How to Get a Dog to Poop in One Spot (in 6 Simple Steps)
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Cleaning up dog poop from your yard is necessary for preventing the spread of parasites and avoiding the unpleasantness of stepping in it. However, if you have a large backyard, you don’t want to have to walk around the whole yard to find all the areas where your dog pooped.
With a little bit of training, you can easily get your dog to poop in one spot in the yard. Doing so can make it easier to locate and clean up dog feces. It’s also an excellent way to increase your dog training skills. In this article, we’ll provide the steps to convince your pup to use one area in the yard.
The 6 Steps to Get a Dog to Poop in One Spot:
1. Pick an Ideal Spot
The first step is to decide which area of the yard you’d like your dog to do his business. Make sure that it’s not somewhere too far away from the house if you don’t want to have to walk a long way every time you two carry out this training.
Once you’ve decided on a spot, clean up as much of your dog’s poop from other areas of the yard as you can to prevent your dog from retracing his scent to those spots. Then, scoop up one pile of poop and leave it in the spot you’ve chosen.
2. Lead Your Dog to the Spot
The next step is to lead your dog to the spot when it’s time for him to go potty. You may have to lead him on a leash for the first few times or even until he learns where to go potty. For overly rambunctious, playful, or stubborn dogs, you may even have to continue leading them on a leash to that same spot even after they learn to poop there to prevent them from getting distracted or running off to go somewhere else.
3. Use Verbal Commands
Once you’ve led your dog to the potty spot, use verbal commands such as “Go Potty” or “Go Poop.” If your dog has been previously trained to potty outdoors and you’re just retraining him to go to the new spot, he may already be familiar with the commands and pick up quickly that he’s supposed to poop there.
If you’re training him to potty outside for the first time, it may take him longer to pick up on the commands. In either case, be sure to offer lots of encouragement as he learns the commands.
4. Let Your Dog Sniff Around
Allow your dog to sniff around the area until he finds the pile of poop you left there. Once he recognizes his scent, he’s more likely to go there more quickly. But even if your dog doesn’t poop and pees instead, be sure to offer encouragement, praise, and even treats so that your dog knows what the spot is for.
With more repetition and when your dog learns the verbal commands, he should begin pooping there as well. Again, offer treats when he defecates in the appropriate spot.
5. Don’t Scold
Do your best to try to minimize distractions in the poop spot. For example, remove toys that may have found their way into the spot. Even without distractions, it may take a while for your dog to pick up on what he is supposed to do.
Don’t scold your dog for not going in the poop spot, and don’t scold him for going elsewhere, either. Instead, don’t provide treats or praise if your dog goes elsewhere or doesn’t go. Also, be consistent with treats and praise when he does go in the poop spot.
6. Clean Up the Poop
It’s very important that you keep your yard and the poop spot as clean as possible to encourage your dog to keep going there. If your dog goes in other areas besides the poop spot, make sure to clean up the poop immediately so your dog isn’t able to pick up the scent the next time and poop there again.
It’s also a good idea to clean up any waste in the poop spot except for one pile. The pile will allow your dog to continue to find the spot but prevent poop from getting spread all over the lawn when you mow it.
Other Methods
The steps described above are the most effective way to teach your dog to poop in one spot. However, other methods may be somewhat effective as well, depending on your situation.
Using a Fence
One method that works well for dogs that have already mastered pooping in one spot is to fence off a specific area or use a border to contain that one spot for your dog to poop. If you use a fence, your dog will need a way to get in and out on his own in the event that you aren’t available to let him in or out.
Borders can be a great way to section off the poop spot for obedient dogs who consistently go in the same spot, and that way, your dog will still be able to get over the border.
Using a Spray
There are also potty training sprays that are supposed to encourage your dog to go to the bathroom, and they’re designed to be used indoors and outdoors. The sprays may be ineffective if you have a large yard and are trying to contain your dog’s bathroom area in one space.
However, they can be a good option if you live in an apartment and have to leave your dog home alone all day.
Using a Leash
If all else fails, keeping your dog on a leash and taking him to the same spot every time he needs to go outside can be an effective way for you to make sure he goes in the same area every time. With a leash, he will be limited as to how far he can go, and you can still reward him with treats for pooping outside.
It is another great option if you live somewhere in which you don’t have a yard for your dog to go potty in or if you have a huge yard in which it would be hard to clean up his poop.
Conclusion
Training your dog to poop in one spot is undoubtedly possible. However, how easy it goes will depend on the training methods you use and how consistent you are with them. It may also be easier with some dogs than it is with others. But hopefully, following these guidelines will make this task easier and more achievable.
Featured Image Credit: Kittibowornphatnon, Shutterstock
