Dogs can be the most wonderful pets. Loyal, loving and just plain fun, they can bring out the best in us. Training them can be rewarding and challenging, and one of the most fundamental lessons for them to learn is not to use the house for their toilet. Knowing how to prevent a dog from having poop issues can help you with their housebreaking lessons.
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Watch what you feed them.
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One of the most important issues to preventing a dog from having major poop issues is to take care in what you are feeding them. If you feed them a hefty load of meat and grease --when they normally get dried kibble--you are asking for a major blowout within hours. Do not make any drastic changes to the dog's diet if you plan on making sure its stomach is settled. This includes changing its dry dog food. Different dog foods have different ingredients. Don't make an overnight change. As for those special "dinners"--one of the biggest mistakes people make is "treating" their dog to a special food, and then they do not understand later when they have to call the carpet cleaning company to chemically treat the stink.
Train them properly.
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Beating a dog every time it poops in the house is one way to train it. It will also train it to fear you and possibly hate you instead of love and trust you. A simpler solution is to train them properly from the beginning. Dogs do not normally poop where they sleep. So if you make sure that your dog has a chance to go to the bathroom before you lock him up in an enclosed space for the night, it is almost a sure thing it will not poop if it can possibly help it. Make sure first thing in the morning you get up and let the dog out, watch as it relieves itself, then call it to you and praise it for doing its job outside. Dogs are smart; they catch on quickly. Once the dog has a clear understanding that potty business is to be done outside, take its bedding and move it to the room where it will be sleeping. It will associate the new area with its new sleeping quarters, and the chances of poop are very low.
Pay Attention
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Dogs do not like to poop somewhere they have to stay. They prefer to poop and leave, just like people. If your dog needs to go, chances are it will be trying to let you know. Watch for physical signs: agitation, whining, standing at a door or pawing at a door to get out. These are pretty clear indicators that it needs to get outside, and fast. No matter what time of day or night, if your dog is asking to go out and you don't want a poop problem, you should go ahead and let it out. So don't ignore your dog if he looks anxious --there is always a reason.
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