You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered why your dog may be pooping multiple times in a row. In this article, we’ll explore nine common reasons behind this behavior and seven potential solutions to address the issue.
Dogs may repeatedly poop due to various reasons, such as dietary issues, overeating, stress, depression, changes in their environment, routine changes, or the presence of feces in the area. Certain health conditions such as bowel movement problems, bacterial infections, diarrhea, parasites, and viruses can also contribute to the behavior.
By understanding the underlying cause of your dog’s behavior, you can take steps to address it more effectively.
Why Do Some Dogs Poop Multiple Times in a Row?
I’ve always experienced this behavior from my dogs, especially during walks. My Roxy likes to poop two or three times in the morning at intervals of about five minutes.
That being said, this isn’t ordinary behavior. There are so many potential causes we must recognize.
So, without further ado, let’s head over to the reasons.
1. Diet
If a dog defecates two, three, or more times in a row, chances are that there is something wrong with its diet plan.
Here are a few instances where a bad diet can make a dog poop an unusual number of times.
Sudden changes in diet: Dogs tend to poop more due to sudden changes in their diet, which you shouldn’t let happen. Because your dog’s stomach becomes accustomed to the foods available in their diet, they need some time to adjust to an entirely new diet. That’s why this changing process should be gradual.
Poor diet: Although your vet may suggest an appropriate diet plan for your dog, choosing the wrong food brands can make a dog poop many times in a row, resulting in reoccurring specific health issues in the long run.
Foods with fillers: It appears that lower-quality foods tend to have more fillers. So, foods with many fillers can turn your pup into a pooping machine.
If a dog exhibits the following signs, their diet must be changed.
- Bowel problems
- Abnormal itching
- Ear problems
- Large weight change within a few weeks
- Unusual sluggishness
- Loss of appetite (here is why some Dobermans are picky eaters)
- Illness
- Behavioral problems
- Always hungry
2. Overeating
Even if your loving pooch is on a perfect diet, they might be overeating food with or without your knowledge, resulting in heavy and frequent pooping.
Some dog parents give their dogs too much food out of compassion, while others get too many leftover table scraps, especially from children.
Therefore, being aware of what goes on with your pup, taking note of what they eat, what they do when out of sight, and educating your children to avoid giving out table scraps is super important.
Here’s how to find out if your dog is overeating:
- Heavier weight than average
- Change in activity level
- Signs of anxiety
- Sudden changes in pooping habits
- Change in sitting position
- Sleeping too much
- Flatulence
- Abnormal itching
- Skin problems
- Joint problems
3. Stress and Depression
If a dog poop two, three, or more times in a row, the other most suspicious reasons could be stress and depression, making bowel movements malfunction.
Diarrhea, digestive issues, and constipation are common among dogs prone to depression and stress. However, we cannot forget other relevant psychological problems that influence this behavior.
What’s good is that there are many options to solve such a problem that we will discuss in a minute.
Suggested Reading: Why do some dogs stand on their hind legs to poop?
4. Changes in Environment
Canines are fond of habit forming and following them daily. However, sudden environmental changes can make your dog poop multiple times in a row.
Here are some such instances:
- Moving house
- Going on vacation
- Introducing a new member to the house, whether it’s a baby, cat, another dog, or any other creature
- Strange noises (here is why some dogs are scared of musical instruments)
However, they will return to their former pooping habits as soon as they get used to their new surroundings.
5. Routine Change
Have you ever thought that canines have a very accurate internal clock? Well, that’s right! There is not much difference in their day-to-day scheduled pooping habits.
If your puppy suddenly starts to defecate so many times in a row, you have to think about whether you’ve made any sort of changes in their daily routine — even minor ones.
If yes, I strongly recommend you stick with your previous schedule and only make changes gently and gradually if you desperately want to make some changes.
Suggested Reading: Here is why your dog keeps pooping on the couch.
6. Normal Behavior
If a dog poops multiple times in a row, it can be an ordinary behavior you don’t need to worry about.
A good friend of mine owns a Poodle who is a pooping machine while walking. Usually, he walks for about five minutes and poops a regular poop. He walks for another 5–10 minutes and poops a softer poop. He then walks again for about 10–15 minutes and tries again to poop, but nothing happens.
When he saw the vet, the vet suggested that there was no problem with the dog.
However, one thing to note here. Dogs tend to be stimulated to make bowel movements whenever engaging in exercise. So, that can be another reason.
7. They Found a Poop Area
As we all know, dogs prefer to poop and pee in the areas that give the smell of stool and urine. Perhaps your dog has noticed such odors in several places while walking.
Suggested Reading: Do Dogs Pee and Poop at the Same Time?
8. Effect of Medication
Another common reason could be the effects of medications. Dogs need specific medicines for specific health problems.
However, if your dog seems to defecate an extraordinary number of times, perhaps 5–6 times in a row with intervals, you must meet the vet immediately.
9. Other Health Issues
Specific health issues like bacterial infections, problems with bowel movements, diarrhea, parasites, some dog viruses, or any other illness can influence this behavior.
If your dog is defecating so much and is showing signs of illness, consider taking them to a vet ASAP!
Is It Bad for a Canine to Defecate Several Times in a Row?
Most dogs poop many times in a single session. They poop several times on a play or walk session, followed by the last ones, which are almost always tiny drops, if anything comes out at all.
There is nothing to worry about when they do this during a single walk. However, something abnormal might be occurring if they do this every walk or play session. In that case, consider taking them to the vet.
When we look into the reasons we’ve discussed earlier, change in environment, routine change, and pooping on a poop area are pretty much under your control.
However, there are many occasions when you need to be concerned about this unusual pooping habit. With that being said, we are going to head over to the solutions.
By the way, read this to understand why your dog urinates outside and defecates inside.
What to Do If Your Dog Poops Two or More Times in a Row?
I hope you’ve figured out the problem with your loving pooch. Here are seven solutions I can suggest to you.
1. Revive Their Diet
Earlier, we discussed a few instances where the wrong diet can affect your dog’s pooping habits, resulting in pooping multiple times in a row during play or walk sessions.
If the diet plan seems problematic, consider taking the dog to a vet and prepare an appropriate plan just for your dog.
2. Feed Appropriate Portions
Don’t be the irresponsible dog parent who overfeeds their dog due to compassion or other reasons. Pay attention to what your vet suggests.
If you feel your dog is overeating, consider controlling the feeding amount after discussing it with your veterinarian.
Here are some methods to help your dog feel full after eating less than usual.
- Provide foods with high fiber
- Feed them vegetables
- Avoid kibble with air
- Redirect the dog’s attention from the food
- Avoid water as a filler
- Provide chew toys
- Feed it using puzzle toys
3. Avoid Psychological Triggers
As we discussed earlier, a handful of psychological issues, including stress, anxiety, and depression, can increase defecation frequency in a canine. Therefore, try your best to keep your dog regularly mentally stimulated.
Here are some methods I use to keep my dogs mentally stimulated:
- Provide sufficient daily exercises
- Let them smell and wander freely
- Play nose/smell games
- Provide puzzle toys
- Teach them new tricks
- Always give them a job to do
- Play fetch
- Obedience training
- Teach them the names of their toys
- Hide and seek
- Clicker training
4. Consult Your Vet
If you feel this problem is beyond your control, consider visiting the vet to ensure everything is fine.
As we discussed earlier, many health issues can affect a dog’s defecating habits, resulting in pooping multiple times in a row.
Moreover, if you feel your dog is prone to psychological issues, and it appears uncontrollable, chat with your vet for medications for psychological problems.
Other Solutions
5. Get a ThunderShirt: Investing some money in a ThunderShirt is a good idea if your dog suffers from psychological issues, especially anxiety-related ones.
6. Gradually introduce to new environments: Rapid changes in the environment can increase your loving pooch’s anxiety level, resulting in a significantly increased frequency of defecation. So, whenever introducing a new household member to your dog, ensure to do so gradually and with a proper plan. Although there are some instances where you cannot avoid quickly moving to a new house, make sure to redirect their mind and keep them mentally stimulated and happy.
7. Whenever there is a change in routine: We need to change our daily routine based on many factors. Rapid changes always give headaches. Therefore, try your best to turn the routine into a new one gradually.
Suggested Reading: Can your dog poop on the road?
Things to Be Aware Of
It seems now you know the possible reasons why some dogs poop multiple times in a row. I hope the solutions help you in some way. However, there are certain things you want to be aware of.
- Although it may seem standard for your dog to poop several times or more than usual, consider discussing this with your veterinarian on the next trip to the vet
- Always choose quality foods
- Please don’t attempt to punish or yell at them for this behavior
- Don’t skip regular vet checkups
- Educate yourself about dog body language
- Find out what a healthy stool looks like
Conclusion
If you’re a responsible dog owner wondering why your furry friend might be pooping multiple times in a row, this article has provided nine possible explanations for the behavior and seven different approaches to help you tackle the issue. Hopefully, these suggestions have been informative and valuable to you in understanding and addressing this common issue. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!
