# Teaching not to poop on walk?



## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Most of the time before we leave the house for a walk I can get Ranger to poop on our property before leaving. And he usually goes a lot. Even so about 90% of the time he still goes while we are walking. Is there a way to train him to only go before we leave or after we get back home. I realize this may be impossible as pooping is cleary not something we generally have control over but I am looking for ideas. I hate carrying the poop but even more so I hate taking off gloves in the cold weather (which hasn't hit yet this year). I can never get my hands to warm up again and it makes the walk very unpleasant in the dead of winter.

Thanks for any ideas.


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

I doubt you'll have any luck with this. Bowels move at the rate they move. If you feel the same food on the same schedule, he'll likely poop around the same time(s) every day, so you may be able to get it done in your backyard, but even so, pooping several times per walk is pretty common. My girl goes anywhere from one to four times per walk. Usually on the lower side.

Taking gloves off is a pain, but what can you do. Perhaps tear off, open and shove a poop bag in your pocket while you're at home so you can handle it with gloves on when it's time?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

yuriy said:


> ... Bowels move at the rate they move.....


and there you have it!


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

Mine can poop right before a walk and still have to poop during it. I think the walking triggers it!


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Exercise triggers it. Whether walking, playing hard or whatever exercise will trigger the bowels to move. I understand you are where it is cold but if you keep a bag ready in your pocket at all times you can pick it up pretty fast and get that glove back on. I find even if my girl goes at home, she will still go on a long walk again.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

My dog is 6 months old and he's never pooped on a walk. He used to never pee either, but he's started to pee occasionally now on walks.

Other than a couple times when we were at our cottage or my parent's house... he's only ever pooped in the backyard.

I guess I just got lucky. We got him at 10 weeks and he was basically potty trained from day 1 despite never being inside the house at the breeder. He's a real good boy for the most part!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

BauerWhite said:


> My dog is 6 months old and he's never pooped on a walk. He used to never pee either, but he's started to pee occasionally now on walks.
> 
> Other than a couple times when we were at our cottage or my parent's house... he's only ever pooped in the backyard.
> 
> ...


If he hasn't been neutered that may change when he's around a year old


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

My dog knows that we don't actually leave for our walk until she relieves herself in our yard. That being said, she almost always goes again during our walk - as others have said, exercise stimulates BMs, and when you gotta go, you gotta go!

I would echo the suggestion that pyratemom made - having a bag torn off, in your pocket, and ready to use may be a good solution for your cold fingers! (maybe also stash a handwarmer in your coat pocket for finger thawing after poo-pick up?)


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I don't let my dog poop or pee whenever he wants on walks. I keep him off the grass and do not let him sniff around. I do, however, have some spots where he knows it is ok. And picking it up is not such an ordeal for me.

Sorry, but a dog has more control over his sphincters than I think people do! I mean how many dogs go 8-10 hours while the folks are at work? If my dog starts to have to go while walking I correct him, then find an opportunity to relieve himself at first chance. Normally I can tell by the way he is acting that he has to go.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

dogma13 said:


> If he hasn't been neutered that may change when he's around a year old


Ya... he hasn't been neutered yet. We'll probably neuter him at 18 or 24 months.

Out of curiosity, why will it change? If he wants to start pooping on walks, I wont really mind... but I suppose I like things the way they are now.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet but it is handy to have a command to tell your dog when to go. When you are traveling and have to stop your dog will be on a leash then and will have to be able to go (hint: carry canned pumpkin when traveling). It is good for your dog to be used to going while on leash and while off leash in your yard. I use "find your spot" for each of my girls and they know it means to go now. They usually go within a minute or two at the most after I say it whether on leash or off. It is very handy during rain bands of hurricanes here.


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## Chai (Dec 11, 2014)

Wooow mine is the opposite and actually prefers to not go in the yard/only goes when he is stimulated enough. So if we're not driving to our exercise spot, we walk from our house to one of 3 parks within 1 minute walking distance so he can do his business. Usually he goes within another minute after entering the parks. I actually have come to enjoy it as I don't have much dog doo-doo to clean up from his toilet area of our yard. Sounds strange but using the provided poop bags to pick up and drop it in the bins in the parks i so much easier for me :/ 

I have the bags ready in my pocket/tied around his leash in winter so I don't have to be gloveless too long. But I don't think our cold gets as harsh as it does in the states...


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I find a dog does grow out of it. My male dog at 6 months to a year used to poop approx 80 meters from my house which is on the street before the park. I would start to try and run him through, or give a leash pop before. over a few weeks he started to hold it. 

When they get over a year they develop more control.


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## Annabellam (Nov 2, 2015)

I think the command to go is a good idea that should be taught.


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## viking (May 2, 2014)

I wear thin running gloves they sell at Costco that have a gripping material on the fingers. They're super pliable so you have the needed dexterity and grip to manage the slippery potty bags. When winter cold really sets in, I wear a pair of mittens over the gloves and only remove the mitten to handle pick ups. The hand warmer in your pocket idea someone else mentioned is a great idea, though!


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

Good luck with that....


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

pyratemom said:


> Don't know if it has been mentioned yet but it is handy to have a command to tell your dog when to go. When you are traveling and have to stop your dog will be on a leash then and will have to be able to go (hint: carry canned pumpkin when traveling). It is good for your dog to be used to going while on leash and while off leash in your yard. I use "find your spot" for each of my girls and they know it means to go now. They usually go within a minute or two at the most after I say it whether on leash or off. It is very handy during rain bands of hurricanes here.


As a Seeing Eye dog Ranger was raised with a command to take care of his business and he was nt supposed to go unless he was commanded to do so. Otherwise how would a blind person know when to pick up after him? But when he was dropped from the program we got a little lax. He still goes when we tell him to but he also goes in the middle of his walk.

For what it is worth I thought it was interesting and smart that the Seeing Eye uses a word that would not come up in normal conversation. The word is "park-time". I knd of laugh when I here people use words like "go". I figure that has the potential to confuse a dog.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

viking said:


> I wear thin running gloves they sell at Costco that have a gripping material on the fingers. They're super pliable so you have the needed dexterity and grip to manage the slippery potty bags. When winter cold really sets in, I wear a pair of mittens over the gloves and only remove the mitten to handle pick ups. The hand warmer in your pocket idea someone else mentioned is a great idea, though!


Good idea for the mittens over thin grippy gloves.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

well it surely can be done but the window of opportunity would have been in that first year before becoming lax. no poop, no walk and if they attempt to go on walks anyway they get a verbal correction and should hold it at least until a relieving area is found and their puppy coats removed. for pups that cannot do this, it's documented and counts against them. of the hundreds of dogs GDB trains each year... I'd have to guess less than 5% are dropped for relieving issues.

as far as blind handlers knowing when their dog is relieving - we strongly advise leash relieving especially those who live alone or have no usable vision. there is a technique taught in class to either "cast" your dog in front of you moving left to right, or to circle around you. when the dog stops moving, the handler simple touches their back to see if it's hunched or slanted (in some environments you can hear males urinating on hard surfaces). if they are hunched and dedicating, the tie of your shoe can be used as a marker to point in the direction of the poop or many can just follow the line of their dogs back and find it.

during training the dogs become accustomed to having their backs touched and also kept in one place to discourage traveling/walking while pooping.

so yes, blind ppl relieve and clean up after their own dogs and dogs can absolutely be taught not to defecate on walks however it's harder to break them of it once they've started. I don't know any other way than to heel them, giving them a place to be... and correcting them for deviating. that said - I have 1 that holds it on walks and another that will poop in motion if he has to so I've given up - I carry 4 poop bags to walk I'm, it's both exercise and nerves induced.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^ lol, defecating to dedicating, and toe of your shoe not tie


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Fodder said:


> well it surely can be done but the window of opportunity would have been in that first year before becoming lax. no poop, no walk and if they attempt to go on walks anyway they get a verbal correction and should hold it at least until a relieving area is found and their puppy coats removed. for pups that cannot do this, it's documented and counts against them. of the hundreds of dogs GDB trains each year... I'd have to guess less than 5% are dropped for relieving issues.
> 
> as far as blind handlers knowing when their dog is relieving - we strongly advise leash relieving especially those who live alone or have no usable vision. there is a technique taught in class to either "cast" your dog in front of you moving left to right, or to circle around you. when the dog stops moving, the handler simple touches their back to see if it's hunched or slanted (in some environments you can hear males urinating on hard surfaces). if they are hunched and dedicating, the tie of your shoe can be used as a marker to point in the direction of the poop or many can just follow the line of their dogs back and find it.
> 
> ...


What does GDB stand for?

We had to do the same thing with touching the back while the dog deficated so that they got used to that.


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