How many times should a puppy poop per day

How Many Times a Day Should a Puppy Poop? (Whats Normal)

Though the days of puppyhood are long gone with my own dog, I remember the puppy days of really well. With minimal clue of what I was getting myself into, I was the anxious helicopter parent. I worried about how much they ate, how well they slept, and, yes, how many times a day my puppy pooped!

If you want to know whats normal, and how many times a puppy should poop a day, heres the generalized short answer followed by some useful tips.

How many times a day should a puppy poop? Most puppies will poop around 5 times a day. This is normal for puppies of 6 months, 3 months, 8 weeks, and any age until they reach adulthood. But there are a few factors that affect how many times a day puppy poops.

Knowing how often your puppy will poop in a day is an important piece of knowledge for any dog owner. I will also now explain what you need to look for in healthy puppy pooping, and how to tell when they need to go.

Handy Hint: If your puppy is pooping lots of times day, and they should, heres how long it takes to decompose in your yard or garden.

How often does your puppy need to poop a day?

Generally, the younger your puppy is, the more frequent theyll need to poop each day. A rule of thumb is that a puppy should poop between one and five times a day, proportionate to their age and dietary habits.

It is healthier for them to go closer to 5 times a day than one time per day. One solo bowel movement could suggest that they are constipated.

As dogs get older, they will poop less and less frequently. They are also able to hold their bowel movements for far longer periods of time.

If you have your puppy on a high fiber diet, they are likely to need to poop more often in a day. The frequency of bowel movements also correlates with the number of times you feed your dog per day.

On average your puppy should be fed three small meals per day, so you should expect 3 to 5 healthy stools a day (heres how to dispose of them).

Is your puppys poop normal?

No fur-parent is complete without knowing the details of good bowel movements. Everything comes down to poop after all! It is a great indicator of your dogs overall health and wellness without constant trips to the vet or obsessive observation.

Color

Normal, healthy puppy poop should be medium to dark brown. If the poop is black, gray, green, yellow, red or white, then you have cause for concern. Normal brown poop with green bits in it is likely grass.

Its not the best thing in the world but you dont have too much cause to panic. Healthy brown poop with white pieces in it could indicate that your puppy has a tapeworm.

Worming medicine recommended by your vet should fix this problem. Red poop could be a sign of internal bleeding. Huge red flag (literally) so take them to the veterinarian immediately.

Consistency

Your puppys stool should be firm and log shaped and more solid by 10 weeks of age. Diarrhea is very easy to spot because it is liquid and runny. There is no discernable shape or segments. Constipation is harder to decipher but more so comes down to how it comes out.

It may appear hard and cause your dog stress as they try to relieve themselves. Shaking on level 11. The poop may also come out in pieces if they have been constipated for a while.

Handy Hint: Heres how long it normally takes for an adult dog to poop after eating a meal.

Smell

Of course, no puppy poop smells like roses. Usually, puppy poop smells how you would expect it to smell but you need to pay attention to any dramatic changes.

If your puppys poop all of a sudden smells very sweet or extremely foul, it could be an indication of disease. Be incredibly mindful of dramatic changes like these.

Amount

The broad stroke of this is the larger your puppy, the larger their poop will be. This will continue into adulthood too. If you have other dogs at home, dont compare their stool size unless they are the same breed and age.

For example, a 4-month-old Bichon Frise will seemingly pass pellets compared to an 8 month old Newfoundland. The general properties of color, shape, consistency and smell that we have discussed will be relatively constant, but the amount produced by each dog is wildly different.

Dont panic unless you notice your puppy is producing considerably less or considerably more on a consistent diet.

How can you tell when your puppy needs to poop?

Typically, your puppy will need to relieve themselves around 30 minutes after having a meal. There is a vague rule of thumb that your puppy can hold it one hour per month of age until they reach 8 months old.

That is a fair assessment, but it doesnt account for whether they will hold it in that long. They wont if they dont need to, so be ready to take your puppy outside within 30 minutes of them eating.

You can definitely bet that your puppy will need the bathroom first thing in the morning and before they go to bed too. Work these bathroom breaks into your routine.

When housetraining your puppy, there are a few telltale signs to watch out for:

Whining

Your clever pup will likely be the first to tell you they need to go with their words. Howling and whining by the backdoor, or just around the house is a clear sign they want your attention.

Its not uncommon for puppies to do this when they need to relieve themselves so pay attention to their cries.

Restlessness and/or pacing

Your puppy will wonder around the house distracted and slightly agitated to try and find the perfect place to poop. This is likely to be paired with sniffing the ground a lot too.

If they are starting to understand that the backdoor is a portal to the outside world, they may pace around the door.

Circling

If your puppy is circling, you need to take action!

They have found a place to lay their poop, and if it so happens to be on your favorite antique rug, youll need to move them immediately.

You can couple this action with a no or nah-ah so they understand what they are doing wrong here.

Squatting

Oh dear, you werent fast enough! They have assumed the position and are ready to take aim. Scoop them up as fast as you can and place them outside to save that rug!

Handy Hint: Around this time of their life, you will also need to give your puppy a bath for the first time. Heres the ideal age for their first bath and how to do it.

What to do if your puppys poop changes

Weve talked about the various aspects of healthy puppy pooping habits in this article; frequency, color, consistency, shape, smell, and amount. So, what do you do if there are changes to these various aspects.

My puppy poops less or more often

Lets tackle frequency first. If your puppy is maturing, then lowering the frequency of passing stools is completely normal for dogs. Its also likely that after 8 months youll be feeding your puppy less, as they graduate through their puppy stages quickly. Less food intake equals less poop!

If there have been no diet changes and you fear your dog may be constipated, you should contact your vet for advice. They may prescribe a stool softener or dietary tweak like adding in high-fiber foods.

If your dog is going more often than normal, pay attention to the form change. It could be diarrhea.

My puppy has diarrhea

If your puppy has diarrhea, it can be dangerous due to the water loss. The first port of call is to encourage your puppy to drink water and take them to the vet for investigation.

Some worming tablets and other medicines can cause diarrhea. It could also be symptomatic of a whole host of issues, including relative benign ones like stress. It is better to be safe than sorry, especially as your puppy is so young.

My puppys poop is green, yellow, black, red, or white

Color changes can be the most alarming. Any huge change in color should be treated with a certain level of seriousness particularly if there is no direct correlation you can think of. For example, grass-eating can make green poop.

Thats not a scary or abnormal thing.

On the other hand, black, tarry poop is cause for alarm, so be sure to contact your veterinarian straight away.

Conclusion

Puppies poop a lot, and your puppy should poop many times during the day. I remember when Claude was a pup, and it was constant pooping like a never ending torrent of the stuff.

Whilst all puppies will poop at multiple times during the day, it will eventually slow down, I promise!

You might also like

Here are more recent articles about puppies.

How Often Do Puppies Poop?

You just took your puppy for a walk, and they did several large poops, but now your puppy is squatting to poop just inside the door. At times, it can seem like your new puppy is made of poop!

But is this normal? Do puppies really poop more than adult dogs, and why? Here are the answers to everything you wanted to know about how often puppies should be pooping.

How Often Should a Puppy Poop?

In general, puppies poop a lot. They are small, with an intestinal tract that is still developing. Food is processed very quickly, and sometimes its not as thoroughly digested as it could be. In general, the younger the dog, the faster that the food will move through their digestive tract.

It is not uncommon for a puppy to defecate 5-6 times per day. Some will eliminate even more frequently.

The good news is that the pace of pooping will slow down as the dog matures. Although a 2-week-old puppy may defecate at every feeding, by 12 weeks, they may be down to only 4 times per day. By 6 months, it may be 3 times per day. Usually by 1 year of age, they will have settled into their normal habits. An adult dog usually poops once a day, but they could go up to 3 times a day.

As your puppys pooping schedule settles down, youll begin to see whats considered normal for them. Any changes in your puppys pooping routine should be gradual, so if you notice any sudden shifts, call your veterinarian.

Pay attention to the frequency as well as the consistency, color, texture, and any coatings. Also make note of anything that doesnt belong in stool, such as fragments of worms (they may look like spaghetti or grains of rice) or any pieces of toys or other things your pup may have eaten.

What If Your Puppy Poops a Lot More Than the Average?

It can be hard to compare puppies, since theres a wide range of whats considered average. Some puppies will poop more frequently, and others less frequently. The most important thing to pay attention to is whats normal for your puppy.

If you suddenly notice that your puppy is defecating more than usual, look for any changes in color, consistency, or coatings, and pay attention to how your puppy is acting. Look for signs of discomfort and monitor your puppy for 24 hours. If the changes in the stool persist, or they arent eating, active, and perky, its time to call the vet.

Almost all puppies are also born with intestinal parasites. This is one of the reasons veterinarians recommend deworming and testing stool samples frequently while they are young. Parasites can affect your puppys stool, so its best to have your vet diagnose and treat them.

What If Your Puppy Isn't Pooping Enough?

This is rare in a healthy puppy! If your puppy suddenly starts producing less poop or straining, they may have eaten something that is causing an intestinal blockage. A possible intestinal blockage is an emergency situation. Anything your puppy chews, such as pieces of a chew toy or squeaker, can cause an intestinal blockage.

Pups that arent feeling well or eating normally will also produce less stool than a normal, active puppy.

If your puppy isnt defecating enough or there is a sudden change, call your veterinarian right away.

When Should a Puppy Poop?

Most puppies need to poop shortly after eating, but this can vary. It takes time for them to understand when their body is signaling they need to go, so training your puppy to go outside may take some time.

After you feed your puppy, wait a few minutes, and then take them outside. Staying outside with your puppy until theyve pooped will reduce the chance theyll come back inside and poop right away.

Look for signs that your puppy needs to go, such as looking around and starting to sniff the floor. They may begin to circle and posture as if they are about to go. As soon as you notice the signs that pup is getting ready to go, get them outside quickly to aid in house-training!

What Should Your Puppy's Poop Look Like?

Puppy poo can be extremely variable in appearance, which can make it challenging to determine what is normal. As a rule, however, puppy stool should resemble a soft, large Tootsie roll. It should be brown and well-formed (not soft or runny or too hard).

The size of the stool will vary with the size of the dog, the time of day, and their diet, but pay attention to especially large or small stools. A small amount of mucus covering the stool is normal, but this should not be blood-tinged. Finally, make sure there isnt any foreign, undigested material in your puppys poop.

Before long, youll get a good sense what is normal for your puppy. If you notice something that doesnt seem right, contact your veterinarian right away. Puppies elimination habits and stools change with time, but those changes should be gradual. Over time, your little pooping machine will go less and start to fall into a consistent pattern.

Featured image: iStock.com/Logorilla