What Do You Think About Teaching A Dog To Carry His Own Poo Bag?

[tigerlily46514]

i bet even a baby dog will "get" the idea, "ohhh, mom likes it when the toy goes INTO the box, ohhh"

but let us know if you hit a roadblock!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

//" So maybe first I'll just work up to him being a very athletic, strong dog, and then try a backpack MAYBE"//

good plan!
remember, there are experts who think, that dogs under 18 mos old should not walk or run too far nonstop.
It's one thing if a dog walks or runs by himself, for a few yards here,
or a few yards there, stopping every few minutes.

It's a whole other thing to tie an immature dog to a bike and go for miles.
See, some ppl think the repetitive movements or certain moves/positions if held very long,
like standing on any two paws only, jumping from more than the dog's shoulder height, (or less, depending on age of baby dog)
running, nonstop long walks,
might stress the still-soft skeleton of an immature dog, (under 18 to 24 mos old)
See, their concern is,
that nonstop repetitive moves could stress the still-soft joints of the dog,
and possibly increase the risk of joint problems as an older dog.

 

[tigerlily46514]

also,
since todays modern Corgis have now been bred to have much longer spines, and much shorter legs than the original Corgi,
an overly long-spined dog is NOT an ideal candidate for carrying weight on his spine.
Because humans have bred Corgis to now have extra long spines,
Corgis are already more prone to spinal and back problems.Your breed of dog is not an ideal candidate for being saddled with anymore weight on his already long long spine than he has, imo.

but, others may disagree.
see, i AM an admitted worrywart about dog health,
and if you ever ever experience loving a dog who has joint problems ,
you are never ever the same afterwards,
and you want to help anyone else, or any other dog,
avoid going through that heartbreak.

now, it could happen,
that your long-spined dog could carry backpacks all his life,
and never ever have the back problems that some Corgis have,
but,
if it were MY corgi, no way would i risk it.
but, that's just me.

 

[tigerlily46514]

now, don't forget, that i am
<---- queen of worrywarts about dog health. everyone has their own ideas on what is okay, or is not okay,
for immature dogs,
or dogs with long spines.
that's just *my* two cents, and again, i AM a worrywart, cuz i HAVE HAD a dog who had joint problems, and that experience DOES change a person.

It might be good idea to ask your vet, "Is a corgi a good candidate to wear a backpack? How far can my immature dog run or walk nonstop?" (it varies, for example, the limits for 2 month old pup, are different than the limits for 14 month old pup,)

 

[Adrianna & Calvin]

The Corgi spine has the same amount of vertebrae and the same spacing as for any other dog; their weird proportions are due to their legs being so short and not their spines being any longer. As a group, the Welsh Corgis have been called "yard long dogs" for ages. And, unfortunately for Corgis and other chondrodystrophic breeds, their risk of intervertebral disc disease comes with the genes, not the conformation and not the lifestyle. You could get a Dachshund and do all kinds of back-strengthening exercises, make sure the dog never jumps, do hydrotherapy, etc. and the dog will still blow a disc because it's pre-determined by genetics. A dog who does nothing but sit on a pillow and do prescribed gentle exercises may still have IVDD due to the genes causing chondrodystrophy. A good article written for the Dachshund Club is here.

The other danger with backs in Corgis is degenerative myelopathy. Recent testing of Pembroke (no-tail) Corgis show the "clear/unaffected" percentage is 9%! Boxer dogs and other breeds are affected, and this has a genetic basis and is not limited to dwarf breeds. Thankfully, there is now a genetic test for this. Since my dog is a mixed breed, and the gene is recessive, I haven't done it but I would if I had a pedigreed Corgi.

I've looked a bit into Corgi stuff because my own dog is chondrodystrophic/dysplastic. I debated whether or not he should roughhouse at the dog park, and in the end I decided to let him live his life, not least because his discs are already degenerating, if that's their fate, but also because I'd rather he live a full life than a life in a bored little bubble. If we hiked all the time and he was used to it, and strong, I wouldn't worry about a little backpack. You can get vests with a pouch, though, if poo is all your concerned about carrying. You can also use something like this or this (but don't use a retractable leash!).

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"their weird proportions are due to their legs being so short and not their spines being any longer. "//

rofl, yes, i meant proportionally, of course! rofl. i mention the shorter legs, too. Engineering wise, a longer spine ("proportionally") is more at risk for injuries and damage, even if no genes for a particular disorder are involved, it's just engineering.

I can understand your decision to allow a dog to roughhouse or play, your thoughts there make sense to me,
and to me, that decision seems different, than purposefully putting weight onto the back of a breed at risk for spinal issues.

but, like i said, everyone has their own ideas on what is okay, or not okay,
for puppies with immature skeletons
and dogs with long spines.

 

[Pawtential Unleashed]

To the original question - I would never ask my dog to carry his own excrement - personally I just think that is gross and asking them to carry it in their mouth - horrible. I don't even like people tying it to their collar or hanging it from their leash. Their sense of smell is so much greater than ours - imagine if we had to carry it near our faces for the rest of the trip...no way! I know there are scented bags - but trust me they can smell it.

Backpacking it - maybe - but why not backpack it yourself - I realize it is their mess but I just see it as a punishment - certainly not adding to their pleasure in a walk. Just my 2 cents!

 

[Dogster]

Maybe carrying the actual roll of poop bags is more sensible.

 

[tigerlily46514]

yeah, dogster, at first, that IS what i thought she meant!
i very much like and agree with Lisa's post (as usual)


but, this shows, how great it is, for ppl to post questions, to get ideas on what is good to do, or not.

 

[milesfullofsmiles]

Yes, I agree with everything you said tigerlily. A weight on his back may not be very healthy for him...With Tod and also now with Miles, I try to limit the excessive use of stairs because I'm scared he might slip a disk.
A&C - I love that Port-A-Poo one! That's so smart! Thanks for the great info on Corgi's spines too!
Pawtential - Yes, I've been thinking about the smell, maybe I'll get that Port-A-Poo thing, so it just clips on the leash at a distance from both of us. And, I won't have to carry it the whole walk!
Dogster - Yeah, funny you mentioned that! Earlier I took Miles for his morning walk and was thinking of attaching this small poo bag dispenser. I put it on his collar, but he tried to take it off, so I decided to introduce it another day and that it was too early. We would have never been able to walk with him trying to get to it!

Maybe the clip on the leash would be the best place for the bag to go.

 

[Dice Smith]

This could possibly be the best trick ever!!! But I would NEVER be able to teach it Kodi. He would look at me as if to say, "Ha! You think I'm going to carry my poop home? No way!!! That's your job as my human. If I had my way I'd leave it where it is." roflmao
But if you could teach it to a dog it would be amazing. Let us know if you do teach it to your dog cause your dog should win some kind of awesome prize for doing it lol. As for Kodi, he TRAINED me to carry his poop home lol.