One of the biggest tasks as a dog owner is making sure that you take them outside to do their business. While this is usually a fairly simple job, it can be very hard if you have a busy schedule. It is obviously best if you live in a house where you can leave your dog on an invisible fence outside, but not everyone has the luxury of living in a house with its own yard. Additionally, knowing when to take your dog to go poop is a lot harder when a dog is younger, as they are still learning behaviors and developing. In today’s article, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about taking a dog out to poop. 

How long can a dog hold its poop?

A dog can hold its poop anywhere from 10-14 hours if they need to. However, there are many things that affect this number. For example, an adult dog will be able to hold their poop a lot longer than a puppy. This is because a dog’s small intestine is much bigger than a puppy’s. Similar to humans, dogs usually urinate shortly before or after they poop. Puppies also have less patience when it comes to holding their pee, because their bladders are significantly smaller than an adult dog. 

What effects how long a dog can hold their poop

There are many factors that affect how long your dog can hold their poop. The main ones are diet, habit, age, and metabolism. 

Diet

Diet is one of the biggest things that controls your dog’s bowel movement. While fiber is very good for your dog’s digestion system, it also means that your dog will have to go poop more often and will have bigger stools. The same goes for protein. The more protein your dog eats, the more they will have to poop. This is why dog’s that are on meaty diets have to poop so much. 

Habit

Another impact on a dog’s bowel movement is habit. If they are used to going poop at a certain time each day, their body will adjust to this schedule and start preparing for it. Therefore, if your dog is used to going poop every day at 4pm, there is a chance they might poop in the house if you don’t let them out until 6pm. It is important if you establish a pooping schedule with your dog, that you stick with it. 

Age

A dog’s age also has an impact on how long they can hold their poop. We discussed earlier why puppies are unable to hold their poop for very long. Similiarly, dogs that reach old age also start to lose their ability to hold their poop for a long period of time. This is because as dog’s age, they lose control of important functions of their body such as bowel movements. This is why it is common for very old dogs to poop or pee on themselves. Another reason they do this is because it is very painful for them to walk, and they are unable to make it to the door and outside. 

Metabolism

A dog’s metabolism also has a large impact on how long they can hold their poop. While they aren’t 100% correlated, a dog with a high metabolism will usually poop more often. The metabolism of a dog is very dependent on the breed. For example, greyhounds and other breeds of hunting dogs tend to have a high metabolism and will digest things quicker and have to go poop more often. 

How do dogs digest food?

After a dog chews on its food, it is sent down the esophagus and then into the small intestine. The small intestine is where most of the digestion takes place in a dog. The dog’s small intestine contains a lot of acidic enzymes that help break down the food. This is what allows dogs to digest some object that humans can’t such as bones and hair. Once the small intestine has stripped all the nutrients from the matter and fills up, it sends the waste on to the large intestine (colon). After the colon is done with the waste, it sends it outside of the dog in the form of poop.

How long does a constipated dog hold its poop?

A dog that is constipated can hold their poop for over 2 days. This is obviously very dangerous, as it can cause serious damage to your dog’s colon. If you suspect your dog is constipated, you should give him/her some dog safe laxatives.