Best Pooper Scooper For Large Dogs 2022

Whatever size your dog, you will have to deal with the daily gifts they leave in your yard. In order to help you do that, we've put together a list of our top 5 picks for the best pooper scoopers available for large dogs.

Dealing with recycled dog food for hundreds of dogs over 30+ years, I feel like I’ve learned a thing or two about scooping dog doo and the best tools for the job so I hope this resource is valuable to you in choosing your next scooper!

Quick Comparison: Best Large Breed Dog Pooper Scooper

Below you'll find more detailed reviews on each of the products we looked at and more insight into why we chose the pooper scoopers we did in this article.

If you believe we missed one, please let us know in the comment section below this post.

Why Clean Up Your Dog's Poop?

Regularly cleaning up after your pet encourages better elimination habits for your dog. It can also prevent a biohazard issue in your backyard. Dog waste can absorb into your soil over time creating burn spots in your lawn. Eventually, dog waste can filter into the groundwater supply.

Another reason for picking up dog poo on a regular basis is to prevent the spread of parasites and other creepy crawlies that can thrive in your pup’s elimination. If you have large breeds this can become a problem quickly.

Between parasites, destroying your lawn and contamination, accumulated dog waste starts to smell and create a fly problem. In some places, not cleaning your yard of pet waste on a regular basis can lead to fines. At a minimum, a yard full of dog poo will probably not make you a popular neighbor.

Owning a well-made scooper, used several times a week, could help prevent fines. At the very least, it will probably create a cleaner environment less prone to odors, insects and bad lawn spots. Your neighbors would probably be very appreciative.

Choosing a Poop Scooper

There were several determining factors for this best-of pooper scooper list. 

• Durability
• Capacity
• Ergonomic design
• Sanitary disposal
• Ease of use 

The above were the top reasons for our choices here. With a large dog in mind, all these concerns were important to consider because, well, big dogs usually equal big poo.

Large, medium or small, cleaning up after your precious pooch is a necessary part of being a responsible caregiver to those who give us so much. That does not mean we should have to use poorly-made or ill-conceived tools. Like all other cleaning products, dog-doo scoopers come in various levels of quality.

Gone can be the days when we have to handle dog nuggets with a bag wrapped around our hands. More up-to-date scooping methods are available at all price points.

Durability

As with any product, we are looking for useful longevity. The question here is will the scooper endure daily use and, in some cases, multiple times a day?

We didn’t look for weren't looking for waste management products that would last 20 years, but we did look for a product that would withstand at least a few years of heavy use.

In the end, I've always been a fan of a well made product and who wants to buy a new pooper scooper every time they turn around.

Capacity

I have large dogs and I need a scoop that can handle large size droppings. While I clean up regularly, smaller scooping tools are not effective when handling large breed waste. It's important to have the right tool for the job.

Again, I want to have a clean yard and I want my large dogs, so the trade-off is regular cleaning. However, that doesn’t mean I want to spend unnecessary time on an unpleasant chore. Part of the hunt here included looking for a tool that could handle a large amount of waste in one scoop.

Size does matter, especially when it comes to doggy waste management. This list will focus on larger capacity tools. The good news for mixed-size dog parents like myself, the scoops on this list can handle all sizes of elimination.

Ergonomic Design

A well-designed tool that is easy to handle without danger of tweaking a back muscle or wrenching a nerve in your neck or wrist can be a thing of beauty. Whenever you are doing repetitive chores, the less bending, lifting, and twisting you must do the more your back and shoulders appreciate it.

Chores are a necessity to help us maintain a clean home and yard. That does not require, however, that the tools we use for those chores have to create unneeded strain as we work.

Also, I find that an ergonomic design increases my stamina, so I am able to finish more quickly. This allows more playtime with my big pup-sters and that pleases everyone. Everyone probably enjoys more leisure time and well-made tools can help us have even more.

Sanitary Disposal

Another aspect of dog poo patrol we want to consider is the sanitary issue. We should probably not be handling dog poo with just a plastic bag in our hands for large jobs like yard cleanup. Quick recovery on walks is one thing, an entire backyard cleanup is quite another. 

I know I want as much distance as possible between me and the stool. A vital piece to reviewing the best pooper scooper was how easy it was to transfer the waste after retrieving it.

One method many scoopers employ is to use a claw mechanism to pick up large amounts of doo and then transfer them to a plastic bag. You then just need to pick up the bag by the top and put it all in the trash. Easy enough and a fairly standard method.

The newer development in poop management appears to be scooping directly into the bag. The idea here is to eliminate over-handling the waste and getting it into the bag as quickly and cleanly as possible. Win-win!

Overall Ease of Use

The last concern we reviewed for the list was how easy was the scooper to use overall. If the bags attached, then were they easy to remove? If the scoop was a claw-type, was the spring mechanism easy to operate for someone without a lot of arm strength?

Going back to the ergonomic issue, a question we kept in mind was did the capacity of the scooper eliminate the need for emptying too many times during pick up? Also, did the scoop require unwanted bending or turning to accomplish the task at hand?

While looking at the many variations of poop scoops, I kept in mind my ongoing experiences with dog cleaning chores and I’m always looking for a better way. Now that we have our criteria in place, let’s look at the pooper scoopers that made our best list. Hopefully, you will find the scooper that will make poop patrol, if not enjoyable, at least a bit more tolerable.

Pooper Scoopers-Best Of List

And now... Our top five picks for the best poo picker-upers!

Petmate Arm & Hammer Swivel Bin & Rake Pooper Scooper

The biggest advantage of this scooper set is the rotating bin. When you scoop waste into the bin and move on to another “drop site” the bin spins from horizontal to vertical trapping the waste into any bag you attach. I use this system for my dogs, and it is easy to use. I can use grocery bags, so I am also, in a sense, recycling at the same time.

Another appreciated feature of the Petmate is the extendable handle on the bin. Adjustable up to 32 in., this helps me save my back during poop patrol. I no longer have to bend or kneel to pick up the waste.

With attachment handles for any bags, the bin stays relatively sanitary between pickups. Also, I don’t come into contact with any dog doo when I’m ready to dispose of the bag. This is my favorite feature. My previous system had an open, stationery bin with which I used disposable gloves. I found I was always having to pick up errant droppings because the open bin did not hold the waste.

What We Like

• Superior to old-style hand pick up or spade and shovel combinations
• Odor and sanitary issues are minimized while scooping
• Handles a large amount of waste in one session
• Can utilize plastic grocery bags, no need for specialty bags
• Extended handle (up to 32 in.) reducing possible strain on back and legs
• Sturdy design
• Rotating bin for easy transport to trash container
• Handles attached to the bin for securing bags
• For use on soft and hard surfaces, from grass to cement
• Rake and bin attach together for easy storage

What We Don't Like

• Thickness of the bin plastic can make scooping smaller droppings a challenge
• The rake is difficult to lean while scooping because of the rounded design
• Not all grocery bags fit correctly, requires standard size or larger

Overall, I find the Petmate to be a wonderful upgrade to my old poo chore system which I now realize was highly inefficient. If I have a concern at all about this system, it is the plastic rake. However, I’ve been using the Petmate for a while now and the rake is holding up. I leave it outside between clean-ups and the rake still seems sturdy. The plastic appears to be a good quality.

Nature’s Miracle Non-Stick Advanced Scoop

A recent design change for the pet poop tool is the spring-operated jaw-type scooper. Think claw game at the arcade only your prize is dog poop and you win every time? Anyway, this style of poop scoop has become very popular among pet owners and lawn maintenance workers.

One of the biggest selling points for Nature’s Miracle is that it is available in two sizes, medium and jumbo. I would purchase in the jumbo to address my large dog needs, yet I’m sure it could handle my little dog’s “presents”, as well.

While you still will have to transport the waste to another trash receptacle while cleaning, there is an advantage to a one-motion device such as this. You would no longer need two hands for the scoop and bin system. You will, however, need to have a bag handy because you will need to dispose of each pick-up.

What We Like

• Available in medium and jumbo sizes
• Lightweight
• Easy to use jaw-type tool
• Picks up well from all surfaces, including gravel and concrete
• Antimicrobial non-stick plastic surfaces
• Can survive continuous outside storage
• The teeth help with pick up of loose piles on all surfaces, especially grass
• Sturdy design
• Tension on spring-mechanism is appropriate for all strength levels

What We Don't Like

• Must have a bag to drop waste after picking up
• Does not hold a bag of any kind
• Teeth can become dirty and require regular cleaning
• The strength required for operation maybe above average
• Can require special maneuvering to pick up less than perfect stools
• Mechanisms can become stuck over time creating improper closing of jaws
• Possibly more suited for small to medium dog waste management

Another advantage of the jaw tools is that they are quite effective on multiple surfaces, especially gravel landscaping. With the bin and rake method, you often pick up gravel along with the droppings, whereas the jaw method can act as sort of a sieve.

Dogit Jawz Waste Scoop

The Dogit is a grabbing, one-handed type of scooper. This version features serrated teeth on the pick-up jaws which help make it effective for cleaning in grass and gravel as well as other hard surfaces. Made of durable plastic, this scoop is easy to handle and lightweight to enable a quick job when on poo patrol.