How to Train Your Dog to Not Poop in the Yard

Hello Tashinga, For pup to learn what you are wanting to teach, they will need to be taken potty to the specific location on leash (one area of the yard you only want them to go potty in, or going potty while on a walk first), rewarded for going potty in the correct location/outing, and not given access to the rest of the yard when they have not recently peed and pooped in the correct location and might need to go. This is generally done for one year to create the type of long term habit that's needed to train this. For a dog you want to go potty on a walk, this looks like taking pup potty on a walk, and after they go potty on the walk you can let them play in the yard but not leave them in the yard for more than an hour, so they don't feel the need to pee again while out there until after the next walk. Another option is to teach pup to go to a certain location on cue while you watch them go from the door into your fence. This option doesn't ensure they always go in that spot with the same level of certainty, but if you want to give more freedom in your yard and not work on this for as long, it can be a good compromise with a decent outcome. This option would apply for a dog you are wanting to go potty in a certain area of the yard and not one you want to go potty while on a walk or on an indoor potty. To teach this, take pup to a specific location on leash, making that location stand out visibly in some way, like a little fence or area of grass surrounded by pine straw, or something else distinct. Teach pup a cue that they associate with going to that location, such as "Go Potty", by leading them there and rewarding them when they go potty in that spot. As they learn that location, start sending them from slightly closer to the house so they are walking those couple of last feet to the spot on their own. To do this you would stand a couple of feet away from the potty spot, then gradually add distance one foot at a time, until you have worked your way back to sending them from the doorway of your home that lets out into the yard, on command. This route won't ensure they never go potty in another spot, but it will give you the ability to send them to their spot when you first let them outside, so they will go there under your supervision without you having to walk all the way outside, then if you want to let them play outside without you in the fence for a while, the chance of them going potty in other spots is decreased since they already went. This process should take a few weeks to train instead of an entire year and allow pup to have more freedom in the yard this year. If you very strictly need pup to never go potty in other spots, I would commit to the year long process on leash though. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Dec. 27, 2021

Hello Ezequiel, At this age each dog will probably need to poop 2-3 times a day, 2 most likely, opposed to every time you take them out. When dogs are younger, they will often poop within 15-45 minutes of eating and after a lot of physical exercise. Some dogs continue that schedule into adulthood, so you can't try monitoring each and see if that's the case for any of them so you can better predict when they will need to go. For the dog who isn't as regular, generally pup will poop once in the morning sometime after breakfast, and once in the evening sometime after dinner. You would need to take pup on a walk to go potty for every potty break during that part of the day until they poop until you give access to the yard. Yard access would happen right after they have pooped on a walk, or for potty outings after pooping earlier that half of the day, but before the need to poop again in the evening. The most sure fire way to keep pup from pooping in your yard is to always take pup for a walk to go potty, and only give freedom in the yard after they have pottied fully, taking them back inside after the walk if they haven't pooped yet during that half of the day instead of giving play in the yard. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Sept. 3, 2021