Neglected my garden over winter

[Kaffiene]

So I have 2 dogs aged 15 (!) and 5 so I am an experienced dog owner. We moved house last year which has a garden which gets no sun over winter. We have been using the decking area a bit but not venturing into the lawned bit for months.

Somehow with life, lock down, kids etc etc I have not kept on top of the poo picking. I need to sort the lawn/ mud out. Gross I know. Is it literally a case of picking up every poop and waiting for the weather to wash/ break down the remains?? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process. Thanks

I don't see how you can speed up the process. I'd get out there ASAP and pick it all up as far as I could

OP, I feel your pain. I have 2 dogs too have spent time over the weekend picking up poo. 24 bags, 2 poos per bag

My tip for you is to pick a frosty morning. Cold hard poos are far more palatable to pick up than warm or wet ones

Depending on the age of the kids, I sense an 'opportunity' for a family activity. Person who picks the most poos up gets a prize

Double bag method. I use empty bread bags - 1 covering picking hand, the other to place poos into, several poos in one bag. You might need a few though.

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-product-doggie-doo-dissolver-makes-dog-owners-dreams-come-true-by-eliminating-waste-handling-174754621.html#:~:text=Doggie%20Doo%20Dissolver%20is%20the,until%20there%20is%20nothing%20left.

Or a bin bag in a bucket to put the poos into, you can carry it with the handle and have a wide-opening to place the poos into. That's probably a better idea with so much. Use a thick bin bag, or maybe even double bag.

I use a litter picker to pick up poo, nappy sack in other hand, usually firm enough to do so easily.

Eek! Didn't the kids want to go out into the garden?

You really should get into the habit of cleaning up every day. I find it helps to have a routine so I go out into the garden for a coffee in the morning, collect the post and then clean up (dog usually goes first thing). In your situation I would go out there in wellies with a ton of bags, walk up and down in a methodical way and pick them all up, then hose it all down afterwards, including the wellies.

Just go out there and pick it all up. There's really not much else you can do about it at this stage.

Doesn’t your garden stink ? I always pick up as soon as our dog goes and that’s a habit you need to get into . Totally agree with all the other posters though that you need to just go out and get on with it and then have a good spray with a hose .

I pick poo up every day. There's no way I would leave it to attract flies or rats.

I did my garden , 2 dogs worth , yesterday ,took me less than 10 minutes, you just have to get on with it .
Not much fun for you ,but not nice for the dogs trying to find a space to do their business on.

I think that’s grotty, you should pick up every 2 days at least, especially as you have children.

Short handled metal shovel, bucket lined with a bin bag. Just whizz around scooping till it's done then bleach and hose down any paving slabs.

Nice frosty morning this morning, so got most of it picked up this morning. Took a long less time than I thought, think I had built it up in my head. To the posters giving me lectures - why thank you so much. Just what I needed.

Like I say I am an experienced owner and usually have a great routine but the last few months have been tough and things got on top of me.

Just need some drier weather now I guess. Can’t hose it down 😂 it would just be more of a mud bath & I am not using bleach on my lawn! Was hoping for some kind of bio ingredients I could use to speed up the break down of any remains. Like the link posted above but that seems to be US based.

Ah we had a bit of a back log too. Easily done in winter with a lack of motivation. It was like a Mexican stand off between DH and me. In the end we paid DS £10 to do to it.

I mowed the lawn today and it’s so nice to have it all clear and looking nice. I’m going to try and keep on top of it now.

I just have a trowel and use normal dog poo bags, or a larger bag if I've left it for a few days. I was actually watching this thread for advice as my garden needs a bit of an overhaul too. Mainly sowing more grass seeds where dog has damaged the grass.

Some of the posters have been a bit rude, it's easily done and doesn't deserve some of the responses you have gotten.

Glad you're enjoying your garden now.