Yorkie Behavior - YorkieTalk.com Forums

19yorkiemom · 10-25-2020, 05:39 PM

My 10 month old female puppy has a new habit that I don't know how to correct. She is indoor trained and is pretty much trained with just a couple accidents a week. Her new habit is when she poops she walks and leaves a trail of poop. This is a new behavior that I would like to stop. She will go on her potty pad and then jump out of her pen where her pad is and go to the kitchen and finish. Any help would be appreciated.

Bluebells · 10-27-2020, 09:12 AM

I don’t think you can call a dog taking a few steps while pooping a “habit.” If you watch dogs going poop, on or off leash outside, you’ll see that most of them do the same thing at least part of the time. It’s just more noticeable in a dog that you expect to poop inside, on a relatively small pad.

My yorkie, Jax, is also inside trained, using a pad with a grated pad-holder. (He shreds pads if not prevented by the grate.) He often — especially first thing in the morning, when his poop is more dry — takes a few steps off the pad holder while pooping. I don’t consider this to be in any way his fault. He’s doing what is natural — taking a few steps to shake things loose, so to speak — and I can’t realistically expect him to stay in the very small area of the pad when he needs to do that. The most I might be able to do is somehow give him a bigger area to accommodate his need to move around a bit.

On the other hand, if your pup is changing rooms entirely mid-poop, that might be another matter. You could try either putting down two pads together to give her more space or putting down a second pad in the next room where she goes to “finish.”

Bluebells · 10-27-2020, 09:21 AM

Another thought: The reason this is happening now, as opposed to a few months ago, is probably because your pup is maturing. Very young pups poop small amounts more frequently, while more mature dogs poop bigger amounts less frequently. That alone is reason she might need to move around a bit while pooping. That said, if you see abnormal straining or difficulty in relieving herself, a vet check would be in order.

10-25-2020, 05:39 PM	#1
19yorkiemom YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Rochester NY Posts: 1	Yorkie Behavior My 10 month old female puppy has a new habit that I don't know how to correct. She is indoor trained and is pretty much trained with just a couple accidents a week. Her new habit is when she poops she walks and leaves a trail of poop. This is a new behavior that I would like to stop. She will go on her potty pad and then jump out of her pen where her pad is and go to the kitchen and finish. Any help would be appreciated.

10-27-2020, 09:12 AM	#2
Bluebells YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA Posts: 370	I don’t think you can call a dog taking a few steps while pooping a “habit.” If you watch dogs going poop, on or off leash outside, you’ll see that most of them do the same thing at least part of the time. It’s just more noticeable in a dog that you expect to poop inside, on a relatively small pad. My yorkie, Jax, is also inside trained, using a pad with a grated pad-holder. (He shreds pads if not prevented by the grate.) He often — especially first thing in the morning, when his poop is more dry — takes a few steps off the pad holder while pooping. I don’t consider this to be in any way his fault. He’s doing what is natural — taking a few steps to shake things loose, so to speak — and I can’t realistically expect him to stay in the very small area of the pad when he needs to do that. The most I might be able to do is somehow give him a bigger area to accommodate his need to move around a bit. On the other hand, if your pup is changing rooms entirely mid-poop, that might be another matter. You could try either putting down two pads together to give her more space or putting down a second pad in the next room where she goes to “finish.”

10-27-2020, 09:21 AM	#3
Bluebells YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA Posts: 370	Another thought: The reason this is happening now, as opposed to a few months ago, is probably because your pup is maturing. Very young pups poop small amounts more frequently, while more mature dogs poop bigger amounts less frequently. That alone is reason she might need to move around a bit while pooping. That said, if you see abnormal straining or difficulty in relieving herself, a vet check would be in order.