How do I get my dog to poop faster?

 Yup, I'd say suck it up and get a warmer coat.  Or put on a few layers.  My dogs don't care if I'm freezing my patootie off outside in -40 weather.  So I do what I gotta do and put on every stitch of clothing I have.  That was the commitment I made when i committed to having dogs.  Huskies in particular.  Currently they are outside in thier pen happily racing around and wrestling.  My fingers were burning from the cold just taking them out and unhooking leashes when we got there.  They are build for cold.  I bet your dog would eventually ask to come in to warm up.  Mine ask to go out to cool off.  I keep my house cool enough that all of us humanoids have to wear slippers and at least two layers of clothing.  But the dogs still pant after being in for too long.  I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, cause I'm not.  I love the cold too.  I've learned to dress for it and really get out there and enjoy it.  But if you can't commit to taking your dog out for a 15 minute bathroom break... well... I'm sad for your dog.

Afterglw

I eventually realized that I was rushing her back inside after she had done her business, regardless if she was quick about it or not. At first she would do her thing immediately, and now -- not so much. So now I throw a tennis ball around with her and play fetch and that definetly speeds things up with minimal work from me.

Just wanted to say that this is excellent. It may very well be the problem.
 

FourIsCompany

Afterglw

I eventually realized that I was rushing her back inside after she had done her business, regardless if she was quick about it or not. At first she would do her thing immediately, and now -- not so much. So now I throw a tennis ball around with her and play fetch and that definetly speeds things up with minimal work from me.

 

Just wanted to say that this is excellent. It may very well be the problem.
 

I would agree!

Sheesh, people seem pretty sensitive about poop-rushing. Is there something Freudian going on here? Rascal is also a Picky Pooper and it annoys the crap out of me in the winter (so to speak). Fortunately he hates the cold as much as I do, so when it's particularly cold out, as soon as his paws hit "outside" whatever was inside of him comes out and he's back in the door before I can blink! lol, I've never seen a creature eliminate so quickly in my life!

Anyway, my suggestion: as soon as your dog finishes pooping, give him a treat and do something "fun" with him outside for a few minutes. When he doesn't poop quickly, take him back inside and put him in his crate for 1-2 minutes. No excitement, no fun, just crate and quiet time. Then try again. Hopefully this way your dog will catch on that pooping = fun times outside!!!! and not pooping = getting whisked inside with no fun or games. I know you said you're not looking for a "poop cue," but it wouldn't hurt to train one. Might come in handy some day, who knows!

I've also noticed that my little stinker tends to do his business faster when he's been outside plenty already. I think the out-of-doors isn't quite so exciting if you get to encounter it on longish daily walks as opposed to brief bathroom breaks, so there's not a lot of point to prolonging potty activities since your dog is counting on a nice, more-exciting walk later.

Just to give you some insight...

One of the posters hit on it, IMO.  If you come back inside directly after pooping, then you'll notice a delay of him actually going poop.  You could try putting a command on the behavior.  Every time he's going poop, say something like "good poo" and give him a bit of a reward.  After a few weeks you could then begin to use the command "Rascal....go poo."  At least then he'll know what you want him to do.

 Also, I've noticed that males are a bit more particular about where they poo.  We had an Akita that would spend 10-15 minutes finding the perfect spot...and then the wind would shift and he'd start all over again.  My dog now will sometimes do the "poo fakeout."  That's where he assumes the position, then readjusts and tries to find a bit better place.

 
Rather than just a quick 5 minute walk, try a 20 yard sprint as fast as your dog can go, and then a very quick pace for a few hundred yards.  Then allow him to sniff and find a place to poo.  I think this will work wonders.
 

All this being said -- and everyone has valid thots (and I fear we may have lost the OP somewhere mid-page 1) -- the very basic answer here is THIS IS A **DOG**.

Now, if we were talking human, it is understandable to want to do it in the least amount of time possible.

But it's actually a more complicated 'behavior' than just wanting fresh air.  

I repeat -- THIS IS A DOG!!!!!!

marking is an important part of the whole ritual.  Because when you poop you are leaving your calling card for the universe so it's IMPORTANT to put it in the right place!!!

When a dog 'sniffs' he's literally reading today's news.  Has anybuddy gone HERE?  Why not?  Hmmm, that's old ... no ... this is new and I need to cover it up ... do I have ENOUGH?  This is important!!!

And you know -- this isn't going to make one modicum of sense to a new dog "owner".  but remember -- honestly first off, this is a BABY ... this pup is very young - just 8 months old.  Which also means he's maturing as a male, becoming independant and aware (MORE SO) of other dogs in the immediate territory and the 'where' of it all is important.

If you give him sufficient outside time -- and he needs exercise and that time shared with you is precious -- he will eventually even out the schedule.  But you can't take his 'dog-ness' away from him.  It's what he IS.  he's sentient ... but he has inate behaviors that are important to 'who' he is.

What a dog processes, information-wise, thru scent honestly isn't even something we humans can fully understand.  They don't just know that this is the female rottie from down the block who wee'd here -- they know what she had for dinner last night, how she's feeling and that she's majorly ticked off at her owner for something!!

Dogs don't just have a nose -- they have a "Jacobsen's Organ" (between the nose and the roof of the mouth).  When you see a dog lift it's head and sniff they are using this organ -- and truly they discern things from this organ that WE mere humans don't even know CAN BE known. 

Now ... also realize that your dog has learned well.  He's learned that this frenzied behavior WORKS.  It gets results and it gets you outside NOW. 

However -- if you are going to do a run line -- you may want to actually attach the line INSIDE the house (a grommet in the floor works well).  Then, first, you can leash him BEFORE you open the door (some day there will be something out there he can't WAIT to get to and he'll slip right out of your hands!!).  PLUS, if you need him in post haste -- you won't have to go "outside" to get to the line. 

 However -- don't use this all the time -- because there WILL come the day when you need him to do his business in a decent interval.  Having a trigger word like "get busy" or "better go now" can be important.

I DO have a dog who goes on command, but I didn't teach him that.  Frankly he was VERY ill last year and in ICU up at the University of FL for THREE weeks.  He got used to going where he had to go -- because often there wasn't a student around to walk him when he had to go.

But then when he'd get home with me I expected him to WAIT until we got outside.  And the first time he pooped on the floor at the vet (because he forgot and generalized that going on linoleum at the vets' was "ok";).  So I started telling him before we went in "Better go now."

You can tell if a dog HAS to poop right now by feeling for a ridge under the anus -- sorry that may sound graphic but the intestine is a tube and it gets full and hard when they gotta go NOW.  So I always have a pretty good idea of how 'ready' he really is and I'll say "better poop!  We gotta go in and I want NO accidents!" and eventually "better poop" was simply enough to say.

I can tell just by the way he walks if it's imminent.  Sorry -- maybe "too much information" but these are the things you learn.

Thanks for all the great replies. Yes, this is my first dog so I have a lot to learn about dog behavior. We recently had a huge snowfall. It was his first time dealing with snow. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to figure out how to deal with it. He pees fairly quickly, but the pooping issue remains. I realize now that his scratching at the door doesn't mean that he has the urgent need to poop. It's just what he's learned will get me to take him out. However, what'll happen is that I'll take him out, we walk around for 5-10 minutes, he won't poop so I go back inside. He'll scratch at the door again. This time, I won't give in and make it clear that if he just wanted to go out and play, play time is over. Within minutes, he'll walk away from the door and go poop somewhere in the house. When he does poop outside, I give him a reward. I'm not sure what he'll learn though. Will he learn that pooping outside is good or that pooping in general gets him a treat? My roommate, who's had dogs her whole life, gave me good advice. Listen to the dog, but don't let him control you. It feels like that by taking him out so much and letting him wander around for long periods outside, I may be teaching him that he's the boss. Anyways, thanks for the advice. I will post an update if the situation improves and how I was able to do it.

Yes be in control but make sure he's understanding your message.

Go out and walk -- NO MORE than like 2 minutes.  Just take him to where you want him TO go and stand there.  No marathons.  Then back in.

DON"T put your brain in neutral -- watch him like a hawk and leave him leashed!!.  Leash him to you if need be -- but DON'T let him go to another room -- yes, literally *control* his behavior.  If he starts to circle, sniff, or do things that look like the deed is imminent -- snag the leash and race for the door.  

TWO MINUTES -- that's all.  Again no playing no marathons -- go to that place you want him to go and STAND.  Back inside if no go.

See if you allow him to get away and use another room as a toilet he learns all he's got to do is persevere and he can go when/where he wants, NO problem AND he's getting to go out to play too!!   WRONG answer!!

IF he slips and has an accident -- put him in his crate (just out of the way out of SIGHT of you) and go clean it up in paper towel and go lay it OUTSIDE where you really are wanting him to go.

Then -- go get him ON LEASH (leash is a great tool - it says "human's in charge!";) and go walk him by the scene of the crime and just say "Not there" and go OUT to the paper towel where you've 'moved' it and say "HERE -- go here!"

Honestly this sends a clear communication to him that you a) want him to go in a particular place, and b) you literally want it out there badly enough to MOVE it.

Now some trainers do reward for potty -- I don't.  I think it's more elemental than that -- it's a behavior you want linked to YOU, not to food, not to fun ...

However, at the same time PRAISE is a huge reward.  Come in and tell your roommate -- GUESS WHAT!!!!

Sounds stupid, right?  It's not.  Praise is the biggest tool you have -- and bragging on them to others frankly is this HUGE tool that is often overlooked!!!  They LOVE having your attention and they LOVE you making them the center of other attention.

Hi, I realize you posted this several years ago, but I'm having a similar issue and are wondering how things are going now. I have a 10 month old Pomeranian X Eskimo spitz and it takes her forever to poo outside. She has no problem going pee but when it comes time for her poops she delays. She'll beg and plead to go outside but it’s like once she's out she gets so distracted she forgets she has to go... Sometimes she'll even squat as if she’s going to go but then she stops. I'll bring her back inside after 10 minutes or so and she'll just keep asking to go out. I end up spending the first 30-60 minutes of my morning trying to get her to go to the bathroom. The only way I can get her to go in a timely matter is to take her for a walk. I don’t bring her inside right after she's done her business and I've tried praising and treating her. We have another dog, a 6 year old German Sheppard, but it doesn’t seem to matter whether she is outside with us or not. When she was younger she never had any issues going poo outside quickly and for quite a while we had issues with her going to the bathroom in the house. However, since she's stopped having accidents in the house all together, she's developed this difficulty and fussiness of pooping outside. If she doesn’t go before bed, she'll wake me up in the middle of the night to go. She gets at least a 40-60 minute walk a day and gets lots of attention indoors as well. Lately I've had to take her for a morning walk; she gets her regular afternoon run, and then a walk again before bed. I realize that part of the responsibility of having a dog is tending to their needs and if the only way to get her to poo is to walk her and allow that exercise to stimulate, I will continue to do so. But I am wondering of some possible tips and/or advice that may help her poo faster and me not always having to walk her in order for her to go.

becmb

I realize that part of the responsibility of having a dog is tending to their needs and if the only way to get her to poo is to walk her and allow that exercise to stimulate, I will continue to do so. But I am wondering of some possible tips and/or advice that may help her poo faster and me not always having to walk her in order for her to go.

Well it looks like you've already discovered THIS is a dog who needs exercise to elminate.  So exercise her inside.  Take part of her breakfast and toss the kibbles for her to chase.  She simply needs exercsie at more times of the day.  One walk is apparently not enough for this dog's body to function.

But as was said above -- you also may have to do some in & out and IN & OUT and ****IN * OUT ***** training so the dog knows you aren't doing a half marathon here. 

We humans just want to get ready and go to work -- but you probably will have to factor in SOME kind of exercise for this dog. 

And as always -- if you turn around **immediately** to go home after the dog poops that is NOT an incentive to them to go early.  if pooping makes and END to the walk then you wait as long as possible before you go!!  Because you 'go' and she'll turn around and  take me inside!