# Bottom wiping



## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Anyone else have this problem? My mom said that our first dog, who had a long coat also had the issue and they just gave him a “pants shave” ie around his bottom. However I’ve also heard this can be irritating to the dog’s anal gland. But if we resort to just wiping we can tell she’s itchy and that’s irritating as well! We do bathe her like twice a week but giving a bath every time she poops seems sort of excessive. How do you guys deal with this?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

This is usually an issue of loose poop. Well-formed poop doesn't stick. Have you changed her diet from what she was sent home on from the breeder?

Also, it's fine to do a light sani trim around the anal area and her "girlie bits". I don't shave it, because that can cause them to itch, I just trim with scissors. This is allowed in Havanese, even on show dogs.

I don't ever use wipes. IMO, all they do is smear stuff around. If they get "poopy but, I stand them in the sink, wash just their butt under running water with a bit of shampoo, and rinse completely. You don't need to wash the entire dog.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

I don't believe it is necessary to bathe a Havanese twice a week, especially one that spends most of the time indoors. Ricky gets a bath once a week and for some Havanese that might be excessive. But Ricky spends a lot of time outdoors with me. We walk in our neighborhood for almost 4 miles...............a day. We have both sidewalks to walk on as well as dirt trails in a wooded conservation area. Sometimes his paws get muddy when walking on wet grass and then a dirt area. When that happens, he goes immediately to our "paw spa" which is the laundry tub in our laundry room for a very quick paw bath with lots of water and a bit of shampoo if necessary and them towel dry his feet. Three minutes and he is done except for his celebratory zoomies while growling around the house.

Poop, my favorite subject. :wink2: Poop should be well formed "tootsie rolls" that are the consistency of Playdough and hold together well. Anything softer than that means that your dog has a health issue or their food is not agreeing with them. A stool that is mushy is not a good sign. The correct consistency of poop will not cling to their fur and consequently unnecessary for a butt bath. And Ricky's Momi is a demon > for good sanitation around our house, both inside and out. Ricky's Momi does not want to see a pink bullet hole at the back end of her Havanese. Therefore Ricky has relatively long fur back there. Ricky gets a "tidy trim" by a professional groomer (Erin) every 2 to 3 months which includes trimming the anal and potty areas (groin area is cut very close), eye brows and beard trim, paws and pads, and a nail trim. All of his other fur is left natural.

Occasionally Ricky will have a soft poop, for example, when he eats too much of his customary TGIF Bully Stick once a week. It can be pretty rich for his internals. When that happens, even though it is very minor, he gets a "butt bath" at our "paw spa" which consists of just the butt area with water and a bit of shampoo and then towel dry his butt. Three minutes (both Momi and Popi participating) and he is done except for his celebratory zoomies while growling around the house (notice a pattern here?)

Ricky is fastidious about his personal hygiene, almost like a cat. He frequently grooms himself. He can't stand any debris in his paws, butt area, or small twigs caught in his fur. When we notice he is grooming excessively, we inspect him closely and remove whatever is bothering him, whether it be by removing the debris or a quick bath to a specific area. He is always very grateful and follows up with a celebratory..............oh, never mind! :grin2:

This is what has worked for us through lots of trial and error. Maybe some of these tips will work for you. Keep asking questions.

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I agree with Popi... forgot to mention that when I posted earlier. I can't think of a good reason to bathe a healthy puppy twice a week.

As an add-on to Popi's comment on their fastidious nature, IF one of mine gets any poop caught in their hair (Pixel's is VERY fine, and sometimes even a totally normal shape/consistency turd will get stuck) they come RUNNING to us FRANTICALLY looking for help. It's very obvious that they have a problem. 

Popi is also absolutely correct about the proper consistency of adult poop. But it is very common for young puppies to go through some "sticky poop" phases... sometimes from picking up things they shouldn't outside, and other time it can happen as you adjust their diet either to something new or something that agrees with them better.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Since our puppy didn’t have full blown diarrhea at the time, I didn’t realize his poop was considered soft until we had him for a couple of months. I appreciate the advice to double check his diet and to check with the vet because if I had done that earlier it would have solved the problem earlier. 

It does still happen occasionally, usually the day after his Heartguard or if SOMEONE (it’s DS) gives him too many store bought treats. 

I have found that if I soak a wipe with warm water and hold it there, he usually hates the poop on him so much that he will relax and hold still. I try to remove it without actually wiping it. I actually use a drop of conditioner instead of shampoo. It creates more slip so the majority of it dissolves and slides out all at once, and then I follow up with tiny bit of shampoo and rinse. It’s like a backwards groom for the butt! I do use wipes so I don’t have to touch anything, but I haven’t found a brand that is wet enough to clean his butt without getting them wet in the sink and using additional product.


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

She had a couple accidents in her crate over the night (despite me taking her out, can’t catch every time it seems) so that’s why she got the baths, she had pee stink. I will let my mom know she doesn’t need baths that regularly normally though, we are still learning as we have never had a dog with hair before so we didn’t know if they were more like people or what. 

We were actually having issues where she was constipated and her poop was too hard almost like bark! It would get stuck in her bottom! So we started moistening her food w broth and that helped but now I guess it’s too loose 😩 she gets puppy kibble we got from the breeder but she wouldn’t eat that alone so we added on some puppy wet food too. We give her a little over a tablespoon per meal 3x/day. (Is that the right amount?? She’s so small!! I don’t know!!)


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

PinkMellow said:


> She had a couple accidents in her crate over the night (despite me taking her out, can't catch every time it seems) so that's why she got the baths, she had pee stink.


Absolutely give her a bath if she soils herself! I would do the same. No stinky dogs allowed in my casa!

I'm going to make a suggestion to you that is going to test your patience with your new puppy (we've all been there). Take Stella out for a potty break when you go to bed. Give her 3 minutes to perform, otherwise it is back into her covered crate. Set your alarm for two hours later and take her out again and give her 3 minutes to perform. Do this routine every 2 hours throughout the night. When you begin to see some success, increase the time to every 3 hours, if more success then every 4 hours. Continue the 2 hour routine throughout the day too. Give her 3 minutes outside and if not successful then back inside (this is so much fun in the rain, Ricky insists that I hold an umbrella over him when he lifts his leg in the rain, the little pampered prince!).

This program will lead to a very close bond between you and Stella as you both succeed together. Stella will be house broken in no time at all. Success is just around the corner!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PinkMellow said:


> She had a couple accidents in her crate over the night (despite me taking her out, can't catch every time it seems) so that's why she got the baths, she had pee stink. I will let my mom know she doesn't need baths that regularly normally though, we are still learning as we have never had a dog with hair before so we didn't know if they were more like people or what.
> 
> We were actually having issues where she was constipated and her poop was too hard almost like bark! It would get stuck in her bottom! So we started moistening her food w broth and that helped but now I guess it's too loose &#128553; she gets puppy kibble we got from the breeder but she wouldn't eat that alone so we added on some puppy wet food too. We give her a little over a tablespoon per meal 3x/day. (Is that the right amount?? She's so small!! I don't know!!)


It's not necessarily the amount you are feeding her as a quick change from one type of food to another. (or adding a significant amount of a new food) This can cause loose stools even in an adult dog but is almost a sure bet with a young puppy. It will straighten out as she adjusts, but if you do any further changes, add the new food very, VERY slowly, while decreasing the old food.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Every once in a while Willow will have a dangly piece of poop that just doesn't seem to want to break off from the poop extruder. I tried putting my hand in a poop bag and pulling off the dangly but that just made it smear around and made a mess. I have a trick that I use now that works for us but I hope no one ever sees me doing it! :surprise: I just hold the back end and gently bounce the back end up and down and sometimes gently shake the back end back and forth. That usually will make the dangly drop! :wink2:


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Every once in a while Willow will have a dangly piece of poop that just doesn't seem to want to break off from the poop extruder. I tried putting my hand in a poop bag and pulling off the dangly but that just made it smear around and made a mess. I have a trick that I use now that works for us but I hope no one ever sees me doing it! :surprise: I just hold the back end and gently bounce the back end up and down and sometimes gently shake the back end back and forth. That usually will make the dangly drop! :wink2:


:help: :bounce: ound: Jackie, you are now Ricky Ricardo's most favorite person in the world! :hail:

Ricky's Popi


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Wanted to report we haven’t needed to wipe her bottom in like a week now 🙂 I think the diet transition was hard on her. But now she’s made it through!

(We had to transition a bit faster than we would’ve liked as she wouldn’t eat the breeder’s kibble at ALL)


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Every once in a while Willow will have a dangly piece of poop that just doesn't seem to want to break off from the poop extruder. I tried putting my hand in a poop bag and pulling off the dangly but that just made it smear around and made a mess. I have a trick that I use now that works for us but I hope no one ever sees me doing it! :surprise: I just hold the back end and gently bounce the back end up and down and sometimes gently shake the back end back and forth. That usually will make the dangly drop! :wink2:


:x:cheer2:opcorn: Hysterical comment. Only a puppy mama or papa would see themselves in this answer. :grin2:

Patti pooped the other day and my daughter yelled, Patti's stepped in her poop and is tracking it on the tile floor.

Patti's indoor house trained to a potty tray. I said, Patti would NEVER step in her poop. After pooping she jumps away from it. It's stuck on her bottom and she's scooting and circling to get it off. She hates a dirty bottom. Me too. That's one time she never puts up a fuss if I need to wash her backside.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Mikki said:


> After pooping she jumps away from it. It's stuck on her bottom and she's scooting and circling to get it off.


Oh I love our puppy's ultra careful back-up-jump after potty - I always tell him he's such a good boy! He does the same panicked scooting if poop is on him, which is why I wondered if it was anal glands a couple of times before I figured it out!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Willow hates it when it gets stuck too! I can always tell when she has a dangly. She doesn't so much as scoot but will immediately sit and try to lick or bite it off. However, she can't quite reach that area!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

School has started again, so I've been away from the forum. Just taking a few minutes for my guilty pleasure that is the forum, and I've enjoyed reading this poop thread. Crazy . . . I'm sure I've missed some good stuff. I'll try to catch up later. Take care, forum friends! May all your poops be solid but not hard . . .


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> School has started again, so I've been away from the forum. Just taking a few minutes for my guilty pleasure that is the forum, and I've enjoyed reading this poop thread. Crazy . . . I'm sure I've missed some good stuff. I'll try to catch up later. Take care, forum friends! May all your poops be solid but not hard . . .


Have fun at school!!


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## seesawhavanese (Jun 17, 2015)

I think we all become poop experts eventually  We do bum washes in the sink especially after a messy poop. We trim the sanitary areas shorter (use clippers) and I have learned NOT to use scissors in the sensitive areas. 

Did anyone mention the word Dingleberry?

Websters definition:
slang : a piece of dried fecal matter clinging to the hair around the anus


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

seesawhavanese said:


> Did anyone mention the word Dingleberry?
> 
> Websters definition:
> slang : a piece of dried fecal matter clinging to the hair around the anus


Ha Ha! Yes, I've heard this word and have used it, but I didn't realize it had an actual definition. I thought it was just one of those made up slang words that most people had never heard or were aware of!


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