Dog s**tting in garden

[Londonwriter]

We’re lucky enough to have a (narrow) 50ft garden during lockdown.

My DH has been allowing our dog to s*t in the garden. Everytime my three-year-old DS goes to play in the garden, which is currently his main outdoor recreation as the playground is closed, there is at least one or two cold, dry c*ps hidden in the grass.

My DH says that he feels sorry for the dog because, although we are using our one ‘exercise’ trip each day to walk the dog, the dog can’t manage. He says he doesn’t know the dog is c***g in the garden because he often wants to go in the dark.

I’m sick and tired of it. He’s pooing twice a day (on each trip out) and then, it appears, in addition, he c*d six times in the garden over the Easter weekend. I’m worried that my DS gets sick from the garden being a dog toilet. When my DH isn’t working from home, the dog manages perfectly fine on a short run in the morning, a brief walk around 4pm and a further brief walk around midnight.

I told my DH to try to get the dog to c**p in one place only, but apparently this is not feasible given he’s working full-time and we have a colicky baby.

AIBU? DH thinks I’m a hygiene Nazi and it’s fine provided the c**p is picked up.

But don't you usually let your dog out in the garden anyway? That sounds pretty unkind, keeping a dog indoors unnecessarily when you have a garden.

Just check the garden once a day in the morning before letting your child play out there and clear the poo. It's not hard, it's what everybody else with a dog has to do.

What on Earth do you do about cat crap, bird shit and fox poo? Because you’ll have all of these in the average family garden too you know (probably mouse droppings too!) At least it’s it’s coming from your own family dog you know where it’s coming from. The risk of blindness from dog poo comes from worm in the poo. Hopefully you should know that your own dog is regularly treated for worms and doesn’t have them so there shouldn’t be any risk of that. No one likes dog poo but it just has to be dealt with. Ffs don’t bleach the grass! Your kid is more likely to damage themselves with bleach than dog shit!

As a dog owner, I would agree with others that your dog pooing in the garden is perfectly fine - if dog need to go it needs to go. However I wouldn't agree with your DH's attitude of just leaving it. That is disgusting and unreasonable. I have a small garden area and I've put a small bin and keep poo bags in the garden so if the dog goes to the toilet, it can be picked up straight away and put in a bin. I also think sectioning off part of the garden is a good way forward as it'd obviously something you've got a lot of concerns about.
Is your dog a small dog? If so, is it also possible that is neighbourhood cats toileting in your garden?

Christ, you're hard work. Poor dog and poor DH. The dog is probably out of routine as well as the humans in the house. Just do a poo check before the kid goes out in the garden. It's a dog, not a person - give it a break.

This. And stop bleaching the fucking grass for your child and your dog's sakes.

Also, if your dog is wormed properly there is no need to worry about toxicara infection.

That is so disgusting.

We don’t even have a dog but even we do a quick check of garden before the kids go out! Cats and foxes poo in our garden and you can guarantee one or both kids will step in it!

@OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow - fantastic typo

I can kind of see where you're coming from. Surely it's easier for your husband to watch the dog on his coffee break and pick up the poo there and then rather than have you scan the garden each and every time you use it incase there is a poo hiding somewhere.

I own two dogs, and neither of them are allowed to poop in the garden - one of them won't anyway (even if he has an upset tummy) and the other would but when he does, I take him to the poo and tell him no and he tends not to do it again for a while. We do go out 3x a day, one walkie and 2x toilet breaks to the grass in the private carpark behind the house so they have ample opportunity to do their business some place that's not the garden. I think it's grim to allow dogs to poo in the garden, even if you wash it down after removing it and especially if you have a small child. Train the dog not to poop in the garden, or as previous posters have said, make a poop zone for him and train him to use that. You and your DH have to take responsibility for that.

It sounds as if your whole life revolves around the needs of your dog 😳

My dog poos in the garden and I pick it up every time and then use a watering can to rinse any residue away.

I don't see the problem really other than you both need to check for poo if you aren't going to clean it up straight away.

I think the fact he is pooing more now he is allowed shows that your previous set up meant the poor dog was holding it in, alot. I cannot imagine only being able to toilet at set times, I wouldn't inflict that on an animal.

Your DH should be picking it up when it happens on his watch and yes it is possible to train them into one space- sadly not something we managed ourselves.

But yes. As a dog owner it is entirely normal for a dog to poo in their own garden.

And for godsake just swear. It's more offensive to me to have to work out what is hiding!

Surely if you take him out to poo when you take him out for a walk and hopefully pick it up afterwards then you would do the same when he does it in your garden.

To be honest if he’s toileting on his daily walks where there is also other people and there children using the same area and your happy for your dog to do that, then surely its ok for him to do it in your garden where you and your child have access after all its your dogs poo.

I would much rather all dogs do their business in their own gardens instead of seeing it on the pavements or the parks where it hasn’t been picked up.

Just bloody write shit and crap, FFS.

Walk the poor dog, you can go out each once and take the poor thing with you.

And pick up the shit, it won't kill you.

I'm more pissed off with the fucking cat that started shitting in my garden and I've had to pick that up, so my dogs are now on cat patrol.

Our dog craps in the garden. We've tried to teach her to use the toilet but, you know, she's a dog, it's what they do. The poo gets picked up and disposed of. It comes with the territory.

For the love of God, just go and pick the stuff up. Everyone else manages it.

when he does, I take him to the poo and tell him no and he tends not to do it again for a while

Then your dog is an exception to every single bit of behavioural science on canine learning. Either that or you're seeing a pattern where there is none.

@RincewindsHat you think it's grim to let a dog poo in the garden but it's OK to take it to the same public spot everyday. How does that work?

@CBADotCom It’s a huge dog - so enormous poos. That’s part of the reason it’s really unpleasant.

We do have foxes, etc. And I’ve removed their poos before now. But it’s the odd tiny poo - not multiple huge piles strewn all over a small garden.

The dog is (obviously) wormed regularly - along with tick, flea, etc treatments.

As I say, this simply hasn’t come up before. We haven’t been in the house that long, and it was overgrown when we moved in, so this is the first spring where we’ve had a usable garden. I work from home so normally take out the dog (and kids) multiple times a day.

We let the dog out to wee in the garden, but - due to the walks - he never really wants to poo and, if he does, I immediately take him into the street where he poos in a favourite spot in a gutter. My older DS went to play in a nearby playground (which is off-limits to dogs - so our dog can’t come on those trips) while we didn’t have the garden in use.

Xenia - I would say only people who can let their dog shit in their own patch should have them! It’s their problem then.

I don't get how others say their dog isn't ''allowed'' to poo in their garden. Surely it's better they crap in your garden than on the street or park? Poor dogs can't win, they have to poo somewhere!!!

@Spidey66 my dogs prefer to drink out the toilet, than poo in it lol

RincewindsHat are you for real. Do you rub his nose in it as well?

when he does, I take him to the poo and tell him no and he tends not to do it again for a while

Stupid and potentially cruel. Do you know anything about dogs at all?

Our dog will only poo in the garden. I just pick them up and let the kids out. No bleach, no soap.

Also, unless you are in Wales you are allowed out for exercise as many times as you like, but they ask that you keep it to the minimum needed. So you could take the dog more.

Also you can write shit, crap and even cunt on here.