Can we talk about dog logistics?

[MSWR0319]

We have been really considering getting a dog. I'm hung up on on one thing though, where the dog will go to the bathroom. We have a giant backyard, but I want to be able to let the dog out in the winter to go without having to walk it somewhere far. So how do you handle the bathroom portion of taking care of your dog? Do you have a certain place it goes in the yard or do you just let it run around? I don't want to let it just run because then I'm looking all over the yard to pick it up. Plus I'd like to minimize the risk of the kids stepping in it between cleanups.

[trcy]

We just open the back door and the dog goes anywhere in our back yard. I try to be good about clean up, but there is room for improvement :bag. I am sure you can easily train a dog to just go in one section of the yard...hmm, I should try that. There are also pet waste clean up services, but I have no idea how much they cost.

[123LuckyMom]

We used to have a huge fenced yard, and the dog went anywhere, though there were some areas he preferred more than others. We had a scooper and dump spot, and we'd go out and clean every few days when there was no snow. Now we have no fence, so our dog is on a tie out, and his range is lessened. In good weather I clean up every couple of days. The worst is spring, though, after the snow melts. Yuck!!!

[specialp]

Both of our dogs made their own special places and that is the only area where they would #2. I'm sure you can train for one area. We never did, but glad t worked out that way as it is the only area of a large yard to clean up.

[Kindra178]

Dogs should only poop 1-3 times a day, so controlling the location of the poop/keeping up with it shouldn't be too difficult. We don't have a fenced yard and only do leash walking, so I never have to worry about forgotten poop in our yard.

[Pennylane]

You can easily train a puppy to go to the bathroom where you want. It will take some effort on your part for the first month or two as you will have to leash it and walk it to the area where you want it to go.

Ann


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[elbenn]

We just got a puppy and we have a big backyard. I've been taking the puppy to the same place to go to the bathroom because it's around the side of the house and also close to the garbage cans so it's way more convenient. When we play with the puppy out in the yard, he pees anywhere, but we usually take him around to the side yard before we go in because he associates that with where he should poop. He's not potty trained yet, but I'm hoping he will continue to go in the same area.

[hillview]

another train the dog to go where you want it to. When it is a puppy you have to walk it on a leash to its spot -- after a couple of months that will be the spot.

[123LuckyMom]

You can easily train a puppy to go to the bathroom where you want. It will take some effort on your part for the first month or two as you will have to leash it and walk it to the area where you want it to go.

Ann


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Not for all dogs! Mine was an agility and obedience dog. He would absolutely go on command (we say, "Do your business"), but I could never train him to go in a certain spot in the yard when unsupervised. Without my presence and supervision, all bets were off. It's certainly worth a try, but don't count on being able to do it long term unless you're willing to go outside every time the dog does.

[daisysmom]

We have a prett big fenced yard and our dogs generally go in the same area, once in the morning and once at dinner time. We pick it up right away tho.

[mom_hanna]

We always walked our dog to the same area when he was a puppy, and told him to "Go potty". It was around the side of the house in the yard but not in the main open part. He always went there. We moved when he was 5 and he quickly found the equivalent part of the yard in our new house and has never gone anywhere but there. We just got a new dog (1 year old) 2 years ago and did the same thing. He now goes in his own spot as well. It's great and can be done!

[MSWR0319]

Thanks for all of the replies!! This gives me hope that we can train him or her to go in one area.

[lhafer]

If you have a big enough back yard, another option you can do is to have a dog run. Fence off a smaller portion of the yard, and that's where you put the dog to do it's business.

[mmommy]

Our chihuahua uses a litter box!

[Mommaof3]

We have a fenced in yard but let our dog out the back door on a lead to control where she can go plus when she had the run of the yard she would get into stuff she shouldn't!

[Snow mom]

We have a small (maybe 20' x 15') fenced off dog yard that is accessible from the deck doors via one of the stairs off the deck. There's a baby gate at the top of the second set of stairs that leads into the unfenced yard so it's possible to get to the unfenced area without going through the dog yard. The kids aren't allowed down in the dog yard because it's not necessarily poop free. Our dogs were older when we moved here and since our yard wasn't fenced when we moved in it made more sense to fence a small portion for the dogs and leave the rest for the kids.

[smilequeen]

Yes, you can train them to go in one specific area. I haven't, I just let them out and hire a pooper scooper service, but if we get another puppy soon, I probably will. I have pugs that don't NEED walks. Just for fun, but they are low exercise needs. If you don't want to walk a dog in the winter you need to make sure you get a dog that has low exercise needs.