... and I'm not talking about that Harry Potter nonsense! Harvey is slowly but surely exterminating our back lawn with his pee. : Given that he is now at the leg-cocking stage I thought that I would get a large 'pee stone' (not quite World's Strongest Man Atlas Stone size but heavy enough to warrant using the wheelbarrow to shift it from the car boot to the back garden!) to stand in the middle of an area on our patio that is covered with smaller stones and get him to pee on that instead. I can then go to work on 'patching' the lawn. We've had one voluntary use so far which was praised and rewarded lavishly. Any ideas on how I can go about encouraging more frequent use until it becomes the norm?
Re: The P Stone It's a double edged sword this leg cocking (for us at least) Riley cocks his leg and has a few favourite spots in the garden all of which are elevated. If the grass gets long anywhere though that counts as elevated and will get marked. His main spots are the two apple trees and a couple of plant pots. So the grass gets saved automatically. The downside of marking is out on walks he feels the need to announce his presence frequently which is a pain frankly and if/when I have another boy I will try quite hard to get them to go on command and empty their bladders. They always seem to squeeze a drop out when something sniffy comes along though
Re: The P Stone No, sorry, I dug up the lawn and turned it to gravel. Then installed another gravel doggie toilet bit in an effort to keep him off my geraniums.
Re: The P Stone Head in my hands with this one UB ......I failed spectacularly recently but I've got a nearly 2 year old ...... If I could have got him to go in the garden though I was armed with high value treats and the clicker.....And I would have done exactly what you did when you got a spontaneous use of the P stone!I never got a chance though he just used to hold and hold ,all we learned in a concentrated week of trying was that he could hold for 10 hours + so I broke first ,I just couldn't let that happen.Harvey is only young so you should be able to crack this.I know other members have trained particular places,keep in touch with how it goes x
Re: The P Stone [quote author=JulieT link=topic=6630.msg89165#msg89165 date=1403029445] No, sorry, I dug up the lawn and turned it to gravel. [/quote] We are about to do the same. Our lawn is destroyed - partly due to pee burn and partly due to it being so boggy that any lab running round churns it up. We had my friend's lab to stay and had to let them out one at once or we'd have had a mud bath. We'll have two dogs soon so we are replacing the lawn with decking, gravel and planters - which will be above tail wag and wee height!
Re: The P Stone Gravel, plants and paving here..... No grass. Definitely worth trying a pee stone, if you boy has shown an inclination to pee on that kind of object. Obi likes to pee on low branches. Very low hanging foliage I mean, he's not that accomplished....
Re: The P Stone [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6630.msg89290#msg89290 date=1403078933] Obi likes to pee on low branches. Very low hanging foliage I mean, he's not that accomplished.... [/quote] Lol at the images that conjures up....
Re: The P Stone [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6630.msg89290#msg89290 date=1403078933] Obi likes to pee on low branches. Very low hanging foliage I mean, he's not that accomplished.... [/quote] Poor Obi, I'd take that any day as my ridiculous dog has managed to hang his poos in ivy growing up a wall before now !!!
Re: The P Stone This might sound like a really daft question - but how/when do they start cocking their leg? Rocky still sort of stretches and squats to pee and I always just wonder as they don't have another older dog to watch and learn from?
Re: The P Stone I think Obi started at about 16 months? Can't quite remember.... It varies, as Stacia says
Re: The P Stone Charlie started around 8 months, on and off, but at 16 months now if he is just having a wee in the garden, because he needs a wee, rather than "dogging up" and weeing on other dogs' wee out on a walk leaving pee mail, he still does a little baby boy squat. Aw....
Re: The P Stone Just slipping slightly off topic, for those who have dug up lawns and replaced with gravel and pots, what happens in winter when all the leaves drop on, is it easy to keep looking good?
Re: The P Stone Ah, well, that is the time you curse the gravel. I've just done it a couple of weeks ago. It's impossible to avoid raking up some gravel with the leaves. And the other downside is that gravel eventually infiltrates other Arabs of your garden. If I had my time again I might consider something different. Don't know what though.
Re: The P Stone [quote author=Stacia link=topic=6630.msg89848#msg89848 date=1403254824] Just slipping slightly off topic, for those who have dug up lawns and replaced with gravel and pots, what happens in winter when all the leaves drop on, is it easy to keep looking good? [/quote] If you're going to do it, then (depending on size / shape of your lawn area!) the best thing to do is put a weed-proof membrane down first before the gravel. It needs to be the sort that lets water through, but keeps weeds back. Then if you have a leaf blower/sucker thing (you can pick them up quite cheap) you can very easily pick up any dead leaves and other rubbish that falls on the gravel in autumn, and keep the area looking very smart. If you don't put the membrane down, then very soon you find weeds coming up through and it is a real pain to keep tidy. (I learnt the hard way - one bit of the garden has membrane, one bit hasn't, and I do SO wish I'd made the time to put membrane down everywhere!!!!!) Also, if you can, then spend the money on a good thick layer of gravel - not just half an inch!
Re: The P Stone [quote author=Stacia link=topic=6630.msg89848#msg89848 date=1403254824] Just slipping slightly off topic, for those who have dug up lawns and replaced with gravel and pots, what happens in winter when all the leaves drop on, is it easy to keep looking good? [/quote] I have slate chips, which is easier than pea gravel (that i have at the front, was there when i bought the house). Weed suppressing membrane, line of bricks (in what the builder took to be artistic curves : ) round the edge to prevent the slate chips wandering, and a leaf blower. Sorted. I prefer flat chips to gravel. If round gravel wanders onto steps and paths it can be a bit treacherous. Flat clippings are better from that point of view.
Re: The P Stone Pongo also prefers walking where we have flat chips than on the gravel! On the round gravel the little woose leaps from stepping stone to stepping stone....
Re: The P Stone I have gravel and pots at the front. The leaves just blow off on a dry day. You do need a good strong membrane underneath the gravel or the weeds soon start coming through.
