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The doghouse

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

Original poster

My dog will only poo in our garden.

29 replies

Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 11:41

That's it really. We've got a 7 month old border collie and it will only shit in our garden. (Which is not that big).
Getting so fed up of it, how do we get it to stop.
We take it out for long walks all the time. It can wee quite happily anywhere but not poo!

The dog is out during the day with dp at work. (Outside).
It's becoming a joke that no matter how long you walk it for, it will always come back and poo in the garden-and it's not just once a day.

We live rurally and the dog is always out in fields and woods, but has only ever pooed in the garden.

Thanks!

OP posts:
JollyGolightly · 13/07/2013 11:43

That's great, you can scoop it up then and there, guaranteeing no inconvenience to anyone else. What a civilised dog!

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 11:57

We always pick up dog poo anyway. (Long time dog owners). But our garden is not that big and we have dc's. I can't let them run around in bare feet in their own back garden.

Where we walk only other dog walkers go and never in towns or near childrens parks etc. So, hopefully not inconveniencing too many people! (I really hate dog owners who do not clear up after there dogs).

We are picking up to 5 poos a day!

OP posts:
Earthworms · 13/07/2013 12:01

Make a sort of sand litter tray for him?

That's what a mate did in this situation.

Geeklover · 13/07/2013 12:44

I am delighted that my dog only poops in the garden. Always know where it is and no poop to pick up and carry about on a walk.
My dc are 9,7 and 3 and will all grab a bag and pick up a poop if they see one on the grass.
Try finding out ideas to get the dog to only poop in one place might be better. My ex mil has 2 dogs and gets frustrated at the one that will never poop in her own garden.

ImNotBloody14 · 13/07/2013 12:47

I dont understand the issue Confused

No matter where he poops you have to lift it straight away anyway- at least in the garden you can bin it straight away rather than carrying it with you in a bag. I take mine for a poo in the garden before we go on a walk as id rather not carry poo around.

ImNotBloody14 · 13/07/2013 12:49

If you keep your grass short and lift ut straight away, sluice with water the. Dcs can play barefoot. Sandbox is a great idea.

GemmaTeller · 13/07/2013 12:50

One of my boxers will only go to the toilet in our garden and to be honest I prefer it that way.
We once too them to the seaside for the afternoon and he waited five hours for a wee, he couldn't get out of the car fast enough and the look of relief on his face was a picture!

Can you get the dog to do its toilet in the same place in the garden? that way the kids can avoid that area?

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 13:04

Thank you for all your replies. I guess it is a non issue for many people, but the dog just poos all over the garden. We try to pick it up straight away and hose it down, but as soon as we have done that he has shat in another place!!

I have young children that like to have picnics and play on the grass with dolls etc. I just don't like the thought if them playing in the grass where he has been to toilet! We also have other children coming in our garden a lot and I would hate for one if them to tread in some and walk it home or into our house etc.

Maybe my dog just poos a lot! Can't remember our other dogs being this bad! Will try the sand box idea.

Thank you again.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 13/07/2013 13:12

Perhaps you could approach this from a different angle and change his food so that he poos less and also his poo is a better quality for picking up (shat implies that its a bit loose to me ) .

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 13:18

Yes, we could think about changing his food. (Excuse my language)!!

OP posts:
ImNotBloody14 · 13/07/2013 13:22

I think the sandbox sounds like your best bet. Fwiw- your set up sounds very like mine- small garden- small dcs and friends in all the time. The only thing that might be different is that my dog doesnt be out in the garden unless i am so if he poos im right there to lift it straight away before anyone stands in it.

Loupee · 13/07/2013 13:31

I have a 7 month dog that also only poos in the garden, I've put it partly down to age just now. But he only poos once a day so not difficult to clean up.
I would maybe concerned if he was pooing that often, although a don't have a huge about of dog knowledge!

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 13:40

Back door is always open with dc's in and out all the time. Although, they do tell me when he's been to toilet.

Should I be worried about the amount he poos?! He has a mix of dry and tinned food. We've always had border collies and fed them the same way. I was hoping that it was an age thing but obviously it's been a few years since we had a puppy. Was thinking of giving him dry food, but he doesn't really like it by itself.

Will try the sand box thing.

OP posts:
Nospringflower · 13/07/2013 13:46

We have a 2 year old border collie and it poos in the garden and when out so worst of both worlds! It chooses where it poos (marking territory for foxes) so not sure how easy it would be to train it to go in one place but sounds worth a try. Ours is on dry food and doesn't eat that much but still at least 3 poos a day I'd guess at!

HotPanda · 13/07/2013 14:37

If you feed meat instead of kibble that will make a massive difference. I used to feed our dally kibble and we would get about 6 poos per day, and they would be soft and large. I started on the minced blocks of meat from freezer sections of pet shops and we now have 2 poos that are tiny and fairly hard. Much easier to pick up.
Plus we keep disinfectant and water mixed up in a watering can and just wash the area after we've picked up.

moosemama · 13/07/2013 15:09

It's fairly easy to train your dog to go in one area of your garden. You just need to take them to your chosen area (furthest corner from the house is a good choice) and reliably positively reinforce them every single time they go in that area.

It helps to have some sort of visual demarcation, even if it's just some low garden edging type stuff - or you can part fence a corner with some low picket fencing and that makes it clearly visible to dog and children alike.

As others have said - the alternative is to train them to go in a sand box type set up. The process is exactly the same - just keep taking the dog to the sand box and praise and reward whenever he goes there.

At our last house we had a slabbed area, fenced off with picket fencing and surrounded by a soak away (trench filled with hardcore then soil, then gravel on top) and that was the best set-up we've ever had. We had a tiny garden and 2 dogs, but we were able to keep the lawn clean, easily clear up after them and sluice it down with a bucket of water with tea-tree oil in a couple of times a day to keep it fresh.

We never go around to doing it here, but I really wish we had.

If he is pooing that often, I would agree with what others have said and address his diet. It doesn't have to be kibble, Nature Diet and Natures Menu are good wet food options that you can buy in bulk and freeze. Good quality dog food will drastically improve the quality and quantity of his poo.

Floralnomad · 13/07/2013 15:48

I feed mine Barking Heads biscuit ( sensitive type) and he only does one or two small poos a day so I think it depends on what type of kibble you feed .

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 16:23

Thanks for all your advice. Will change his food ASAP. I think it's the fact that he is pooing several times a day and in so many different places that it just makes the garden seem disgusting now. I like the idea of a disinfectant in a watering can.

Can't fence off part of the garden as it isn't really big enough and we have a trampoline, Wendy house patio area etc.

If you buy the frozen food, do you defrost it over night? Does it need cooking? Never seen frozen dog food before!!

I can easily deal with 1 or 2 poos a day.

OP posts:
worsestershiresauce · 13/07/2013 16:33

A lot of dog foods are full of filler to bulk them up so you think you are getting more for your money. You're not, it goes straight through. I switched to Burns and poo volume halved. If he's an active collie try the Burns active which is a working dog food hence no VAT.

As for going in the garden, I'm afraid I'm with the others who think that is a good thing. I'm fed up with dog poo on the pram wheels. My two only go in the garden as well. You can't really complain about him making your garden unsuitable for your children, as having dogs in a choice, and you should be prepared to live with the downsides. It's not right to expect other people who don't have dogs to put up with public space being unsuitable for their kids.

Good job you didn't post this in AIBU as the anti-dog crew would have lynched you Grin

thegriffon · 13/07/2013 16:37

Easier to clear up in the garden without an audience of passers by.
My dog only goes once a day when out on walks. Small easy to pick up poos, until last week when he suddenly shat vast amounts of liquid on the pavement Shock Luckily not far from home so was able to get a bucket of water and do a proper clean up, but very embarrassing as loads of people around to see my humiliation. So now on tenterhooks in case he does it again, trying to get him to go in the garden but no luck so far.

GemmaTeller · 13/07/2013 16:45

Mine are on Royal Canin boxer breed and both of them do a poo in the morning and one in the evening, so you can pretty much guarantee a toilet free garden and walk for the rest of the day.

Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 16:49

As I said up thread. We live in a rural area he goes to work with dp everyday. He never goes to towns, parks etc and gets taken for walks in fields used only by other dog walkers.
We have had dogs in the past and have always cleaned up after them wherever we are. I hate dog owners who don't clean up after their dogs and have phoned the council on more than 1 occasion to have the public area outside my house cleaned up after the dc's have walked in it and into our house, and asked for more dog bins.

I have to agree with you all now that maybe him pooing in our garden is a good thing. Smile Just wish it wasn't quite so much!!

Will change his diet and hope that sorts him out!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Georgina89 · 13/07/2013 16:54

Can you imagine if I had posted this in AIBU? Grin

I now see the benefits of having a dog that only poos at home!!! Thank you all. Smile

OP posts:
mrsjay · 14/07/2013 12:45

our bita this and that collie only poos in the garden I cant walk him (the dds do) so it is easier to scoop the poop than them doing the dramatic heaving when he is out and about, he will pee on walks now he never used too,

mrsjay · 14/07/2013 12:47

we changed from wet to dry he was pooing all the time he now poos twice a day ,