Ask the Trainer - Poopy Butt Puppy Problem
gollygear March 7th, 2008
Hi,
We have a three year old female, white, French bulldog. When Tinkerbell (the breeder named her!) poops there is often stool left around the anus, which needs to be wiped off. We have been using baby wipes, but she hates this and must be held by the scruff of the neck to avoid being bitten. Even so, she snarls and growls ferociously when this is being done as if it’s very painful. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this? Also, she has fairly recently started pooping on the floor/carpet at night. We never see her doing this during the day so it is difficult to train her to stop this practice. We would appreciate your advice on this. Thank you.
Hope writes -
Hello!
My first thought when I read about your dilemma is that Tinkerbell needs to see her veterinarian. For a couple of reasons: her poop should be fairly firm and she should be able to eliminate cleanly. If it’s soft or loose, she may be having problems with the food she’s eating. Secondly, she may be having an issue with her anal glands, which would make the area tender and painful when you attempt to wipe her. She could also be allergic to something in the wipes, another possible cause of irritation.
As for pooping at night - Tinkerbell is a very smart girl. She knows that something unpleasant happens to her when you see her poop. So she’s doing it when you’re not paying attention. The solution, if the problem does not resolve itself after a visit to your vet, is to go back to her puppy days and crate her at night. She’ll probably complain about it at first, so you’ll all be in for a miserable few nights, but it’s the only sure way of solving the problem.
Please let us know how Tinkerbell does.
-Hope
