Piper's Potty

I've had this project in mind for a while. In fact, I meant to work on it BEFORE we acquired a dog, but as usual, over 1/2 a year has passed and I've finally just now gotten around to it (nothing like a little pressure and the need to finish and sell a house to get things done!)

One of the annoying things about dog ownership is having poos all over your yard. Especially when this is also the area where your kids play. And even more especially when your kids are quite small and not always smart enough to avoid the poos (although ironically,we've had more problems with guests not avoiding the poos than our children).

So for the last several months, Marco has diligently walked around the yard at least once a week and picked  up all the poos. Eww yuck. But, I'd heard there was a better way. I had previously trained a dog to go to the toilet in approximately the same spot every day, so I figured, surely you can build a boxed off area to clearly define for the dog EXACTLY where they should go!

So, step 1: find a spot.

Marco put a couple old pieces of wood together in the right dimensions and the girls helped me clear the area of weeks, and dig it down. We covered it in weed cloth and then put about 2 inches of bark mulch over top. 

Then we (Marco) picked up all the poos from the lawn and mowed the grass. 

At this point I started to take Piper outside on a leash every hour or so and bring her immediately to her new toilet area and say, "Piper Toilet". After a few minutes, I'd bring her back inside. 

Day 1: Piper had NO clue what we were doing to her. 

Day 2: she finally did a wee - 22 hours after starting with her. Yikes. Stubborn dog. 

Day 3: getting weary, but 48 hours in, she did her first poo. Tiny success. Especially tiny since she only did 1/2 outside, and then promptly finished off her poo inside in my living room. Urgh! But, by the time the day was over she'd had 2 more wee successes and another poo success. 

Day 4: I think she's clicked. woo hoo!

A week and a bit on from when I started, she's doing great. I've caught her twice, while running around free in the back yard, starting to do a poo on the lawn, but usually a look and a "Ahh" noise is enough to send her running to her "toilet". And yes, I have to clean it up a lot more often, but at least its all in the same area and easy to spot. Which should also help me keep an eye on her general health. And FINALLY, the girls can run around the back yard with no worries of "stepping in it"!!