Weird Dog

[skunk]

hey guys just a question, why do dogs suddenly change toileting spots? lol sounds weird but iv got a fairly large back yard & he used to go toileting there without being told (grassy area etc) & was fine. however recently he has started to go on the concrete driveway ?

also he seems to not want to go into the back yard much these days even to play ! could it be because he thinks its yuk to play in his "toilet" ?

[aussielover]

That is weird.

My pup has changed her toilet spot 3 times. First was in the bushes just outside the back door, then down towards the end of the graden and now on a shelf in the graden beds!!!????

I don't really care as long as she is not going in a different spot each day. she seems to keep the same spot for a couple of weeks/months and then moves on to another. Maybe the smell gets too strong in a certain area and they have to wait for it to go???

My pup also went on concrete/tiles when she first came, it was actually easier to clean up- just hose off the wees and pick up the poo and then hose and spray with disinfectant. Its more hygenic for sure.

[skunk]

HI aussie, yeah my dogs 2 yrs old tho ! lol initially i was worried he may toilet indoors as hes an indoor/outdoor dog. no issue with him going indoors eventho he hasnt had any training so to speak! he holds it in all night (doesnt whine or anything to wake me up) n goes when he is let outside. used to be fine doing it in the garden untill now ! must agree its probably alot cleaner but it is pretty unsightly lol esp when u come home n u see big turds allover the concrete !!!

iv hosed down the spot n given it a good scrub hopefully so there is less of a poo smell there n hopefully he goes back to the garden. well c !!

[Nushie]

Has it been really dry at your place lately??

I found with my old dogs that during the dry months that they would change their toileting spots quicker, i just put it down to the fact that without rain the smell lingered longer. When it was raining regularly the smell would get washes away so they would continue to use the one spot longer.

Maybe try giving his old spots a good hosing and then give the conrete a good cleaning and spray with some form of deterrent?

Edited October 14, 2010 by Nushie

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I clean up my dog's poo as I see them - so usually once or twice a day. I hate the idea of accidentally stepping in something when we're having a play or her jumping in something when she's doing cat-patrol (zoomies).

She never seems to go in the same spot twice, though most of the time she will go around the edge of the lawn. She did have a stay in a boarding kennel recently and did a couple on the concrete after that but mostly she does them on the edge of the lawn or down the very back in the long grass where nobody walks.

You can train these things though. You have a cue/command word you use when the dog goes, and if it goes where you prefer - then give a treat and loads of praise.

If the dog thinks the backyard is too yuk to use - does that mean you're not picking up often enough?

[skunk]

hey guys, thanks for the replies !

nushie, yeah its been fairly dry lately !

mrs rusty, lol i have to admit i did leave it for a while at one stage n when i went around cleaning up there was a whole bag full lol. iv since been cleaning up pretty much once every 2 days or so ! but yeah it could be due to the dryness etc that smell may linger causing him not to want to go into the backyard.

i have washed n scrubbed the concrete but he still went on it lol. ill keep washing n see how he goes. was just curious as to if others had dogs that did this as i know they naturally prefer to do it on grass.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

When I pick up, I usually get a small amount of dirt on the scoop and shake that over the fresh poop before I pick it up, like a flour coating. My lawn desperately needs top dressing so anything sandy or gypsum is good, but dirt works. Maybe that helps clean up the smell faster. I don't get dirt from where poop has been. I do sometimes put poop into holes she's dug where she should not, and dirt over the top.

As for the concrete - probably likes it because it is clean? Or need to clean up with bicab and vinegar not bleach?

[~Anne~]

My dogs are less inclined to use the grass when it is long or wet. They will toilet on the paved area during these times. This also happens to be a great incentive for my husband to mow the lawns often.

[aussielover]

My dog only goes in the bushes not on the grass. I do not allow her to go on the grass as i like to lie on it and run around in bare feet which would be pretty yucky if there was crap or pee on it.

But i admit i am a bit slack in picking up the poos and usually just let her move onto a new spot and let the old area "degrade" naturally LOL

she actually only poos iin the yard about once a day at most, the other times is usually at the park on on the toilet break spot on our walks

[♥Baxter♥]

My dogs are less inclined to use the grass when it is long or wet. They will toilet on the paved area during these times. This also happens to be a great incentive for my husband to mow the lawns often.

Same with Baxter - it rained so much here with no breaks in between that we didn't have the chance to mow till couple weeks ago...before that Baxter would do his job right near the house or mainly where we usually walk - eww lol - Now that its short (kind of, almost the second day without rain this week need mowing again but still not as bad as it was) he does it around the backyard near the fence

Edited October 14, 2010 by ♥Baxter♥