Like most dog owners, you may be under the impression that all dog poop scoopers are pretty much the same. Actually there are many unique models on the market. The best dog pooper scooper needs to be easy to use and effective on every terrain.
There are many reasons that responsible dog owners need to clean up after their pet. It's important to scoop poop in your own yard, while traveling with Fido and when you're in public places as well.
A good poop scooper will keep your yard clean and other areas hygienic for the pets and people that use them.
While it's the respectful and responsible thing to do, did you know that cleaning up after your pooch is also good for the environment. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (PDF):
When pet waste is disposed of improperly, not only water quality suffers – your health may be at risk, too. Pets, children who play outside, and adults who garden are most at risk for infection from some of the bacteria and parasites found in pet waste. Flies may also spread diseases from animal waste.
Pet waste that is left in yards, parks and on sidewalks can be washed into storm drains by rain water or melting snow. The pollutants in pet waste can also be washed into lakes, rivers, streams and other bodies of water that are used for drinking water.
For these reasons, it's important that every pet owner buy the best dog pooper scooper for their needs.
That's why I decided to review three of the top choices available.
If you're a frequent reader of Top Dog Tips, then you know that we always try to find the best products to share with our followers.
While reviewing these three best dog pooper scooper options, I was comparing them using four criteria:
- Ease of use;
- Quality;
- Ability to be used on different types of stool and different terrains;
- Affordability.
I've tried all three of these dog poop scoopers myself with our 3 pups. All the information that I'm sharing in this review has been obtained with first hand experience.
3 best dog pooper scooper products I am reviewing today
Now that you understand why this type of product is a necessity, let me tell you about the dog poop scoopers that I chose for this review.
First, you'll see that I chose two traditional pet pooper scoopers that use a spring-loaded grabber to pick up dog's stool. This is the most common type of poop scooper and available, and more than likely the most popular as well.
Quality Pet Products and Tidy Turd have both created these “grabber” style scoopers for dog waste. They are easy to use very affordable, but how do they hold up on different terrains?
I also chose to review the GoGo Stik, which offers a unique design. This company has certainly put a new spin on an otherwise standard product. Surprisingly, it's not much more expensive than other more traditional options.
But, which of these products did I select to be my top choice for the best dog pooper scooper? After weeks of testing, I'm able to share a lot of information that may help you make your choice. Let's see which one tops my list!
FULL LIST: Top 50 Best Dog Pooper Scoopers
Best Dog Pooper Scooper Comparison
Quality Pet Products vs. Tidy Turd vs. GoGo Stik
Similarities Between the 3 Best Dog Pooper Scoopers
The first thing that I should mention is that all three of these best pooper scooper products are effective. I mean, why would I choose them if they weren't effective, right? They all work well on grass or hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete.
Aside from being effective, there isn't much that all three have in common. You will notice that the scooper from Quality Pet Products and the Tidy Turd scooper are both the same style. They use a spring-loaded handle to open a claw-type grabber that picks up the poop.
This is definitely the most common type of dog pooper scooper. They're easy to use and effective on all surfaces. Many pet owners like them because they're also able to pick up hard, soft or loose stool.
Differences Between these Best Dog Pooper Scoopers
I chose to review these poop scoopers because they're popular among pet owners and have earned high reviews on many online retailer's websites. I wanted to see what made these options stand out from the hundreds of other dog poop scoopers on the market.
While I can say that they all worked well, there were advantages and disadvantages to each scooper. Ultimately, I had to choose my favorite. Honestly, before doing this comparison I really believed most pooper scoopers were fairly similar. Once I tested these three though, I quickly realized that one of them stood out well above the others.
RECOMMENDED: Top 50 Best Dog Poop Bags
Tidy Turd Review
As you'll see in my video review above, the scoop on this product is large enough to pick up the biggest dog turds. If you need to clean up after a Newfoundland or St. Bernard, this scoop will get the job done.
Equipped with dual-recoil tension, the comfort grip handle allows you to easily open the scoop with a squeeze. Tidy Turd also claims that their product offers a non-stick scoop. This is true – for the most part.
When I tried to clean up a very loose stool, it still stuck to the sides of the scoop.
There is a fool proof way to prevent sticking, though. Tidy Turd makes their own custom dog poop bags, as you'll see in my video above. They fit right over the mouth of the scoop, so you can pick up Fido's mess completely hands free.
You can use pretty much any plastic bag that you want, but only the Tidy Turd bags are guaranteed to work with the hands-free system. I tried using other dog poop bags as well as a plastic grocery bag, and both worked well.
The Tidy Turd is is 24-inches long. As I demonstrate, it saves some of the bending, but it's still a bit short. I'm only 5'1″ and still have to bend a few inches to make this product touch the ground. If you're taller than me, which most people are, you're still going to need to bend down to clean up after your dog.
You'll also notice that the bucket has serrated teeth, which is supposed to make it grab poop out of the grass easier. It does work in the grass, but not as well as I anticipated. Again, when the stool is hard it's no problem, but soft and loose stool is hard to get out of the grass with this scoop.
You can purchase the Tidy Turd on Amazon for $26. It's made of durable plastic, so I have no problem believing that this scoop should last throughout the life of your pet. When you think about it that way, $26 is a very fair price for one of the best dog pooper scooper products.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Advance Scoop Review
The Advance Scoop from Quality Pet Products is similar to the Tidy Turd scooper, but it folds in half for easy portability and storage. This is also really great if you travel often with your pet or want to keep an extra pooper scooper in your vehicle.
Like the Tidy Turd, this scooper also has a large scoop that is suitable to pick up waste from even the largest dog.
This one also works with the same type of mechanism. The spring-loaded handle easily opens the scoop, and you only need to use one hand. This one is also made of durable plastic that is easy to clean, and it's lead free.
As with the Tidy Turd, this scooper is just over 2 feet tall. That means it too is a bit too short for most dog owners. It saves you from having to bend down to the ground, but it won't eliminate all of the bending. While you may not think this is a big deal, some pet owners cannot bend for medical reasons, so it's worth mentioning.
This best dog pooper scooper is also very affordable. You can buy one on Amazon for just $22. As with the Tidy Turd, this is on the lower end of the price scale for products of this kind. For something that will likely last you for many years, it's not a bad deal. Not to mention, a quality pooper scooper is a must have for every dog owner.
RELATED: How Dog Pooper Scoopers Are Saving Our Planet
GoGo Stik Dog Pooper Scooper Review
(my personal favorite)
The other two products that I've shared with you were pretty standard pooper scoopers. Now, I want to share a unique product with you. The GoGo Stik may not be your average poop scoop, but it's got a lot of great features that bumped it up to the first place slot on my list.
For starters, you can use ANY type of plastic bag with this scooper. With the other two, there are certain types of bags that work better than others. With the GoGo Stik, any plastic bag will fit securely and work perfectly. That means you can reuse old grocery bags, purchase biodegradable bags or reuse any old plastic bags that you've got on hand.
In the video review above I demonstrate how easy it is to fit any bag onto this best dog pooper scooper. Simply slide the bag through the head of the scooper, wrap it around both sides, and then tuck the top of the bag into the rubber grip on the top of the scoop opening. Pull the bag tight and you're ready to scoop!
The biggest difference with this pooper scooper is the shovel-like head as opposed to the claw-type head of the other scoops.
There are two sides to the shovel-style head – one side is a rounded shovel blade, while the other is a square shovel blade. The rounded blade is to be used on soft surfaces like grass, and the square blade is for hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete.
Another feature that helps to place this best dog pooper scooper on the top of my list is the telescoping handle that extends to 36-inches in length. That's a full foot longer than the other two models!
This long length even allows you to hold the GoGo Stick under your dog's tail as he squats to poop. With it's unique design this product allows you to catch the feces before it even hits the ground.
The GoGo Stik is effective, easy to use and very convenient. It's also affordable. You can purchase one on Amazon for just $39. It's not much more expensive than the other two models, yet offers a lot more advantages. For this reason, the GoGo Stik is my top pick as the best dog pooper scooper.
READ NEXT: Top 5 Best Dog Poop Scoopers (Earth Friendly)
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