# Rant: I trimmed his butt



## CaptainHavanese (Apr 24, 2020)

Ugh just want to vent my frustrations!!! Been working on getting Captain to go potty outside which has been GREAT! But working on getting him on a diet that he will actually eat has been so frustrating, and Captain KNOWS if he holds out I’ll cave and make him eggs/chicken/beef! And his poops are just MUSH in the meanwhile, so I’m washing this boys butt at least 3 or 4 times every week at minimum!!! Sometimes when I’m working I just dip a paper towel in my leftover green tea and swab his booty. 😰 This morning I caved and just snipped out all the offending areas where poop was sticking, I didn’t REALIZE IT WAS HIS TAIL. My baby had a naked tail right over his booty now. This is the price of my impatience! 😭 such a cute fluffy butt all gone!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Don’t worry about cutting too much off the butt...hair grows! I have hacked up my dogs on a few occasions. I would would focus on getting him on a good balanced diet that prevents mushy poops. Chicken/beef and eggs can be great ingredients as part of a balanced diet but those alone are not balanced. My dogs eat raw and they must consume a certain amount of bone as well as organ meats for balance and to keep the poops firm. If I only fed meat and eggs they for sure would be loose. There are many commercial options. Or if you want to feed homemade, please seek the help of a canine nutritionist.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Yeah poop gets old really fast when you have to clean it off of them!

You might want to check in with the vet if it’s been going on for a while, even if you’re sure it’s diet related. With mine, when he had bouts of diarrhea, his glands didn’t empty properly and it led to more diarrhea. It was a vicious cycle! 

While you’re getting him on the food you want, you might need to avoid The Good Stuff so he learns to eat. Pick up his bowl 15 minutes after a meal and don’t feed him again until the next meal, all of that. But, you can add it back in later, so remind yourself of that when he tilts his head to the side and looks so sweet! Once he’s eating how you want, you can mix in little bits of the foods he really likes, or give it to him after he eats what you want. You can try mixing in the good stuff now, but that never worked for me. Mine picked out what he liked, lol. Now I mix in freeze dried bits or toppers and fresh eggs or chicken and he’ll eat all of it, though.

Hang in there!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I love the profile pic picture of him sprawled out, that’s really cute.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

When determining cause of loose stools it is also good to consider things like drugs (flea and heartworm drugs for example), treats and things like dental bones. These are sometimes overlooked. A friend of mine just determined that the cause of her dog’s loose stools is dental bones, some of which are very starchy and have preservatives or other chemicals in them.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

CaptainHavanese said:


> Ugh just want to vent my frustrations!!! Been working on getting Captain to go potty outside which has been GREAT! But working on getting him on a diet that he will actually eat has been so frustrating, and Captain KNOWS if he holds out I'll cave and make him eggs/chicken/beef!


Captain is doing a great job of training you! He is a smart dog with great training skills. Havanese are famous for this! Put the food you choose for him down for maybe 5 minutes. If he doesn't eat it, pick it up and save it. Keep doing this until he decides this is the best he's going to get. He'll eat when he gets hungry.



> And his poops are just MUSH in the meanwhile, so I'm washing this boys butt at least 3 or 4 times every week at minimum!!!


I read someplace a long time ago that dog poop should be tootsie roll shape, firm but pliable....like Play Dough. That has always worked for us with Ricky. I read on the Internet (take it for what it's worth) that dog poop should be somewhat firm to self-express the anal gland. Ricky has never needed to have has anal gland attended to.


> This morning I caved and just snipped out all the offending areas where poop was sticking, I didn't REALIZE IT WAS HIS TAIL. My baby had a naked tail right over his booty now.


No worries, the hair on his south end will grow back quickly (dog's head, like a compass, always point north :wink2


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

You have my sympathy. Luckily hair grows ...


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## cinquecento (Apr 23, 2020)

I cut the hair around my puppy's butt this week too. Her backside is not as cute but she smells a lot better! 😄 I also keep baby wipes, unscented and sensitive type, right by the door and she gets wiped every time she comes back in from outside potty time. That has helped with the urine smell too.


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