Creating an Outdoor Toilet for your Dog
Choose a location in your yard that will be used specifically as the dog's potty, and give preference to an area that is a direct route out one of your home's doors.  You will want to use the same door every time you take your puppy or dog outside as you want him to learn to associate the act of going out the door and walking to this particular spot with the act of "going potty."
Puppy/Dog Potty Training
Attach your dog's collar and leash if you are trainining your pooch to potty outside.  Lead him directly to the selected toilet area; refuse to let him loiter, sniffing and exploring every bush, along the way.  Stand quietly at the designated area while your dog discerns by sight and smell that this is his bathroom.
     When your dog settles down at the designated outdoor toilet area, introduce the potty command, which might be one word such as "potty" or a short phrase such as "go potty."  You want the dog to associate the command with the actual process of elimination.
     When the dog begins to eliminate, use a feedback word such as "good."  The attention span of a young puppy is no longer than 30 seconds, so praise using the "good" word should be given when the dog is actually eliminating.  Immediately after your dog finishes, treat and pet him.
     Allow a 10 minute period for the dog to relieve himself.  If he hasn't done so, return him to his crate or exercise pen and try again in 15 minutes.   When you find evidence of an accident in the crate or confined area, take the pup to another room while you quietly take care of the mess.  Don't "rub his nose in it," scold him, or hit him with a newspaper.  Clean by blotting or picking up with a paper towel (don't use your foot as you will leave the scent when you walk) and by applying an enzymatic cleaner like Anti-Icky-Poo to completely remove any residue of urine or fecal odor.
     If you catch the dog in the process of eliminating in a place other than his toilet area, interrupt with "no" and then immediately take him to the proper place.  Click here for a potty training schedule for working owners.
Outdoor Dog Toilets
Dog urine and feces can have a fertilizer effect on grass called "greening up" or might cause the grass to burn, creating dead, brown patches.  Urine is a bigger culprit than feces because urine is absorbed into the ground quicker.
     To offset these potential problems, remove fecal deposits as soon as possible and desposit them in an outdoor septic system such as Doggie Dooley. Water your yard after the dog has eliminated to dilute the urine effect.
     A creative solution is to design an area of your yard specifically for dog waste.  Remove the grass in this area and replace with a substrate that your dog likes such as artificial turf, pea-gravel, or mulch.  You might consider one of the artificial sods made by Pup-Head or Pet-a-Potty. Have fun and add a faux fireplug to act as a marking post for male dogs.  Locate the Doogie Dooley nearby for a convenient way to get of dog feces.
Doggie Dooley Septic System