How to Make a Dog Poop Quickly (Easy & Effective Tips)

Tired of standing in the rain while your dog sniffs everything in sight instead of doing their business? If canine constipation is the cause, try out some vet-approved techniques and lifestyle changes to help things along. Or, if your dog is just naturally a slow-poke, train them to poop on command to save time (and aggravation). In any case, it is possible to turn your canine pal into a prompt-pooping pup!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Relieving Canine Constipation

1
Massage your dog’s belly in a circular motion. Start by rubbing the left side of your dog’s abdomen with light-to-moderate speed and pressure. After a few minutes, or whenever your dog seems ready to poop, shift your massage to the central abdomen and direct the motion more toward the tail—essentially helping the poop along on its journey. Hopefully, your dog will be able to pass stool within around 5 minutes with this technique.^{[1]XResearch source}
- You may get better results if your dog is lying on their back while you do the massage.
2
Wipe your dog’s anus with a moist wipe. Use either baby wipes or moist cleaning wipes intended for use on dogs. Clear any hairs or debris (like dried poop) away from your dog’s anus with the wipe, then use it to gently massage the anus in a circular motion. The combination of cool moisture and relaxation of the sphincter may be enough to stimulate a bowel movement.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Consider combining the abdominal massage and moist wipe massage to increase your odds of success.
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3
Squirt your dog’s anus with cool or cold water. Fill a squirt bottle or even a child’s squirt gun with cool tap water or water chilled in the refrigerator. Have a helper hold onto your dog and work to keep them calm. Lift your dog’s tail and squirt the water directly at the anus. The shock of the cool, moist sensation often helps to stimulate a bowel movement.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Cold water may be more effective than cool water, but is also more likely to cause your dog to squirm or attempt to get away.
- Don’t apply more than 3 or 4 squirts of water at a time. If this isn’t enough to get results, try another method that your vet recommends.
4
Put an ice cube onto (or slightly into) your dog’s anus. Recruit a helper to keep your dog calm and steady, then put on gloves and grab an ice cube. Lift your dog’s tail and press the ice cube against the anal opening until the poop starts flowing (but for no more than 30 seconds).^{[4]XResearch source} Alternatively, if your vet approves, gently insert no more than about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) of the ice cube into your dog’s rectum, here again for no more than 30 seconds.
- Don’t hold the ice cube in place for more than 30 seconds or you may cause tissue damage.
- Use this technique only with the specific approval of your vet.
While constipation is a common problem for dogs, it’s always best to get your vet involved. This is especially true if the constipation lasts for longer than 24 hours, is a recurring problem, or if your dog shows signs of pain or moderate discomfort. Your vet may conduct an examination and recommend medical treatments (like dog-specific laxatives), use direct constipation relief methods (like manual stimulation of the anus), or instruct you on direct treatments you can use at home (like those listed in this section).^{[5]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Diet and Activity Changes

1
Exercise your dog regularly, including before potty time. A little exercise gets the blood flowing—and also helps get the bowels moving! If your dog has typical potty times (when not constipated), use the 10-20 minutes beforehand to play or go for a brisk walk. If your canine pal always has irregular potty times, space out 3-4 activity sessions throughout the day and provide a potty opportunity right afterward.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
- Since dogs often poop 30-60 minutes after eating, you might want to follow a meal with a light walk that either gets brisker or transitions into a play session.
- Don’t go straight into vigorous exercise or play right after your dog eats, or they may end up with canine bloat, which is a potentially-fatal medical emergency.
- Regular exercise also encourages your dog to drink more water, which in turn makes constipation less likely.
2
Provide your dog with more water and moist foods. To increase hydration and help relieve (and prevent) constipation, start by making sure your dog always has access to clean, fresh water. If your dog currently eats dry kibble, transition over to a fiber-rich wet dog food over the course of 1-2 weeks. To further increase the moisture content, try adding some diced zucchini (which is also a great source of fiber) to the food.^{[7]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
- Dogs don’t like switching from one main type of food to another all at once. Instead, add 25% wet food to 75% dry kibble for a few days, then go 50/50 for a few days, then do a few days of 75% wet food before phasing out the dry kibble.
3
Add canned pumpkin or coconut oil to your dog’s food. Plain canned pumpkin puree—not pumpkin pie mix with added sugar and spices—is a great constipation buster because of its high water and fiber content. Dogs also tend to really enjoy its flavor. Try adding 1 tsp (approx. 5-6 g) of canned pumpkin per each 10 lb (4.5 kg) of your dog’s weight to their wet food, 1-2 times per day.^{[8]XResearch source}
- If your dog weighs 25 lb (11 kg), give them 2 1/2 tsp (about 13 g) of pumpkin puree.
- If your dog won’t eat the canned pumpkin, try the same amount of coconut oil instead (olive oil is yet another option here).
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Training Your Dog to Poop on Cue

1
Track your dog’s typical pooping routine. Dogs, especially when they’re in good health, are creatures of habit. If you take note of how often, when, and where your dog poops for a few days, you’ll likely find a very consistent routine. Use this routine to your advantage when you start training your dog to poop on command.^{[9]XResearch source}
- It’s common, for instance, for a dog to poop about 30-60 minutes after each meal.
- Healthy dogs typically poop 1-2 times per day, but pooping up to 4 times per day isn’t unusual. If your dog regularly poops less than once or more than 4 times per day, or has irregular bowel habits overall, contact your vet to discuss potential medical conditions, dietary changes, and so on.^{[10]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
Don’t make training harder than it needs to be! Instead, tailor your training schedule to your dog’s typical pooping schedule. This also means that, if your dog currently sniffs around for 10 minutes before pooping, you should wait outside for that 10 minutes before starting the active part of the training session—you can work on whittling down that sniffing time as the training progresses.^{[11]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
3
Say a cue phrase like “go poop” as soon as your dog squats. Your initial goal here is to teach your dog to associate the action (pooping) with the cue phrase (“go poop” or a similar simple command of your choice). To make this association stick, it’s important to say the cue phrase clearly right as your dog squats and is just about to release some poop.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Keep your cue phrase short and simple, like “potty time,” “go potty,” “poop time,” etc.
4
Praise and reward your dog immediately after they poop. Just like with the cue phrase, it’s really important to offer this positive reinforcement right away. As soon as you see the poop flowing, start giving verbal praise like “Good boy/girl/dog” in a clear, positive voice. Keep giving verbal praise until your dog is done pooping, then give a reward like a appreciative pet on the head or a small treat.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Really ramp up your enthusiasm here. Make sure your dog knows how happy you are when they go poop at the same time that you give the cue phrase.
- It’s often best to start with treats as a reward, as most dogs really love getting a tasty treat! Over time, you can transition to petting or another non-treat reward if you’re concerned about giving your dog too many treats.
5
Keep practicing until your dog responds to the cue phrase. After around 1-2 weeks of responding to your dog’s squatting with the cue phrase, try to anticipate the squatting and say the cue phrase just beforehand. After perhaps another 1-2 weeks of this, try using the cue phrase when your dog seems ready to poop but hasn’t started the process. Eventually, with continued work and patience, you should be able to get to the point at which you dog squats and poops in response to the cue.^{[14]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Kennel ClubThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.Go to source}
- It’s very difficult to put a time frame on this kind of training. Some dogs pick up on it very quickly, others take several weeks or even a few months, and a few of them are never able to be trained in this way.
- No matter your training goal and no matter if you’re training a household pet or a working dog, a slow, consistent, patient, and positive approach is always the way to go.
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