Artificial grass….how to train dog not to toilet on it?

[NewMeNewUs]

We are having our garden renovated in a couple of weeks which included artificial grass being laid.
the gardener has advised me to train the dog (1 year old Labrador) not to toilet on the fake grass, she can do it on the patio instead.
my question is how do I teach this!? Many thanks

I worked for an art grass supplier for many years & you won’t be able to train a dog not to wee in it. They just do. I had it (& a dog) in my last house & they’re attracted to it for weeing. The only way is to fence round it.

I wouldn’t have it now. It stinks (not just from dog wee, it just seems to sweat & smell musty). Dog wee on normal grass fairs much better.

It can't be done. My friends tried with their dog, but they're out there constantly washing their 'grass'. They have major regret. They spend more time trying to clean it than they ever did mowing their real lawn. They also have grandkids who can't run around or sit on the plastic grass in the summer as it gets too hot.

They'd rip it up tomorrow, but can't afford to.

You'll just need to block it off so they can't get to it.

You don't train dogs to not wee anywhere (not even indoors). They learn by association - ie - 'I always wee out here and therefore this is my toilet.' If they always wee inside for example they'll keep weeing inside.

Prevent prevent prevent, and then eventually you should be able to allow access and keep an eye to make sure he never makes the association.

Fence it off or don’t let the dog out unaccompanied.

I have dogs who wee on artifical grass . I done loads of research and I done everything myself. You need to use a different base and weed membrane at the bottom (not the top) also do not use grass with a latex backing.

Its a little worrying that the people doing it for you do not seem to know there's an alternative base.

But now won't you just have dog piss and shit all over your patio?

Poor dog 😞

You posted on the Doghouse. Posters will tell you what’s best for your dog. It turns out that’s not most convenient for you.

if you get artificial grass your dog will go to the loo on it. If you don’t like it, either get rid of the dog, or don’t have the grass.

100% this. It's awful bloody stuff.

This can’t be serious ? You want your dog to go on your patio and want to cover your garden in plastic grass? 😂😂😂

By keeping her off the AstroTurd at least long enough for her to form a habit about toileting on the patio. Several months up to a year or two - it's quite specific to the dog.

Unexpected side effects are likely to be she develops a preference for toileting on similar surfaces when outside the house - ie any hard surface - and stops wanting to toilet in grass etc. might be something to consider, because outside your home you'll probably want the opposite but that's going to be trickier and potentially confusing for her.

I could have written this. Toilet on hard surface usually means we have a poorly dog and it’s not disobedience.

You should choose between the grass and the dog. It sounds like a miserable life not being able to snuffle and circle for a good spot to relieve themselves.

If you are so obsessed with getting fake, plastic grass, then maybe don't get a dog!

This!

You don’t want your dog shitting and pissing on your patio. That’s bloody disgusting. I mean seriously. Tell them to cancel the plastic and just over seed or turf a new lawn.

Just tell it not to wee on your perfect (!) lawn.

This

Oh, and poor dog.

Why on earth would you put artificial grass down? It’s terrible environmentally plus it will just get covered in dog shit. Gross.

ditto

If you fence off the AstroTurf the dog will end up going on the patio out if necessity, but I’d really think twice if you want dog wee on your patio. Our patio is fenced off and when we’ve had stuff going on in the garden that we needed to keep the dogs away from, like a boundary wall being replaced, we just kept them on the patio when they needed to go outside. Never again! A pool of urine on the patio is just disgusting! 🤢

So do really think if you actually want your dog using your patio as a regular loo. It won’t be a place you’d want to barbecue on or sit out on if you do.

You will likely have trouble trying to train the dog to poo on a hard surface in preference to a soft surface.

The best thing would probably be to fence off the artificial grass, and create a small area of either natural grass or earth and encourage the dog to poo there.

Either that or you'll need to walk the dog more often (more shorter walks perhaps?) so that it has somewhere else to poo that works for the dog and for you.

I have natural grass in my back garden, and have been trying to encourage my dog to wee in a particular spot (to minimise brown patches all over the lawn) for around six months.

She will wee in this spot if I take her there on the lead, but she doesn't go there of her own volition. If the back door is open and she wanders out, she just wees anywhere that takes her fancy.

Be prepared for the training to take a loooong time. And as PPs have said, are you sure you want puddles of wee or 💩 on your patio anyway? It seems a bit grim.

Plastic grass! No! Horrible for the environment, horrible for the dog. Seriously why would you do something so ghastly?!?! It's just so awful. Poor dog. My grass is full of wildlife - my dog loves sniffing around the grass. I despair.

It can be done, I trained mine to toilet in one area. That was from a pup though.
You just do it the traditional way.

Or fence off the green carpet- everyone I know has had it removed after a few years, it’s very high maintenance.

Your dog is going to drench his paws in piss every, single time… and then walk in your house. As they get older they tend to squat, so it’ll be the gift that keeps on giving. Ask my MIL 😂