Designated Poo Space?

[TINMANPDX]

We recently moved from a duplex with a small yard, to a single family house with a HUGE yard. The yard at or old place had a grassy area surrounded by mulched beds with bushes. Both of the dogs did all of their business in the mulched area and used the grassy area for play and laying down. It was great because it was really easy to scoop poop off the mulch, and they almost never got the dreaded poo foot. In our new yard, our boy does his business at the far end of the yard, pretty much always in the same place, which makes it easy to clean up, but our girl does it everywhere, and unless I follow her around and scoop immediately, it is really hard to find. In the interest of keeping the yard cleaner I am wondering if we could somehow train them to do it in one designated space. There is an area off the side of the house with a door that leads into the house from our laundry room. I'm thinking we could put pine shavings or mulch in that area and plant a few small bushes and start letting them out through the laundry room door and somehow encourage them to do it there.

I would be grateful for any suggestions or stories about how others deal with this issue.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I got some decorative fencing panels from Lowe's, and fenced off an area for my grey. Her area is 8x12, just off our patio. The fence extends to the deck, so she can't get to the rest of the yard unless I let her. It took a couple months, but she got the point and will now generally return to her yard if she decides to go while out in the main yard. They are the type that sit on pegs in the ground and interlock. I keep one of them from interlocking, and clip it closed with a carabiner, and it makes a nice gate. (They probably sell gates with some of these fences, but not with the style I chose).

 

I use straw on the ground to prevent muddy feet in wet weather. My grey faces the fence when she poops, so they all land outside her walking path. That really helps prevent poo foot, for her and me. The straw is excellent for pickup too. I scrape it all up and replace it in the spring, but during the rest of the year I just put more down when it gets bare in spots. I go through about two bales a year with this method. She almost never tracks any straw into the house either.

 

I took this pic before I started using straw.

 

She was looking into the rising sun when I too the shot, that's why she's being all squinty.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Wasserbuffel

[Time4ANap]

See these threads

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/300777-potty-yard-surface-suggestions/?do=findComment&comment=5560768

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/294913-greyscaping-a-small-yard/?do=findComment&comment=5430766

 

In the first thread there is a pic of Rocket's turnout area with horse stall bedding to control the mud (pine shavings). This worked well, and since we are getting 3 inches of rain today following the snow melt, i actually put down a couple of bales of shavings about an hour ago.

 

There is also mention of a mulch call "hog fuel" in one of the threads. Being in Oregon, you can probably get that and have it blown in instead of having to lug bags or wheelbarrows full of the stuff. Unfortunately, there is no company here in Central IL that uses a blower truck for mulch, or that's what i would have used instead of the shavings.

[sobesmom]

If they're used to pooping on much - put down a square of much. You might have to leash-walk to it for a while, until they get used to going there. If it's the right place - put the much where your boy already goes. Once dogs establish a poop-area - they generally stick to it. Both my greys - and 90% of the fosters - would go to my back fence line to poop. Easy clean-up, small area. I think once one dog established it as the poop-area - everyone else followed. BUT - we had fosters that would poop all over the yard. No biggie - as they were temporary - but if they were MY dog - I'd have leashed-walked them to the poop area, so they got in the habit of going there. A poop-area is pretty easy to establish. Pee - that's a WHOLE different story. Expect yellow grass circles all over your yard.

[TINMANPDX]

I got some decorative fencing panels from Lowe's, and fenced off an area for my grey. Her area is 8x12, just off our patio. The fence extends to the deck, so she can't get to the rest of the yard unless I let her. It took a couple months, but she got the point and will now generally return to her yard if she decides to go while out in the main yard. They are the type that sit on pegs in the ground and interlock. I keep one of them from interlocking, and clip it closed with a carabiner, and it makes a nice gate. (They probably sell gates with some of these fences, but not with the style I chose).

 

I use straw on the ground to prevent muddy feet in wet weather. My grey faces the fence when she poops, so they all land outside her walking path. That really helps prevent poo foot, for her and me. The straw is excellent for pickup too. I scrape it all up and replace it in the spring, but during the rest of the year I just put more down when it gets bare in spots. I go through about two bales a year with this method. She almost never tracks any straw into the house either.

 

I took this pic before I started using straw.

 

She was looking into the rising sun when I too the shot, that's why she's being all squinty.

I like the fancy fencing! Hadn't considered straw ... Seems like it might not get dragged back into the house as bad as mulch or pine shavings. Thanks for posting the pic!

See these threads

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/300777-potty-yard-surface-suggestions/?do=findComment&comment=5560768

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/294913-greyscaping-a-small-yard/?do=findComment&comment=5430766

 

In the first thread there is a pic of Rocket's turnout area with horse stall bedding to control the mud (pine shavings). This worked well, and since we are getting 3 inches of rain today following the snow melt, i actually put down a couple of bales of shavings about an hour ago.

 

There is also mention of a mulch call "hog fuel" in one of the threads. Being in Oregon, you can probably get that and have it blown in instead of having to lug bags or wheelbarrows full of the stuff. Unfortunately, there is no company here in Central IL that uses a blower truck for mulch, or that's what i would have used instead of the shavings.

 

I like how the cones give him something to aim at. There are some dog parks here that use material similar to the hog fuel, and my two don't seem to like it much, I think because it is kind of rough.

[TINMANPDX]

If they're used to pooping on much - put down a square of much. You might have to leash-walk to it for a while, until they get used to going there. If it's the right place - put the much where your boy already goes. Once dogs establish a poop-area - they generally stick to it. Both my greys - and 90% of the fosters - would go to my back fence line to poop. Easy clean-up, small area. I think once one dog established it as the poop-area - everyone else followed. BUT - we had fosters that would poop all over the yard. No biggie - as they were temporary - but if they were MY dog - I'd have leashed-walked them to the poop area, so they got in the habit of going there. A poop-area is pretty easy to establish. Pee - that's a WHOLE different story. Expect yellow grass circles all over your yard.

 

I had not considered using my boy's existing area of preference or leash walking Lea to that area to get her to go there too. She is extremely efficient and does her business immediately when she goes out, so I don't think I would have to do much but walk her out and unleash her when she finishes. I am going to give this a try for a couple of weeks and see if she can get the idea.

[Time4ANap]

We were surprised at how well the pine shavings will mat down and hold after the fist rain or freeze. Initially, we find them in the house for a week or so because they are loose and haven't compacted down, but after that we have very little trouble with them being dragged in. I also found that the shavings spread easily and cover much more area than mulch because the bales are compressed. This is our 2nd year using the shavings.

[Gryffenne]

Sammi was unintentionally trained to walk across the driveway and in the woods at my dad's house (house & yard are back in the woods). Never really thought about it until I moved and there was one tree in the yard. She saw the leaves on the ground and drug me there to go.

 

Now at our house, we have 3 lots/corner with a bunch of trees behind/beside the house. If you don't lead her, and let her decide where to go, she tries dragging you into the trees to go on the leaves

 

We tried retraining her to a sandy patch between the house & the trees, but she would have none of it. I think it was too small of a space for her liking. Next spring when we enlarge the garden, we will enlarge her area as well and see if she will change. Otherwise... trees it is!

[sobesmom]

I had not considered using my boy's existing area of preference or leash walking Lea to that area to get her to go there too. She is extremely efficient and does her business immediately when she goes out, so I don't think I would have to do much but walk her out and unleash her when she finishes. I am going to give this a try for a couple of weeks and see if she can get the idea.

I'll bet it won't even take that long. A week of consistent pooping on-leash in one place - and she'll go there by choice. You're especially luckily that she's an efficient business-do-er. Walk her straight to "the spot" - do the business - then it's off-leash fun! Praise, of course.

 

I'll suggest one thing that many people won't like. Don't pick up all the poop immediately. Leave one pile from each dog there for a day. So there's a marker to go back to.

[RaineysMom]

I had not considered using my boy's existing area of preference or leash walking Lea to that area to get her to go there too. She is extremely efficient and does her business immediately when she goes out, so I don't think I would have to do much but walk her out and unleash her when she finishes. I am going to give this a try for a couple of weeks and see if she can get the idea.

 

Like mother, like son Larry is an extremely efficient pee'er and pooper -- no messing around. He goes out, does his biz, then comes right back in Now, on walkies, that's another matter. He spends far more time sniffing than peeing