How to pick up dog excrement 15 steps
No matter how you look at it, picking up dog droppings is not a pleasant task. Many dog owners probably think that picking up dog droppings is a necessary evil. And is that despite the dirt and stench that involves picking up the excrement of a dog, doing this task is an important part of keeping clean an entire environment (not just your backyard). In order for you to remain a responsible owner, you should take some time to learn how to pick it up and dispose of it correctly.
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Part 1 Use a plastic bag to pick up a dog's excrement
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- Buy plastic bags for dogs. While the plastic bags of the supermarket are an option if you do not have other bags at your disposal, it is recommended that you use small bags for dogs to collect the excrement. The different types of dog bags are available at your local pet store. Since picking up excrement can be a smelly process, consider buying scented dog bags. Many bags also have ties and that makes it easier to close them after collecting the stool. [one]
- Take several dog bags with you each time you take your dog for a walk. This way you will be prepared if your dog has to defecate during the walk. [two]
- Biodegradable dog bags are also available: these are more environmentally friendly than regular plastic dog bags. [3]
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- Turn the bag inside out. Flip the bag inside out when you bend over to pick up your dog's stool, whether you're out walking or picking up your droppings after it has defecated in your yard. This will help keep your hand clean since you will put your hand inside the bag upside down as if you were wearing a glove. [4]
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- Collect your dog's excrement. Once you protect your hand inside the bag in reverse, take firmly the excrement from the ground and collect it. [5] If you are going to pick up the excrement that is in a concrete, try to do it in the cleanest way possible (for example, do not scrape the concrete with your hand when you collect the excrement). If the excrement is on the lawn, make a circle with your claw-like fingers and then go as low as possible to the pile before picking it up.
- Keep in mind that picking up excrement will be easier if its consistency is solid rather than soft (or similar to diarrhea).
- If you clean the excrement of your dog that is in the yard, you may need several bags, depending on how much time has passed after your dog defecated.
- If you went for a walk and you forgot or you ran out of bags, consider going to a nearby store to ask for a bag or a disposable cup in order to pick up your dog's excrement. If you're not near a store, try to find something on the floor that can work, like a large, sturdy sheet. [6]
- Make sure you get a good grip on your dog's leash if you are going to pick up his stool while you walk around. [7]
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Flip the bag to the other side. Use your free hand to fold all sides of the bag with the excrement. [8] It may be useful to take the sides of the bag only with the tips of the fingers. This way you can reduce the chances of your free hand touching the excrement that may be near the edges of it.
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Tie the bag. Once you have flipped the bag, use both hands to tie it. Make sure to tie the bag tightly so that it does not open when you throw it away. It may be useful to hold your breath when you bind it. [9]
Part 2 Use an excrement catcher
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- Buy an excrement catcher. If the idea of picking up excrement with your hand makes you apprehensive or if you have trouble stooping or bending over, an excrement picker is a good alternative to dispose of. [10] There are many types of excreta pickers at your local pet store or at your home gardening store. Dung pickers often come with shovels (for use on a solid surface), rakes (to be used on grass) or pot holders (to take the dung). [eleven]
- Try to find an excrement catcher that is strong enough to be used with just one hand. [12] If you walk with your dog, it would be useful to have a dustpan that you can use with one hand.
- You can also buy an excrement catcher that is designed to have a plastic bag that is placed at the end of it. [13]
- Due to the nature of their design, excrement catchers are not effective in collecting excrement that has a soft consistency (or similar to diarrhea). [14]
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- Collect your dog's excrement. If your dog defecated in a concrete, use the excrement picker with a shovel to lift it. [15] Once you collect the stool, carefully put it in a doggie bag. Also, you can use the "gripper" of the excrement catcher to hold the excrement and place it in the dog bag.
- If you clean the excrement that is on the lawn, use the excrement catcher with a rake to collect the excrement in an ordered pile (if necessary) before lifting it in order to throw it in a dog bag.
- The mechanism for using the dustpan will depend on the types of accessories you have. The staff at your local pet store or your home gardening store can help you with how to use the specific picker you want to buy.
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- Clean your excrement catcher. It is necessary to clean the excrement catcher so that the remains of your dog's excrement do not start accumulating there. Those remains could attract flies and make it harder to pick up your dog's excrement. To keep it clean, you can pour water with the hose or let it soak in a bucket with disinfectant. [16]
- If you choose to use a bucket with disinfectant, be sure to use that bucket only to clean your excrement catcher and not for other household chores.
- Talk to your local waste department for advice on how to dispose of the water you used to disinfect your excreta pickup. Do not pour dirty water into storm drains as your dog's feces may contain harmful pathogens (eg, intestinal bacteria or parasites).
Part 3 Discard the excrement of a dog
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- Find out about the regulations in your city to dispose of dog droppings. Discarding a dog's excrement may not be as easy as simply throwing it in the trash or passing it in a toilet. If you do not know what to do, check with your local waste department to learn acceptable methods to dispose of your dog's waste. [17]
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- Dispose of your dog's waste in a trash can. If you are at home, you can use your own trash can to dispose of your dog's waste. Keep in mind that your main trash can can stink a lot, especially if you keep it inside or stored in the garage. To deal with this potential problem, you could keep a smaller garbage can apart to collect your dog's excrement. When it's time to take out the trash, you could pass your dog's excrement to the larger bin and leave everything out. [18]
- If you are in a dog park or other public place, you can find the nearest garbage can in the open air to dispose of the excrement. Dog parks usually have garbage cans intended to collect such excrement.
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- Pass your dog's excrement through the toilet. While imagining this situation can be quite unpleasant, it is usually okay to pass your dog's stool down the toilet. If you do, make sure you take the stool out of the bag first. If you have a disposable dog bag, you could put the entire bag and its contents in the toilet and pass it through. [19]
- It is possible that in your city it is not acceptable to pass the excrement of your dog, therefore, consult with your local waste department before using this method to dispose of pet waste.
- If you have enough excrement to throw away, do not make it happen all at once. If you do, your septic system could become clogged. [twenty]
- Keep in mind that disposable dog bags can be expensive. [twenty-one]
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- Install a septic system for pet waste. It is an underground septic system that is known as doggie dooley and is specific to decompose your dog's excrement. [22] [23] It could be useful if you have your own patio. A doggie dooley is relatively easy to install; however, you should check with someone at your local pet store before installing and using one in your yard.
- Once you have installed it, follow the instructions of the machine in order to add water and a digestive powder to the excrement of your dog. The waste will decompose in an environmentally safe liquid that the soil will absorb. [24]
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- Call a pet waste disposal service. If you feel really uncomfortable with the idea of collecting your dog's excrement in your garden or can not do so, you can contact a pet waste disposal service to do it for you. [25] Your veterinarian may be able to recommend reputable services to you. You could also talk with other dog owners to get recommendations. Keep in mind that these services can be expensive. [26]
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- Find out what methods to eliminate excreta are inadequate. Several potential methods to eliminate excreta are not adequate due to environmental and public health problems. For example, you should not let your dog's excrement simply decompose in your yard by itself. Your dog's excrement would not only begin to emit odors and attract flies (especially in the summer months), but could contain bacteria and parasites that can be harmful to people and to the dogs themselves. [27] [28]
- In addition, storm drains could drag your dog's excrement and eventually end up in local water sources if you leave it in your yard.
- It is not recommended to fertilize dog droppings since the compost pile does not heat enough to break down the bacteria and parasites that may be there. [29]
- Burying your dog's excrement could also expose local groundwater to pathogens, which makes this an undesirable method to dispose of a dog's excrement.
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- Wash your hands. Even when you have the proper precaution to keep your hands clean, it is possible that they can still become infected with bacteria by collecting your dog's excrement. An effective way to prevent the spread of these germs is to wash your hands frequently. [30]
Tips
- You may prefer to use a newspaper to collect your dog's excrement as it is more environmentally friendly than plastic bags. However, keep in mind that using newspaper to collect excrement could be more messy since you could not roll the newspaper in the cleanest way as it would happen if you tie a plastic bag. [31]
- To keep your garden smelling good, you can spray an odor neutralizer on your lawn. [32] This product is available at your local pet store.
- If your dog defecates inside your house, put on a pair of disposable gloves and collect the excrement with a generous amount of toilet paper. You can pass the excrement in the toilet, as long as your city allows it to do so.
- Keeping dog bags in the place where you keep your pet's leash will help you remember to carry the bags with you every time you walk.
Warnings
- Pathogens that could be found in your dog's excrement can cause illnesses to people and dogs and immediate medical attention may be necessary. Picking up excrement soon after your dog defecates and washing your hands after doing so will help reduce the likelihood of disease transmission.