According to the EPA, the average medium size dog creates 274 pounds (125 kg) of waste each year. That’s a lot of poop!. Your backyard may be a minefield of dog manure and you don’t know what to do!
Composting your dog’s manure will return your yard to the oasis it should be. Composting dog waste is a natural eco-friendly alternative. Plastic dog collection bags (even the biodegradable ones) fill up landfills and sometimes end up in waterways.
What’s So Bad About Dog Manure?
Dogs are omnivores. We typically feed them dog food that contains plant and meat materials. More dog owners are seeing the benefits of feeding grain-free dog foods or even making their own meat-based foods. That’s good because it is aligned with the dog’s natural diet.
However, it’s not good for the compost pile. Manure from omnivores such as dogs (and humans) should not be added to compost piles because they contain more pathogens.
In our garden compost, we typically add manure from herbivores - horses, chickens, and rabbits. You can read my article on how to compost Composting 101.
Dog poop contains numerous pathogens which is why we don’t add it to our garden compost. You would need a consistently hot pile.
This is my granddog Roman. I love him dearly but he poops a lot! Photo credit Ame Vanorio
How Do I Handle Dog Manure?
There are many ways to handle dog manure. You can rake the backyard on a regular basis and throw it in the garbage.
Instead of having the dog poop sit on the ground burning your grass and making using the yard unpleasant, you can put in a dog manure composter.
Yes, you will still need to pick up the poop and place it in the composter but at least you're avoiding the use of plastic bags and dealing with the poop naturally. This creates an environmentally safe option.
Place your dog composter in an out-of-the-way section of the yard where you won’t have to mow around it. Keep it away from any streams or large trees as the roots will get in the way.
DIY Dog Manure Composter
Materials
5-gallon (19L) bucket with lid predrilled
Shovel
Carbon material - Peat Moss, Chopped Straw, or Wood Shavings
Gravel or small rocks - enough to fill a 12-inch diameter by 3-inch deep area.
Procedure
Drill holes in the sides and bottom of your 5-gallon bucket using a 1/4 - 1/2 inch drill bit. Drill holes in the rim but not the lid.
Place at least 5 holes in the bottom and 10 rows of three holes each around the sides. It doesn’t have to be fancy - just make sure you have plenty of holes.
Dig a hole that is three inches deeper than your bucket.
Place your gravel or small rocks at the bottom of the hole
Set your 5-gallon bucket on top of the gravel. The rim of the bucket should be above ground level.
Backfill any loose soil around the sides.
Add two inches of carbon material to the bottom of the bucket.
Add dog manure weekly and sprinkle with a 1/2 inch of carbon material.
Numerous dogs/large dogs - you may want to go through the effort to bump up your five-gallon bucket to a 20-gallon plastic garbage can. Remember to drive lots of holes!
Doggie Dooley
You can also purchase a Doggie Dooley which is a fancier version of our DIY model. Made of steel the lid can be foot operated to reduce bending.
This model uses water and enzymes to dissolve the dog poo and send it into the soil. It’s made to act similar to a septic system.
The Doogie Dooley
For installation, it follows the same method as the DIY version. Follow the procedures above except you won’t be drilling holes.
What Do I Do In Winter?
When the soil temperature, which may be different than the air temperature, falls below 40 degrees F (4.4 C) composting action slows significantly. You can still add fresh manure just note that it will compost more slowly so your bucket will fill faster. If your bucket becomes full you may need to wait to spring for it to get back into action.
What Happens When The Bucket Fills?
When your five-gallon bucket fills you can do one of two things.
You can let the bucket sit and continue composting in its spot. This means you will need to install another composting bucket. Place the second bucket at least two feet from the first bucket.
You can pull up the bucket and place the partially composted material in another receptacle such as a garbage can composter. Note: Also one that is only used for pet waste - not compost designed to go on your garden beds.
How Can I Increase Composting Action?
There are several things you can do to increase your composter’s action time.
Add enzymes to the compost bucket. Jobe's Organics Fast-Acting Compost Starter contains microorganisms to help break down manure more effectively.
Add some red worms. Go to any store that sells fishing bait and purchase a small tub of red worms. Place them in your bucket.
Why Can’t The Dog Manure Biograde Naturally?
Well, it can. Dog poop will eventually biodegrade on its own. However, it can cause a number of issues.
Foremost the poop is just unsightly. If you have children or young adults who want to run around the yard and play then you will have people stepping in dog poop. Not pleasant.
Wild friends such as rabbits and squirrels that come into your yard seeking food or shelter can become infected with pathogens from your dog’s waste.
Dog poop is high in nitrogen and that can cause brown areas in your grass.
By composting your dog’s waste you keep it from the landfill.
Last but not least dog manure attracts flies which can further lead to the transmission of parasites.
Can I Compost Cat Waste?
Composting cat manure is a bit more complicated. There are two main problems. Cat litter and Toxoplasma gondii.
Cat litter is made of clay materials which totally gunk up the composting. Commercial cat litters also often contain perfumes that can inhibit the decomposition process.
Cats can carry a pathogen called Toxoplasma gondii which can cause an infection called toxoplasmosis that causes flu-like symptoms. However, pregnant women and people that are immune compromised are at risk for more severe symptoms such as damage to the brain or eyes. This can get passed on to a developing baby in the womb.
You may resolve the litter problem by using natural litter made from biodegradable materials such as wheat, newspaper, or sawdust. My favorite eco-friendly cat litter is Abound Naturally Clumping Cat litter.
To resolve the health risks you can not have pregnant or sick people handle the cat waste. In addition, scoop the poop daily. The CDC states that “The Toxoplasma parasite does not become infectious until 1 to 5 days after it is shed in a cat’s feces”.
Author, Ame Vanorio, founder of Fox Run EEC, loves dogs, especially her granddog Roman, and writes about how we can be more environmentally friendly pet owners, organic gardening, and wildlife rehabilitation. Check out Ame’s Author Page on Amazon.
As a vegan, you want a garden full of healthy plants. Healthy plants fight off diseases and pests. And they have more nutrients which help us stay healthy too.
Plant-based compost is easy to make and will benefit your garden. My vegan friends often tell me that established gardeners tell them you can't compost without animal products. And that is simply not true!