day when he usually needs to go, but he will not until he smells his spot. I will go to eac
Some dogs are very picky about where they poop, and can indeed take a very long time to find a spot that they like. To help encourage him to do this a little faster, I would recommend taking very tasty treats with you when you take Oakley for walks. When he finally does poop, immediately praise and give him a jackpot of several treats. Once he catches on that he gets a great reward for pooping, he should be much more motivated to do it quickly when you take him for a walk :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I just adopted Luna and she is only about a year old. We don't know much about her past except she came from a kill shelter from Alabama. We let her out regularly and she has no problem pooping. However, she doesn't pee on walks and holds it indoors
Choose one area for her to urinate or defecate outdoors. Take her to the spot before going for a walk and wait. You use a puppy training spray in the area to encourage interest and elimination. These products may be purchased online (www.petco.com) or at your local Petco. Praise and reward her each time she urinates or defecates in the designated area. You can then go for a walk afterwards. Be patient as you may need to stand in the one spot until she goes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How do I keep Ruger from pooping inside? I take him out every 3 hours, and 9 times out of 10 he'll go pee, And then I'll take him for a walk around the property, and he won't poop, but I take him inside and he'll walk around for maybe 15 minutes and
Designate an area outside for Ruger to use for elimination. Take him there when he needs to go and wait. No walking, but you can circle the area. Once Ruger begins to go, immediately use a cue such as "Do your business" or "Go potty". When he is done, offer praise and a small reward. If he urinates first, stand and wait until he defecates. Don't forget to say the phrase when he does this also. He can go on a short walk after he does both. You can use a spray attractant to keep him interested in the one area. Be firm, patient and consistent. When he is inside, do not leave him unsupervised as long as he is still soiling the house. Place him in a crate or on a leash attached to your hip so you can watch for cues that he needs to go out. Use an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle to thoroughly clean any soiled areas.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
Whenever I walk my dog to make her pee, she would either run after dogs or get distracted by sounds of other dogs or pups or would take position but move ahead without peeing.she would pee but not properly n she holds it down even for hours.what I fe
The first thing you need to stop doing is any yelling, thrashing or negative behavior. This will create a negative association with going outside to go to the bathroom and this will be counter productive and a bad experience for you both. Instead train with a potty cue word. Go to the same place every time. Reward her immediately for any behavior in the right direction. This link may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-housetrain-your-dog-or-puppy-using-a-potty-cue/ Be patient. This will take a while. Please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog will poop when I take her out, not my boyfriend. Even though he is home with her all day, she waits for me all day to do it! How to break this?
It's possible that it may be an issue of timing - many dogs are very regular in their bathroom habits, and she may prefer to do her business in the evening. If you think that she really does have a preference (some dogs do!), then if your boyfriend is willing he can try taking her on a long walk around the time she usually likes to poop. When she finally goes (which she very likely will, if he walks her long enough), he should praise and reward her with a treat. Have him do this for the next few nights if possible. Once she is comfortable pottying with him as well as you, it shouldn't matter who takes her out :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi , my dog refuses to poo whatsoever unless we take him for a walk in the neighborhood... he seems to search for certain smells before he can release himself .. it a issue .. if I don't have time to take him for a day he holds it in ... that must be
Take him for a walk only in the areas you want. If it is painful for him he will go when needed and not hold it in. If it helps, sometimes you can collect his BM from where he went and place it in the garden and have him sniff that to start associating the two things together.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
My puppy Jesse is struggling to learn that going potty inside the house is bad. I’ve tried taking him out every time he tries to go, but once he is out there he won’t go. He was getting the hang of it for a short time but all of a sudden he was back
Put him on a leash and take him outside to his designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as he starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as he goes. When he is finished, or if it appears that he is not going to go, bring him inside but do not remove the leash, e3ven if he has done his business. Attach it to your belt loop and keep him with you. Don’t let him out of your sight! When you see him start to circle or sniff, take him right outdoors again and repeat the process. If he does mess in the house, do not scold him unless you actually catch him in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take him right outside. Tell him to "go outside" and praise as he finishes. Keep him in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance, click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss this at length.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
he use to be sweet and extremely obident. My issue is that he pouts and is stubborn about many things. when it comes to pooping outside when it’s raining or too cold. I stand outside for almost 30 minutes and he paces and pretends to squat. Then he w
Consider a basic obedience class. You can find offering at the local Petco or possibly from the local veterinary clinic. In the meantime, be patient and be firm. Unfortunately, the only things to be done right now are to reinforce housetraining and wait him out when you are outside. Keep a a few treats in your pocket. As soon as he starts to go, say "go potty", "do your thing" or a catch phrase of your own. When he is finished, offer a reward and praise. Do this each time he goes outside. When he is indoors, he should be crated or on a leash attached to your hip. The crate should be just big enough for him to stand, turn and lay down. Watch for signs that he needs to go outside. This may include whining, sniffing around or circling. Take him outside to the area used for his bathroom and wait. Don't forget to praise/reward him afterwards.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
We just moved to a big city and when I take my dog to the backyard to go to the bathroom, she freaks out at every noise (like even crickets chirping) and will only pee then run back. Then while she is in her kennel, she poops. What can I do to get he
Take Lily out on a leash every time. This way she cannot run back into the house after she pees. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as she starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as she goes. When she is finished (pee and/or poop), bring her directly back inside. If she does not go after a reasonable amount of time, bring her in but do not remove the leash. Attach it to your belt loop and keep her with you. Don’t let her out of your sight! When you see her start to circle or sniff, take her right outdoors again and repeat the process. If she does mess in the house (which she shouldn't if you are watching her closely, do not scold her unless you actually catch her in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take her right outside. Tell her to "go outside" and praise as she finishes. Keep her in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance with this, click on the prompt to initi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How do I stop my puppy from pooping in the house she don’t pee but she poops
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! The easiest way though time consuming is to walk her frequently and when she does defecate celebrate it and praise her and give her treat. At the same time let her know that going inside is unacceptable. If you remain consistent she will learn to associate going outside with something positive. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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