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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

The doghouse

Dog mess in the garden

16 replies

CustardCream1 · 14/07/2016 08:36

Hi i have a small dog and a one year old Dd. I don't let my daughter go on the grass in the garden as the dog messes on it. Even though I pick it up there is often done pooey residue or I might miss a bit. I'm hopefully moving to a new house next month with a lovely garden and I want my daughter to use it fully. I was thinking of somehow fencing off a small section of the garden for my dog to do her business and that would keep the rest clear for my dd to walk on. Had anyone else done this ir something similar and if so do you have any tips or advice? Thanks.

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georgedawes · 14/07/2016 10:25

Does your dog know a command word for toileting? Teaching that may help.

Tummyclutter · 14/07/2016 22:09

I feel your pain!
All I can say is that we feed our dog a raw food diet ((Nutriment), so no faffing with quantities or handling as it is complete and frozen. His poo is hard, leaves absolutely no residue. Even if I have missed one and it has rained.
We have just been on holiday and put him in training/ boarding. When we said he was raw fed they said to change him over to dry food as 'they don't respond so well to treat training as basically you are giving them steak all the time'. We phased it in, his poo was soft and I spent all my time hosing the grass off.
When we pick him up he is going back to raw!

SnoopDoggyDogg · 14/07/2016 22:14

Totally agree with tummy it's the food. My dogs are raw fed and their poo is small and rock hard. I dog walk for my neighbour and their dog is kibble fed and his poo is awful. Really soft and leaves residue on the grass, I hate picking it up and I used to work in kennels so no stranger to a dog poo!

Lonecatwithkitten · 15/07/2016 07:31

It does not need to be raw to get nice firm poos I feed Canac or Millies Wolfheart and have lovely firm poos both of these get 4.6 to 5.0 on allaboutdogfood and are as close to natural as you can get in a kibble.

PetraStrorm · 15/07/2016 16:35

OP, I have a greyhound who produces truly amazing quantities of poo. And she's a girl so she pretty much wrecked my lawn last year with her wee.

This year (after re-turfing the lawn!) I've fenced it off. Dog now does her business on the gravel, it's easy to pick up the poo, and I hose it down regularly to keep it clean.

It has a double advantage. As well as keeping dog off the grass (apart from when I choose to let her on for her mad 2-minute wappy time/a sleep in the sun), it also means my DD can run around on the grass and play there safely - the dog can't crash her playtime uninvited.

PetraStrorm · 15/07/2016 16:40

You'll need to have the main part of the garden fenced off in such a way that when you let the dog out, it's straight into its toileting area. If you have a separate section for the dog that you have to take it to from the back door, it'll be a massive pain every time you let it out.

And (you'll know this but I'm saying it anyway) you need to make sure your dog has access to plenty of space for exercise - either being allowed in the main bit of garden from time to time, or extra walks if their garden space is being reduced.

Paulat2112 · 15/07/2016 16:56

You need to take a look at your dogs diet and health if its so soft and wet it leaves behind some mess. In the meantime just make sure you pick it all or if there is mess then a sports bottle filled with water is good for shooting water to try and clear it.

CustardCream1 · 15/07/2016 22:48

Thank you all for your great words of advice. I didn't think to look at my dogs diet. Currently her poos are quite firm but often leave some residue especially after it has rained (sorry for tmi). I am going to look at changing her diet to a more raw food diet but I also am going to fence off part of the garden for her, so that I know there is no chance of a stray poo ending up in the part of the garden that my daughter runs around on.

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tabulahrasa · 15/07/2016 23:48

Mine has a fenced off but with gravel...(the gravel was actually because it's in a damp corner and he was trying to avoid going there when it was wet outside, lol, but quite handy)

I just put him in there when he went out until he'd been to the toilet, loads of praise then moved him back in there if he went to the toilet elsewhere in the garden - a bit like housetraining really.

dudsville · 16/07/2016 07:49

Ours are kibble fed on millies and we get firm poo. I do however wish we'd cordoned of an area. My oh didn't want to do this.

Gotheftosleep · 16/07/2016 07:52

We just don't let our dog use the garden as a toilet - means we have to walk him a bit more regularly but this is infinitely preferable to clearing up dog mess. Is that an option for you?

AddictedtoGreys · 16/07/2016 07:59

I have a 3 year old DS and a border collie, we fenced off the patio area of our garden which is approx a third size of the whole garden. The patio is the the first part of the garden you walk too when you go out the back door. My dog uses this area for his toilet so my son can use the grass to play on mostly worry free, still have to check for cat poo before he goes out though my dog still goes on the grass to play but o y when I am there too to keep an eye on him.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 16/07/2016 13:16

My lab is fed on Millie's and his poos are firm. He does tend to private-poo though and goes for the edge of the garden under the trees. He will however quite happily piss wherever he likes and my grass is covered in little dead patches.

CustardCream1 · 17/07/2016 03:15

Thank you all, been reading all your replies with interest. I have ordered some Millies Wolfheart (Countryside Mix which is one of the dry foods that the website recommended) and am hopeful this will firm up my dogs poos.

I think I will fence off the first third of the garden in my new house (if I get it, fingers crossed!). It would be nice to have a fence with a little gate.

Gotheftosleep My dog is walked for around 40 - 60 minutes per day. She usually does one poo during the walk and a second or third in the garden. I think I will start walking her twice per day so she can get used to doing her poos on her walks.

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stonecircle · 17/07/2016 08:35

Could you time her walks so they coincide with when she might want a poo?

Ours have breakfast and then get taken out for a walk (for about 30-60 minutes) about an hour or so afterwards. They're always ready for a poo then.

They always have another long walk in the afternoon; eat again at 5 and then have a short toilet walk in the evening. One of our dogs won't even do a wee in the garden.

CustardCream1 · 17/07/2016 10:48

Hi stonecircle that's a good idea, but my dog is very unpredictable with her poos unfortunately. I will however start walking her more often, twice or maybe three times per day. I think she would probably prefer to do her poos whilst out on a walk (spreading her scent etc, sorry for tmi!!) so maybe if she has 2 or 3 walks at set times, she'll save her poos for then!

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