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My dog wants to sniff everything.

Species: Dog
Breed: Miniature Schnauzer
Age: 6-12 months
I have miniature schnauzer who refuses to poop in “timely manner outside. I take him around 8am in the morning and he pees almost immediately….However. It takes more than 5 minutes of walking around the area in order for him to poo. He just stands around and walks sniffing the air if a gust of wind comes by (frequent right now) and sniffs the ground a lot. Him standing still in 20 degree weather sniffing the air and not pooing, is a major annoyance o me, since at that point I’m freezing. He does this also at night, even though I put enough time in between his bathroom breaks for him to digest his food. I know he has a powerful nose but it’s beginning to get annoying. Is there any way to curb his appetite to sniff so much??


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a tough question to answer!

It sounds like for Lex, sniffing is more exciting than having a bowel movement. It may help if you give him a really good reward as soon as he has a bowel movement. That way, he may be more eager to get that done first.

I really don't recommend any sort of punishment for the sniffing because then we are likely to create a situation where he we be afraid to go outside and then end up having bowel movements in secret (i.e. in the house).

One other thought - is he neutered? If not, having him neutered may make him less crazy about sniffing everything!

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

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