hi all, newbie here, so apologies if this topic has been discussed before. I had a quick look and saw something similar, but not quite...anyway... we have a 6 month old male and we have a large deck / concrete area. We back onto a park so access to grass is no problem twice a day (before and after work). But during the day he poops on the concrete, and during the night. If the weather has been bad, I might not get out the back for a few days, and there could be up to 10 poo's on the concrete. Yucky, I know, but I'm sure I'm not alone with this set up. But even though he is walked twice a day, he refuses to poop in the park, and will literally go on the concrete when we come home. How do I break this cycle? Should I be taking some poo with me in a bag and depositing in the park, and let him walk past it / sniff it, realise it's his? Help please... thanks guys
Welcome to you I don't know - once they are in the habit it's hard to break. But what's the problem with picking up each poop after they have done it? I do and use a watering can to swill the patches of wee - in which I put a weak mixture of Simple Solution and water (100/1) no smell, no flies.
My two sometimes poo on our terrace, and it gets picked up almost immediately (either absolutely immediately, or at least within the hour. Even when there's a metre or more of snow out there They're not left outside unattended, though - it sounds like your boy might be outside at night? When it's not covered in snow, the terrace is washed down at least once a day with a hose. I prefer them to wait until we go on walks, and they're getting better at this; I just ensure that when they do go, they get a nice treat for it, which they don't get at home. Six months is still young, so I wouldn't be too worried about it. Take him to areas where dogs do go to the loo and I'm sure he'll get the idea sooner or later.
You know, when dogs visit the park they check their peemail and I wonder how many posts are about their owners wondering how to train them to NOT potty in the park, to instead do it all at home. I was one of those owners, hoping to teach pup to only use our own backyard, what a failure that was. Is there no grass at all in your backyard? Only deck and concrete? Your pup refusing to poop on anything other than concrete could become a problem in later life. What if you go for a drive in the country and there's no concrete anywhere? WE had a similar problem with a rescue who would not bathroom on leash. Fortunately we were always able to find safe places to let her off when travelling, but you see the problem I'm sure. Yes, I would try to put some of his own poop on the ground. None of my dogs has ever pooped again where there is already poop, they like a clean spot. But his own odour might help. Does he have a doggy friend he can go to the park with and observe, hopefully pooping? Six months is getting old enough I'd be worried about this becoming entrenched behaviour and harder to change as he matures. I'm guessing at that but I would actively work on it. If you do have grass in your own yard and he's not pooping on it either then I think I would start by putting poop on grass in my own yard.
As Snowbunny says, don't worry as he's very young still and it is not unusual for a young dog to be reluctant to toilet anywhere apart from their safe garden. Keep taking him out and he will get the idea eventually by watching other dogs. Could you take him to a different park so he gets different scents and sounds which might encourage him. I agree with the comments about poop scooping. I pick up after Juno after every poop, much better for you, your dog and your neighbours.
My dog has to be paid to have a pee in the garden (he is 2.5 years old but I still go out with him and pay him for having a pee I need him to go on cue so I can get to work on time). He also refused to have a pee or a poo outside the garden when he was a puppy (that soon changed). All of that said, when he was injured and he had no choice but to pee and poo in the garden, he did. When they have no choice, then they will eventually go wherever and you can reward them and then that's that, really. So, I wouldn't worry about it. But, as Mags says, pick up your yard/deck a couple of times a day to keep things clean.
