If he keeps squatting to go, but nothing comes out or if he has hard stools. Make sure he's drinking lots of water, and you can add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to his food. If there's blood or mucous in the stool please take him to the vet. Best wishes:)
A constipated dog and a dog suffering from diarrhea often exhibit similar symptoms. Owners often get these two conditions confused. With constipation the stool becomes dry, firm, and larger than normal. This makes it difficult or impossible for the dog to pass the stool normally. Your dog may strain to defecate while producing nothing, vocalize while attempting to defecate, and feel an increased urge to defecate. These animal usually are lethargic, stop eating and drinking secondary to discomfort. Seek veterinary medical attention is your dog has not defecated in 12 hours. Vegetable oil is not going to help stool that is already formed and causing problems in then colon.
It can be hard to determine if your dog is constipated. The signs of diarrhea and constipation are similar--with both dogs will strain to defecate, attempt to defecate frequently, and produce no stool. With constipation dogs are unable to produce stool because it is "stuck" in the colon. Diarrhea causes irritation to the colon and this makes dogs feel as though they need to defecate even though no stool is present. Pending the size of your dog your veterinarian can palpate the colon to determine if stool is present. The best way to confirm constipation and assess severity is via an x-ray. The colon and feces can be directly visualized. The treatment for diarrhea and constipation differs so it is important to determine the primary problem.
