As a dog owner, it’s easy to know when your dog needs to go and do their business because they usually hound the backdoor or they get your attention somehow.
However, have you ever wondered how long they can hold their poop for when you’re not around?
If you have to leave your home to go and work, your pooch may be waiting to use the bathroom for hours at a time! But how long can they hold their poop for?
You search and search but just can’t seem to find the answers that you need. You start to worry about your dog and if you are leaving them too long without access to the bathroom. You begin to wonder, am I a bad dog owner?
Well, no more! Today we have the answers for you! Read on for more information about the question you never knew you needed answering!
Will A Dog Poop Immediately After Eating?
We’ve all seen how quickly dogs can eat. As soon as that dog food hits the bowl, it’s gone within seconds.
However, when it comes to having to do their business afterward, dogs will often have to use the bathroom within 30 minutes after ingesting their food.
According to experts, this is because the anatomy of a dog means that the stomach is directly connected, or wired to, the colon by a set of nerves that trigger a reflex.
This reflex will then ‘activate’ and cause the canine to expel the waste from its rear end.
How Many Times A Day Should A Dog Eat?
As a dog owner, it’s sometimes hard to find the fine balance between overfeeding and underfeeding your pooch. However, they don’t exactly make it easy for us!
They could’ve just eaten and they will still sit there and stare at us whilst we eat. But the healthiest way to measure is by using experts’ advice.
Depending on how much energy your dog uses in their daily life will have a big effect on how often they should eat.
Like lots of other living creatures, canines will eat for the sole purpose of getting energy to survive and thrive. Of course, they enjoy their food but the main reason is for energy.
Because of this, we recommend that you feed your dog around three times a day. This ensures that they start the day with enough energy for a few hours, then topping them up throughout the day in the afternoon and the evening.
How Many Times A Day Should A Dog Poop?
Typically, it’s safe to let your dog poop at least once a day. This can be used for fully grown dogs but may vary depending on the dog’s age and how often they eat each day.
If you’re going off of the previous scientific stats in our first paragraph, then it’s likely that your dog will go to the bathroom within 30 minutes after eating.
If your dog eats three times a day, then this means that they’ll likely poop around three times a day, maybe even more. Sometimes it all depends on that particular dog!
If they have a surprisingly quick digestive system, then it’s likely that they will need to go to the bathroom more than a dog with a slower digestive system.
It also comes down to how often they exercise and how much energy they burn.
How Long Can A Dog Hold Their Poop?
Finally, the answer you’ve been waiting for! With regards to how long a dog can hold their poop, it depends on how old your companion is.
For example, if your pup is only one month old, then they’ll only be able to hold their poop for an hour.
Then, at around two months old, your dog will be able to hold its poop for around two hours. This will continue as the pooch gets solder until they hit eight months.
This is where the timing tends to stop getting longer around now and will be at least eight hours of pooping holding at this age.
There’s nothing to say that your dog won’t hold their poop for longer or shorter.
We recommend that you make sure that your dog isn’t holding poop for too long because this can cause health complications and lead to your companion becoming quite ill.
The only times your dog will hold their poop is when they’re playing or when they’re sleeping. We know our dogs love to play, but our four-legged friends will rarely play for eight hours in one single stretch!
Why A Dog Shouldn’t Hold Their Poop For Too Long
Much like with humans, if a dog holds their poop for too long then it becomes incredibly painful for them, causing stomach cramps and constipation.
This means that when that dog goes to expel the waste, they’ll likely find it incredibly painful and might need some help from a vet.
On top of this, because of the build-up of poop, there is likely to be a build-up of gas to match. This gas can slip out more frequently than usual for your dog, and can also smell a lot worse due to the content inside of their body.
Because the poop often relies on a reflex connected to the colon and stomach, as previously mentioned, sometimes the dog will end up having an accident wherever they happen to be at the time.
Because they can’t help it and they start to feel some stomach pain, the waste can often be expelled onto a new carpet or on the kitchen floor.
For this reason and the health of your dog, you need to make sure that you keep on top of the situation and ensure that your furry friend uses the bathroom whenever they see fit.
Final Thoughts
So the official answer is a dog can hold their poop for up to an extra hour after eating for every month of their early life, up until the age of eight months.
Once this time comes around, they will likely ease off and have a better idea of when they need to go potty.
Because their bodies are more developed at this point, dogs will find it easier to control their pooping schedule. A lot of the pooping process relies on how often you feed your dog and how much exercise they get.
With a healthy amount of exercise and food, and your help to make sure they have access to their bathroom, your dog will be just fine!
