With all the adorable moments that come with owning a dog, there’s just one annoying part - dog poop clean-up. It’s simply unavoidable, so let’s address the ugly elephant in the room.
Even if you have a backyard where your dog can do their business, you still need to find a way to clean it up. But why?
There are many ways your dog's poop can harm the environment and put your family at risk of catching zoonotic diseases. These include Hookworms, Tapeworms, Roundworms, and Ringworms, Parvo, Corona, Giardia, Yesinoises, Salmonella, and e-Coli. In fact, dog poop is about 50% bacteria! Picking up after your pooch is something you should do as a responsible dog parent.
Once you’ve picked up your dog’s poop, it’s time to find the best way to dispose of it. There are so many options to choose from, including flushing, burying, composting, worm farming, and disposing of it in trash cans or dog poop bags (standard or biodegradable). But how to dispose of dog poop the best way?
Don’t worry. We’ll cover the best possible options for dog poop clean-up in this blog.
Before we get to the 'how,' we should talk about the 'why.' Why is dog poop clean-up so necessary? If you're a first-time dog parent, we've got your back.
Read on through to find out how and why you should take dog waste removal seriously. Let’s see what’s the best way for you to clean up after your canine buddy.
Why Must You Clean Up Your Dog’s Waste?
Why is it important to care about dog poop clean-up? Of course, your little friend doesn’t mean to cause you any inconvenience. As this cute canine above says, there are 4 main reasons why cleaning up after your dog is essential.
It is the law to clean up dog poop.
Cleaning up after your pup is required by law, and it is just part of being a good neighbor! Several communities have implemented what is known as the "pooper scooper legislation," which includes hefty fines for littering to dog owners who fail to pick up after their dogs in public areas, including parks.
Dog poop is NOT an efficient fertilizer.
You might think that your dog’s poop can be a fertilizer, just like many other mammals. In reality, dog poop includes a high concentration of nitrogen, which is bad for most plants and lawns. If you want to keep your lawn green, you often have to pick up after your pet. We know it’s a hassle, but it’s simply something you have to do for your little friend and the world.
Dogs eat more protein than humans, so their poop is highly acidic and leaves extra nutrients in areas like our lakes and rivers, contributing to environmental deterioration.
Overall, due to excessive nitrogen, acidic pH, pathogens, and toxins, dog poop is not considered a good fertilizer. It's bad for the environment; another reason why dog poop clean-up is so important.
Dog waste has the potential to contaminate our water.
Through no fault of their own, your cute pet's poop can cause damage to the water supply. That's why dog poop clean-up is beneficial for the environment, especially our water.
Due to improper dog poop clean-up, a canine's feces may end up in local water sources such as ponds, rivers, lakes, and other water sources. The excrement will decompose and release nutrients that encourage the excessive growth of algae and weeds, making the water murky, green, and foul. In the end, the algae and weeds can become so out of control that the water becomes unfit for our favorite water sports. But wait, how does it get there?
As a dog owner, if you fail to remove dog feces from the grass and sidewalks, rainfall and snowmelt will wash the waste away into storm drains. From there, it may end up in lakes, rivers, or on our beaches.
Dog poop contains pathogens and harmful bacteria such as E. coli, and salmonella, which are zoonotic and can cause severe infections. If they come up in our drinking, swimming, and fishing water, they will cause infections in humans, pets, and other animals. As you can tell, dog waste removal is necessary to keep our water clean.
Your little buddy would never want to see you suffer, so you'll be doing both of you a favor by disposing of their feces.
In the long run, cleaning up your dog’s poop makes life easier!
If you turn dog poop clean-up into a habit, it'll make your life much easier. How? You'll be taking care of the environment, plus you won't get fined. You won't have any issues with your neighbors, and you can forget about tracking unpleasant messes into your home and onto your carpet.
Tips on How to Dispose of Dog Poop
Now that you know why dog poop clean-up is one of the biggest responsibilities of owning your cute pet let's see how you can best deal with it. Your adorable friend doesn’t want to be a burden and cause bad smells or inconveniences. So, here are some tips on how to make dog poop clean up easier on you.
1. Select a High-Quality Dog Food
You can decrease your beloved pet's frequency of defecation if you spend more money on a higher-quality meal that has fewer fillers and by-products. They consume fewer calories and feel fuller for longer since the meal includes more nutrients. After all, you'll have less poo to clean up! Plus, you'll feel like a proud parent, giving your best friend the best food. It’s a win-win!
2. Use Proper Pet Waste Disposal Tools
There are numerous pet waste disposal tools available on the market, but we only recommend using the environmentally friendly PooPail and bags, along with SmartPoopy Walking Bags offered by Goodwag. Want to know why? Keep on reading.
PooPail
The PooPail is the most convenient and environmentally friendly way to dispose of pet poop in your backyard. Plus, you don't need to bend down or touch your buddy's poop. Here's how it works.
The pail is dual-purpose. You can easily go around your backyard and scoop the waste directly into the pail. Plus, it has the added benefit of storing waste for up to a whole week, sparing you from making endless journeys to the trash can. You can even keep it in your backyard and use it during your daily dog poop clean-up sessions.
What to do with dog poop until garbage day? You get a whole week’s usage from the PooPail.
Note: The pail comes with a six-month supply of pail-liner bags that are compostable and biodegradable, included in the purchase of the pail.
Please keep in mind that the PooPail, in conjunction with the pail liner bags, is the most simple pet waste management solution available. The bags are recyclable, biodegradable, and they’ve been custom-made to suit the PooPail perfectly. In other words, it doesn't get easier than the PooPail.
SmartPoopy Walking Bags
Although the pooper-scooper apparatus is great for the backyard, you won’t want to walk around your neighborhood with one. Dog poop bags guarantee that you are always prepared to clean up after your little buddy. Carry a spare bag for fellow dog-walkers. Your neighbors will love you.
The best tool for your dog poop clean-up is the SmartPoopy Walking Bag dispenser. Aside from being recyclable, the bags are also biodegradable. But who wants to walk about their neighborhood with a bag of dog feces in their hands? That's why these bags easily connect to the handle of your leash, so you don't need to hold them. In other words, these bags are the best answer to the common question: How to dispose of dog poop in a green way?
These bags are exceptionally lengthy, allowing you to use them more than once during each walk. You can also half-knot the bags to hook them into your leash attachment while keeping them secure.
Regular Plastic Bags for Cleaning Up Dog Poop
It's no secret that dog poop bags are some of the best dog poop clean-up materials. They are helpful when it comes to removing dog poop from yards and other places. However, there is a flaw in the system. Most dog poop bags are made of plastic, which takes more than 1000 years to break down. Why preserve dog poop in plastic forever? If you want to help save the environment, you could either invest in biodegradable and compostable dog poop bags or resort to other alternatives.
3. Flushing Down the Toilet
Although effective, this is not always the most convenient way to deal with pet waste. Sewage treatment plants in the US are equipped to process the matter, but may not be in all countries. Depending on the number of dogs you have, the size of their piles, and the abundance of water in your area, this may or may not work for you. Bringing the poo from outdoors into your bathroom and dividing it into flushable sizes is not a job many will want to do. Flushing is one of two recommended methods to dispose of dog poop by the EPA.
4. Composting Pet Waste
This method is recommended by the EPA and USDA and has added benefits for your garden. As already mentioned, dog poop is high in nitrogen and contains toxins. Putting it directly at plant roots may harm the plant. However, the heat generated by a compost pile can kill many toxins and provide high-quality mulch for your plants. Many types and sizes of composters are available at your local hardware store or online.
Dog poop composting has other advantages as well. Many environmentally-conscious cities are now requiring that food scraps be recycled separately. A recipe of one-third each of pet waste, food waste, and grass clippings makes an excellent mulch.
A note of warning, unless your compost pile reaches specific temperatures, some toxins may persist, and the mulch may not be suitable for use on food-producing plants. Commercial-grade composting systems can reach the required temperature. For use in food products, we recommend that you leave composting to the experts.
Note: We must consider dog poop clean-up as a responsibility to keep our environment clean and healthy.
More Questions about Dog Poop? We’ve got the answers.
5. Have an Indoor Accident? How to Pick Up Dog Poop from Carpet.
As much as your dog is a good boy, he can sometimes be mischievous. So, when the inevitable 'poop on the carpet' incident comes along, you must know what to do. If your dog pooped on the carpet recently, you could clean it up using standard methods like dog poop bags or PooPail. On the other hand, if there are poop stains, use the following steps to ensure complete dog poop clean up:
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Immediately spray the stain with a cleaning product
Spray the cleaning product immediately onto the stain until the stain has completely absorbed the liquid. If you don't have a special spray, you can make a natural remedy by mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 1.5 cups of cold water, then saturating your carpet with the mixture.
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Rinse with cold water
Once the mixture has been absorbed, follow up with a rinse of cold water. Ask a professional carpet cleaner and they’ll tell you that soap can leave a residue that will attract dirt for the life of your carpet. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
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Add a tiny amount of baking soda to the mix
When the afflicted area is completely dry, sprinkle some baking soda on it and let it sit for around 10 minutes before wiping it off. This will help soak up any leftover odors or stains.
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Vacuum
Lastly, vacuum up all the baking powder, and your carpet should be as good as new again.
6. Can You Create an Indoor Bathroom for Your Dog?
Wait, can you have a fully functioning indoor bathroom for your dog? Let’s see what we can do.
When we talk about an indoor dog toilet, we're talking about a gadget or an instrument that allows your dog to defecate and urinate anytime they want. This can be particularly useful if you and your partner work all day and sadly must leave your buddy alone in the house with nobody to let them out when nature calls. So, people invented many types of indoor dog toilets.
You can find a wide range of indoor bathroom choices available on the market today. Choose the most appropriate one for your dog, and you won't have to worry about dog poop clean-up when you're out of the house. Here are some of the best options:
- Pee pads (Disposable pads or reusable pads)
- Various litter boxes
- Natural or synthetic grass
- Grates
7. What’s the Best Way to Clean Up Dog Poop Diarrhea?
Sadly, our little buddies can get sick sometimes. As much as we worry about them, it may still leave you responsible for cleaning up dog poop diarrhea, which is a hassle.
We recommend you follow these steps to ensure the best possible dog poop clean up:
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Wear Gloves. First and foremost, wearing disposable latex gloves will keep your hands clean and prevent contamination. Keep a plastic bag close to you to avoid spilling anything on your way to the garbage can.
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Remove the excrement from the area before it dries. You might think that it'll be better to clean up diarrhea dog poop after it dries, but it will do with a cement-like hardness. You want to get it off the surface as soon as possible. Clean it up with disposable paper towels or old clothes, which you may then throw away.
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Clean the area with a disinfectant. Once everything has been cleaned, you have to sterilize the area; otherwise, your cute buddy might mistakenly believe that it has discovered a new bathroom location. First, wash your floors using a cleaning product. Then you'll need to apply a pet odor neutralizer to get rid of the smell and eliminate any odors that could tempt your dog to return to the exact location in the future.
- Outdoor diarrhea removal. Use a bag to scrape the area clean. Try to pick up every drop, and then rinse the area thoroughly with a hose.
8. Loving a Routine
Dogs thrive in a routine. They prefer their meals at the same time every day, along with their walks, outdoor visits to poop or pee before retiring, and the time they go to bed. They expect it, and will soon remind you when mealtime, walk time, or bedtime is approaching.
Establish a Poop-Routine.
To ensure that your yard is always clean and safe, you should establish a realistic routine for cleaning it. While we would want to believe we can clean up after our dogs every time they go potty, it can be hard to keep up with it. This is especially true if your dog has access to the backyard with a doggie door. You can set a task for yourself to do your dog poop clean-up once a day at a specific hour. This way, it'll become a habit and be easier to complete.
Here's something to keep in mind - avoid cleaning up after a rain and instead arrange your cleanup session before storms. Also, dog waste removal may be more problematic during the warmer months due to direct sun exposure. It’s best to pick up in the cool mornings.
Tip: A regular schedule or routine is the best way to make dog waste removal easier for you.
9. Burying Dog Poop
This option is somewhat self-explanatory - instead of flushing or throwing it away, you bury your dog's poop. There are 2 ways to go about this. You can dig a hole at least six inches deep into the ground and bury it there, but you will end up with many temporary holes in your yard. Otherwise, you can invest in a dog poop disposal system, which is essentially a mini-septic tank that you bury in your yard and regularly refill with water and crushed enzymes.
Composting is one of the best dog poop disposal methods nowadays on big farms/yards. We have already discussed its many benefits earlier in this article.
10. How to Pick Up Dog Poop from Grass?
Scoopers are the most effective method of picking up dog poop from grass. Numerous pooper scoopers have been created to assist you in removing your pet's poop without damaging your lawn. The biggest problem with most scoopers is that you can only pick up one mess at a time before emptying the unit. We found that the best tool to pick up dog poop from grass is the PooPail by Goodwag.
11. How To Properly Dispose of Dog Poop?
Once you've picked up your canine friend's poop and packed it, you can either dispose of it at home or at a commercial composting site. You can do dog poop disposal at home by starting your compost pile or burying it. Other methods include proper flushing, using trash bins, and worm farming. Each method has its pros and cons, so choose the one that fits you most.
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