Have you recently brought a new puppy home and are wondering, why does my puppy poop so much? Puppies tend to poop more frequently than adult dogs because their intestines are still developing. Young dogs usually defecate after every feeding, but as they grow, their bowel movements become less frequent. With time, you will get the hang of your puppy’s poop schedule.

However, if your puppy starts pooping more than average out of the blue and if the stool is runny or tinged with blood, you should talk to your vet immediately.

In this article, we will discover how often your puppy should poop and the possible causes behind excessive pooping.

How Often Should Your Poop?

Puppies poop a lot usually after every feeding from 0 to 6 weeks old. Their intestines are still developing, so what goes inside comes outside after a short while. Their metabolism is fast, but the food is not fully digested. This is why you might catch your pup eating their poop as it contains undigested food.

From 6 to 12 weeks old, the pooping frequency goes down to four times a day. As the puppy grows to 6 months of age, they poop 2 times a day. And by the time your puppy is one year old, they would normally poop once a day. Senior dogs poop much less as their metabolisms have slowed down. Pooping frequency also depends on the dog’s size and breed. Smaller breeds generally poop more often because of their faster metabolism, while larger breeds have a robust digestive system and can hold poop for much longer.

Eventually, you will get the hang of your puppy’s poop schedule. Keep in mind that this isn’t a fixed frequency, and variations are acceptable. However, if your puppy is pooping so much, which isn’t normal for them, then you should be concerned.

What Does Normal Dog Stool Look Like?

After the greenish-yellow meconium stage has passed, a healthy puppy should excrete a soft, log-shaped stool resembling the color of milk chocolate. The poop shouldn’t be runny, as this hints toward diarrhea, nor should it be too hard, as this may signal dehydration. It should maintain its shape when picked up.

As unpleasant as it may seem, you should examine your puppy’s poop regularly, as it provides direct clues about its gut health. If you notice mucus, blood, or foreign objects like pieces of chew toys in the stool, talk to your vet immediately. Ideally, your puppy’s poop should be soft, compact, log-shaped, and not excessive.

Causes Behind Your Puppy’s Excessive Pooping

Puppies poop a lot because they have immature intestinal tracts. However, excessive pooping can have several causes, including overeating, a change in diet, a change in environment, stress and anxiety, parasites, and infections.

Overeating

Being loving pet parents, we tend to overfeed our dogs, which can sometimes upset their stomachs and lead to excessive stools. Feeding table scraps, human food, and excessive treats can also create trouble in your pup’s little body. So, it’s important to feed your furbaby an appropriate amount of food according to its size and weight.

On the other hand, sometimes a deficiency of a certain nutrient in your pup’s diet can cause them to poop a lot. If you suspect this is the case, your vet may run a few tests to detect any deficiencies in your pup’s body.

Change in Diet

It takes time for a dog to adjust its body to a diet. So, if you decide to switch your dog’s diet to an entirely new diet all of a sudden, your pup’s stomach may not take it well. If you want to make a change, make sure it’s gradual, and keep an eye on how your puppy’s body is reacting to the new ingredients. Also, if your dog is allergic to a certain ingredient in its diet, they may experience digestive or even respiratory issues like sneezing.

Also, it’s important to give your dog high-quality dog food since it’s dense in nutrients and fills your dog’s tummy nicely. Low-grade dog food passes through your dog’s gut more quickly, leading to less absorption and a higher poop frequency. If nothing has changed but your dog is still pooping a lot, talk to your vet.

Change in Environment

Your dog may poop more than usual because of a sudden change in its environment. Moving to a new house, a new city, or the loss of a loved one can all affect your dog’s gut and make them pass more stools than average. 

However, it should only be a matter of time before your dog adjusts to the new environment and goes back to its normal pooping schedule. However, if the problem persists, it’s best to consult your vet.

Stress and Anxiety

Puppies can get under stress because of several reasons. Certain smells, new environments, and strange faces can make dogs bark aggressively, pee, and poop more than average. This excessive pooping due to stress is common among dogs and is known as a ‘stress dump’. If you notice your fur baby is getting anxious, take them to parks and do plenty of exercises to calm them down.

Parasites and Infections

Almost all dogs are born with parasites that they may get in the womb or through the mother’s milk. That’s why it is recommended to take your dog for deworming sessions regularly. External parasites like fleas carry tapeworm larvae that your puppy can ingest during grooming. Tapeworms, when ingested, make your dog pass frequent foul-smelling poop. Parasites also feed on what your dog is eating so the nutrients are not absorbed into your pup’s body. This can make your puppy overeat and have frequent bowel movements.

Some bacterial and viral infections can cause an uptick in your dog’s poop frequency. While viral infections like parvovirus, which causes diarrhea, go away on their own, infections caused by bacteria need to be treated with antibiotics.

Fecal Incontinence 

When dogs age or are affected by conditions like inflammation of the intestines, they may lose control of their bowels, making them poop more frequently. This is known as fecal incontinence, which weakens the muscles of the anus, making it difficult to hold in stools. As a result, dogs may pass stools more frequently and unintentionally. This condition requires urgent treatment.

When Should a Puppy Poop?

Puppies need to poop shortly after they eat, but this isn’t fixed. It takes time for a puppy to understand their body, so it may take some time before they are fully house-trained. When your puppy has eaten, wait for a few minutes, then take them outside. Once they have pooped, you can take your puppy back inside. Also, look for the signs when your puppy is ready to go, like sniffing the floor, circling, and whining.

What Your Dog’s Poop Color is Telling You

If your puppy is passing an unusually high number of stools and the stool color is anything other than the normal light brown, it could be due to several reasons.

Yellow

Yellow-colored stools usually indicate that food has passed too quickly through the dog’s gut. However, fully yellow stools could also indicate liver problems.

Green

If your puppy has eaten too much grass, they may pass green poop. However, if green poop is accompanied by other symptoms, it could be because of exposure to toxins or suggest a problem with the dog’s gallbladder.

Black or Tarry

Black or tarry colored stools are a sign of digested blood which is because of bleeding in the stomach or upper digestive tract. This condition is known as ‘melena’ and needs to be treated urgently.

Red Tinged

Red-tinged stools could be because of worms, food allergies, or eating something that your dog shouldn’t have. Worms in stool look like white grains of rice. It’s a good idea to take your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying conditions.

FAQ

Why does my puppy poop so much at night?

Your puppy may poop a lot at night because, since it is still young, it has poor bladder and bowel control and may need to go potty several times during the night. This is completely normal and should improve within a few weeks.

How do I stop my puppy from pooping so much?

If you are worried that your puppy is pooping too much without any underlying condition, you can reduce the frequency by feeding it high-quality dog food, taking it for walks, and providing regular exercise. This will improve your puppy’s metabolism and help regulate its poop schedule.

How many hours can a puppy hold poop?

As puppies grow, they can hold their poop for longer as their intestines mature. As a rule of thumb, a puppy can hold its poop for the same number of hours as its age in months. For example, a 2-month-old puppy can hold its poop for about 2 hours, a 3-month-old for 3 hours, and so on. As they continue to grow, their ability to hold it increases, and so on.