Pottying on walks
I get that dogs like to mark when they are in new areas or on places where other dogs have marked, so I don't get too concerned about the fact that Shayleigh pees a lot while on walks or at the dog park. However, while taking walks or when at the dog park it seems like Shayleigh poops every two minutes. I know it isn't because she HAS to go, because the more times she goes the runnier it gets. Is it normal for a dog to go that often? Is it just another way of marking?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Jack always did this too, and the funny thing is that if he was not on a long walk, he would poop twice and be happy and not need to go out again til the next morning. But if he WAS on a long walk, he would poop three or four or five times, and always end up with a messy bum.
For other reasons, we switched him from a chicken-based food, with corn as the grain; to a lamb-and rice formula. We also reduced his portion. Magically, the multiple messy poops stopped. He still poops twice in the morning, and twice (rarely three times) on his evening walks. However, the every-five-minutes, messy little tiny poops stopped completely. Now he only does that if he's ill. I think, frankly, that it was a mild intolerance to the chicken or, more likely, the corn.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah C. on
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My dog also has loose stools on walks.
I was told that walking just gets things moving faster.
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In case I wasn't too clear in my first response, Jack also had firm stools on his first and second go, and only had loose stools on long walks. Since he had long walks every day, though, he was constantly needing cleaning. Because he would have firm stools in the morning, and on his first evening stool, I did not make an immediate association with food and also thought it was marking behavior.
He would also get a loose stool after a long car ride, or if we took him someplace where he was a bit stressed or over-excited (like PetSmart). All those issues resolved with a change in diet.
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Jack was on a bit of a diet and getting 1/3 cup in the morning and 1/3 cup in the evening, but I do believe that eventually I'll move him up to a bit more than that. Maybe 1/3 cup AM and 1/2 PM; I'll need to judge it by his weight.
Since we were making a drastic food change, changing both the protein and the grain, we did a more gradual than normal change over. I think we took a good 2-3 weeks to change him; when we reached the point where it was half new food and half old food, we left him there for a solid week.
If you are changing, also watch the labels on treats.
Finally, we found calorie counts online, and the lamb and rice formula had about 20% fewer calories by volume than the same brand's chicken formula, so keep an eye on Tilda's weight if you change; calorie counts can vary tremendously between brands and formulas. The calorie reduction was our primary reason for the change, and the reduction in messy pants was just a pleasant side-effect. He also seems more energetic. I won't say the brand we use, because food discussions can get a little passionate, and what I might consider a high-quality food other posters might consider a poor-quality one. LOL
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Permalink Reply by Shayleigh's mom on
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Thanks so much for all the advice! I'm glad to know that this issue is not unique to Shayleigh. She has had some issues that seem to be food allergy related, so I might think about transitioning foods once again.
Beth, do you use a dry food or a wet food? I'm pretty open to either, but I find dry food is much easier for me. Shayleigh never seems to eat much, so I free feed her, which is easier with dry food. It also seems like I'm feeding her a LOT more than others are feeding their dogs as Shayleigh gets a total of two cups of food a day. I may have to think about reducing that as well.
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Jack gets dry, with some pumpkin or green beans or sometimes yogurt mixed in, on the evening feed.
As far as how much you are giving her, I would judge it by her weight. Most Corgis are "easy keepers" and only need a small ration. However, Jack's mother was very high-energy. The breeder mentioned that they had trouble keeping weight on her. If she was left out loose she was a fence-runner, and I believe they said she got around two cups of food a day.
Jack was on 1 and a quarter til around the time he turned two, and was just fine, but then he calmed down a lot around the house and started putting on weight, so we cut him way back.
Every dog is different. A properly built Corgi will look very solid, with a big chest and well-sprung ribs, but she should still have a defined waist and you should be able to feel her ribs easily if you run your fingers with gentle pressure along her sides.
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