# Teaching dog to poop in one spot.



## Katarina (Mar 4, 2011)

Can a dog be trained to poop in one spot in backyard? Please read further because there is more to it.
I plan to go on a trip and my husband is willing to take care of my dog, but........... He is willing to do everything except to deal with poop. My dog doesn't poop in the backyard or in the dog run. He always takes care of it during our walks. My dog won't go for walks while I am gone.
My husband wants me to teach the dog to poop either in the dog run or in backyard, but if in the backyard then only in one spot. The poop will not be cleaned while I will be gone, which will be about 2-3 weeks.
My question is, how long does it take to teach dog to poop in one spot in backyard and will the dog be willing to poop in that one spot since there will be several days worth of poop?
Also, is it a good idea to teach a dog to poop in his dog run?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

So your husband is admitting he is less trainable, cooperative and biddable than your dog? 

Do you have a word for potties? 

I think this is shapeable behavior, particularly with clickers or marker words and good high quality treats. 

I would take one of his poops and put it where you want him to go. He is not going to go though, most dogs that I know of won't anyway, where there is already poop there - after 2/3 weeks it's going to pile up. 

I would just leash him and have him poop within that 4 foot of leash or whatever. I don't know - this seems like it is going to create another problem of this giant poop pile?


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

It can be done. I don't know how long it will take. But, also, some dogs don't like to walk in soiled areas. My first dog would not poop in the yard because it considered that his playground. When I got another dog, he would avoid the areas she pooped in. 

You need to mark out an visible area to start with. Then you take the dog to that spot on leash and wait for it to poop. (Good luck on that.) After it poops there, you praise it. Repeat often.

Hopefully, somebody else has been successful at this. I only know the theory.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Katarina said:


> The poop will not be cleaned while I will be gone, which will be about 2-3 weeks.
> My question is, how long does it take to teach dog to poop in one spot in backyard and will the dog be willing to poop in that one spot since there will be several days worth of poop?


Probably not. Your dog is not going to want to poop in a spot that has 2-3 weeks of poop accumulation, and your husband isn't going to want to go near it either. In fact, after several days it will be crawling with maggots and the stench will be unbearable. Your husband needs to reconsider his poop management strategy, or you might want to consider letting your dog poop in the yard and hiring a clean-up service like Doggie Dooty to clean up while you're gone. n


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> So your husband is admitting he is less trainable, cooperative and biddable than your dog?


That's what I was wondering! :wild:


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## Katarina (Mar 4, 2011)

That is pretty much what I was thinking and reading. That the dog can be trained to poop in one spot, but the spot has to be cleaned otherwise the dog is not going to do it in the area which is already soiled.
My dog also considers his backyard as his play area or as a huge crate, that is why he does not poop there at all.
Maybe it would be better to board him.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

You're in SoCal, you're bound to have a clean-up service that will come by and clean up.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Our dogs pee and poop in the dog run, which is about 5 feet wide down the side of the house and accessible by a dog door from the garage. There is a chain link pen in the garage with their beds, and that's where they stay when we're at work during the day. But the poop gets picked up twice a day, and my husband hoses the pee area down every morning before he leaves. I can't even imagine what it would be like if it weren't cleaned for 2 or 3 weeks! I think boarding might be the best solution.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Emoore said:


> You're in SoCal, you're bound to have a clean-up service that will come by and clean up.


Probably the best idea. For the price, it will be worth it.


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## Katarina (Mar 4, 2011)

Thank you all for your input and opinions. I am going to look into "poop clean up service" and if that won't work out I will just board him.


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## Katarina (Mar 4, 2011)

Yes, we do have a poop clean-up service here, so it might work.


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## Riley3696 (Aug 24, 2011)

WOW It really shocks me that your Dh wont take more responsibility than that!!


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Why won't your husband deal with the poop or walk the dog? Cleaning up poop immediately is not that bad. Cleaning it up after a few weeks - yuk!

It took me a while to teach Dakota to go in one spot, but I started when she was a puppy, and then one day she just went there. Like others said, have a marked area, call it something, we call it her "spot",leash the dog and take him over to the spot and praise him for going there. I didn't use treats or a clicker then, but I would imagine that would speed things up. 

Now when she is out playing in the yard and she has to go, she trots over to her spot, does her business, and continues on playing.


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