He won't Poop in the Yard!

[Ozzy]

What is going on?  Ozzy won't poop in our yard!  He'll only go when we are on a walk!  This needs to change - especially before the ground is covered in snow deeper than he is tall!
Any suggestions?  I've tried walking him on the leash in the yard... collecting "sample" and bringing them back to put on our grass... throwing the ball (which he won't bring back so it's a short lived game) to get his system going...
I hope someone has a magic trick they can share!

[teddybear]

You'll have to ask somebody else. I did the sample thing with Teddy and just kept putting it in the same place and taking him to that place every time and he got the hang of it. I do admit that it is odd that a puppy won't do his business in his own yard! 

[Ann]

Wow this is a problem. I''m not sure what to suggest. I think this one might be for the vet to answer. The only thing that I would try is to go out into the yard with him and tell him to go toilet and keep doing it till he does it. Maybe even say go toilet when you are walking outside with him so he becomes use to the command.
Sorry I hope that helps!!!

[Christine3837]

I'm sorry but what do you mean throwing a ball "to get his system going"? Does that work? Does making him move around make him go faster?

[Cash]

Huh.... that's odd.?.?  I don't know that I've ever heard of such a thing.  Does he poop in the house then if he's not walked, or does he just hold it until then?

[Mai Tai]

Mai Tai won't poop in our yard either. He will only poop when we take him on a walk on his leash.  I have even tried the leash in the yard, but that did not work.  I think he thinks of it as part of his den or something and won't poop there.  I am not happy as we fenced in the yard so he could use it on the days I did not have time to walk him.  He will pee in the yard though...very odd.  Tell me if you find out anything about it.

[Cash]

I tried to find info for you guys on line and everything I read said the same thing you both already know.. It appears you are right that they are treating their yard as their den.  Back in the day my Mom wanted to train her cock-a-poo to only go potty in a specific area so she made a small fenced in area behind her garage and when she'd take the dog out she went there for her to go potty.  I know that's $ involved, but it might work to seperate the yard from the potty???  Just a thought.

[shorkiejem]

This is only a suggestion and I don't know if you can do it.  Find one spot in your yard, preferably towards the far end. Not at all close to the house.  Take more than one sample of her poo and place it back in that corner and leave it there.  More than one, don't remove it for a week.  I know disgusting.  Do not take her out for a walk.  Put her on the leash and walk her to the spot where you put the samples.  If she won't go, bring her in the house.  you continue to put her on a leash only and take her out to the spot.  Each time you take her to the spot, repeat the word you always use for when she has to go out.  Example, potty or poo.  If you have a word.  Do that for a week.  If she does have a accident in the house, take her over to the poo on a leash, pick the poo up and bring her and the poo out to the spot where the other samples are.  Keep using the same word.
Let us know how it goes.  hope it works
I did this with my Goldens and they got it.  After awhile I could let them go off leash to the bathroom and from habit they would go to that same corner to do their business.  It's a lot of work but to me it was worth it.  These little guys can be real ball, you know what.

[Mai Tai]

Thanks Cash and Shorkie.  I think that idea would work, Shorkie.  I just have not had time to do it, though I should before winter hits here.  Really don't know what to do with Mojito for winter.  He will not be able to take the snow.  I hate to start trying to train him to wee wee pads since we have made a little (very little) progress with going outside.  I put down wee wee pads the other day, but he chewed them and dragged them into his crate...cute, but not helpful.

[Mai Tai]

Oh, and Cash, my neighbors did that with their yard.  They have a section fenced in and their dog immediately runs out to it, pees and poops and comes back in.  They only have to search that section of the yard to clean up poop.  It is great.  I guess you would train them to go there the same way Shorkie said, but I would like to try it without the fence first to save the money.  Thanks though.  Good idea.

[shorkiejem]

Mai, I hear ya with the pee pads.  I have to use them with Jemma all the time because I'm away from home 8 plus hours a day.  And she is small and has to go a little more often.
But I had a hard time because she would not pee or poo in the same spot.  Pee was not a problem but poo was.  So I put a pee pad in the bathroom so she has 2 now, lol.  BUT...now she go pee and poo on the same pad.  Afraid to eliminate one for fear she'll start to poo other places.  I'm leaving well enough alone.  Besides Jemma will not like snow, she even hates strong wind in the summer!  She hides behind me walking when it's windy.  sigh

[Cash]

I'm trying to think positively for when winter comes...maybe, just maybe the cold will make them hurry along.  Not to mention Cash is still wanting to go outside for a majority of the day (barely bringing him in then he wants out again)  We're getting a late summer here in Wisconsin so it's still in the 80's.  Once it's cold I'm hoping he'll just ask to go out when he has to go.     I heard this winter is predicted to be a bad one though.
I wonder how hard it would be to train a dog to use pee pads once you've already trained them to go outside.  I would like to be able to do that if and when I go back to work.. but I don't want to revert him to thinking it's ok to go in the house AT ALL!

[Mai Tai]

That is EXACTLY what I am thinking, Cash.  Would love the versatility of having them use pads and outside, but afraid they might start going inside all over. 

[teddybear]

I am still using the pee pads and Teddy is going outside, but we are trying to get him to go outside more often.

[Ozzy]

GUESS WHAT!  He finally did it this morning!!!! YAY!
I took him to the yard on the leash to avoid distraction.  He peed then walked around for a minute and HE DID IT!!! I was so excited and I praised him like never before!

I hope we can reach the point of going outside without the leash and WITHOUT ME.  When I try to let him out in the yard and I don't go with him he just sits at the door.  When I do go with him and I don't use the leash he goes straight to the garden, takes a wood chip and waits for me to chase him.  I've been ignoring this behaviour and going back inside when he does it.  He wants to be with me so if he wants to come in the house I make him drop it.  He does very well with this.  I just wish he'd drop the game and use the yard for what it was intended. (We have one yard for the dog and another for the family).

Anyway... bottom line... HE DID IT!