digestion on a puppy

Question
Hello,
I have a 15 week old labrador, and I just wanted to know at what age is he going to have a regular time to poop after he eats. Right now he poops irregular and I'am worried because in about 2 months I will be leaving him in his crate for about 4 hours. If I feed him at 7-8 am how soon will he need to poop? Thanks, and I really appreciate it!

Answer
It takes about 8 hours for everything to work its way through, give or take an hour or two depending on age, size, how much water he drinks and the quality of the food. Keep in mind though that a meal will also get things moving a little quicker sometimes.

By six months old your dog should be pretty regular provided his feeding schedule is regular. That means he should not be free fed, but should only be given his dish for fifteen minutes to a half hour at feeding time and whatever he doesn't finish should be taken away till next feeding time (he'll catch on to this and stop leaving leftovers pretty quick). Higher quality food makes for better regularity too. Ask your vet about this.