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." Consider giving your dog a prompt by securing a
dog fire hydrant as a prompt.
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." Consider giving your dog a prompt by securing a
dog fire hydrant as a prompt.
Puppy/Dog Potty Training
Attach your dog's collar and leash if you are training 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.
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 deposit 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. Click here for more information about Pup-Head's Pup-Grass (TM) Pre-cut rolls of artificial dog grass in
various sizes to fit your dog's outdoor toilet. Have fun and add a faux fireplug (see the colorful Dog Fire Hydrant) to act as a
marking post for male dogs. Locate the Doogie Dooley nearby for a convenient way to get of dog feces.
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 deposit 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. Click here for more information about Pup-Head's Pup-Grass (TM) Pre-cut rolls of artificial dog grass in
various sizes to fit your dog's outdoor toilet. Have fun and add a faux fireplug (see the colorful Dog Fire Hydrant) 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
