When should I feed my dogs to stop them pooping overnight??

[PoopDeDoo]

3 dogs. One is just 1 and others are 5 and 6.

They get fed at 9am and around 4pm. I take them for a poop walk at about 9pm but they don't poop, just pee.

Every morning I come down to shit in the living room.

It's really getting me down :(

They never poop inside in the daytime, they let us know they want to go out. But obviously can't do that when we're all asleep. I was even considering one meal a day, might that help? But smallest is a chihuahua and not sure that would be good for her.

Stay out on the late walk until they poo. I personally would feed later, then take them out straight away and stay out until they go. Praise like absolute mad when they do poo so it becomes rewarding for them to go.

I would put up a camera to figure out which one it is, then adjust that dogs' schedule accordingly.

They've got into the habit now so you have to break it. I agree that you walk until they do it and praise when they do.

when did it start happening? Do you know which dog it is? I would consider whether its a stress thing from being sepearted at night?

The thing is, it's all very well saying "walk until they poo" but you can't force a dog to go to the toilet if they don't need it.

It's not practical to walk for hours at midnight just to get a dog to do a poo,or are you all expecting OP to walk all night to make them go? 🙈

We feed evening meal 6.30-7pm. Morning is 9am ish after morning walk.

ddg poops in morning walk once then up to 3 times during lunchtime longer walk. Just wees in the evening.

I can't walk until the poop. I just take them out the front, I have a dog walker that comes 3 x a week at lunch and my son walks them in the day the other 4 days.

I can only take them outside, not a long walk.

It's all 3 of them. And they've started really since the puppy came (who I didn't buy or anything, I was given her, as a really nice but completely unthoughtful gift 😑)

I usually feed mine around 7am & 6 pm with a walk afterwards. They do poop on both walks...

Yes, I can't walk them till they poop, I had an accident 5 months ago and am unable to walk long distances, especially with 3 dogs. They get walked at 1pm every day.

It's all 3 of them. And they've started really since the puppy came

Was the puppy ever properly toilet trained overnight? And are you cleaning up accidents properly with a pet enzyme cleaner?

I wonder if they're all doing it because she is and they can smell it and it's now a learned behaviour.

Do they poo on their lunchtime walks?

You could always move meals earlier and just do a snack before bed. Our beagle gets breakfast at 6am and then his main meal around 1pm. He gets a snack in the evening and a biscuit before bed. He'll do his last poo around 6-7pm normally though we do let him out at midnight (ish) as well.

I had an accident when she was about 6 months old. She's toilet trained during the day and completly for wees.

But for whatever reason she poops overnight.

Yes I have enzyme cleaner I use every morning.

I’d front load breakfast portion then treat at lunch when you eat and a smaller meal in the evening.

we do morning walk and morning poops.
Eat + Walk = Bowel Movement

there is sometimes an evening poop but rarely an indoor poop.

I use a walker so cannot take them out after each meal.

I mean I can take them in the garden but they just spend ages sniffing and not shitting and in this weather the cold is awful on my legs and I can't stand there for too long. So they wee and I'm saying do a poo, but they act like they don't need one. But then there's always poop in the morning. :(

Is it all of them or just the puppy that poops?

I would set a camera up to see what time the pooping occurs and which order eg. young dog followed by older dogs.
If it’s fairly soon after you go to bed then perhaps you could adjust the time of the last meal.
If it’s only the young dog perhaps you could cage him overnight for a few days, dogs don’t like pooping in their own space.
Also lots of praise for every outside poop.
I read somewhere that dogs need roughly 12 minutes of walking before they poop.

Mine is fed at 1930 and doesn't poo again his walk the next day at lunchtime.

What are they fed on?

I’m guessing they aren’t getting enough exercise. Plus what are you feeding?

They absolutely are. They're all chihuahua mixes and get above the recommended in their daily walk.

They also have a huge garden to run round whenever they like.

They're on millies wolfheart, countryside mixed. That's mixed with warm water a teaspoon of topper such as mackerel.

I understood that dogs usually need to walk/ run for a bit before they will poo. It's certainly true for mine. He never poos in the garden unless he's ill he only goes on walks and after he's been out for at least 10 mins
I think you are going to need to get someone eg your son to take them for a 20min walk in the evening and make sure they have all done their business.

My sons not here in the evenings. He works 2pm to 10pm and doesn't live with me.

They need more outdoor opportunities to poo be it a later walk or longer in the garden to poo.

How long do they have to stay inside at night?

Are the poos solid or liquid?

I think you will have to just feed them once a day then. Apparently dogs can only hold it for up to 12hours so if you feed them twice a day they poo twice a day. It's more important to divide big dogs meals because of bloat but smaller dogs can get fed once a day. I expect they might not like it but they can.

Or you have to find a way to train them to poo in the garden. Apparently dogs are more likely to poo 30mins after they eat so maybe if you take them out earlier they will do it. Otherwise not sure how you would manage that apart from lots of praise and reward for doing it.

(Why am I overinvested in this now??)

What time are you getting them up and out in the morning? Do you know what time the accidents are happening? Like is it 12/1am or more like 5/6 in the morning?

I would also say the need more movement on an evening to get things moving inside. If you can’t take them for a walk can you throw a ball around the garden to get them all running around a bit? You might find it helps :)