Calling all homeowners..

[Amy & Albee]

Well, in exactly two weeks, our little family of three will be moving into our first home! We keep telling Albee what this means for him, and clearly he has no idea that apartment life is about to end.

I've done a little bit of research, but there are only so many poop discussions one can read until needing to ask the question to all of you poop-picker-upper-pros..

I'm the type that likes a plan, and I often over think things.. But I am wanting to know how you all handle the yard cleanup of dog poo?

Here's my potential dilemma- I would prefer to keep a clean yard. I like to walk around barefoot and would really like to avoid the small brown mines in the backyard. But I imagine that if you're picking up poop daily, your garage/trash cans would begin to stink, right?

I also am environmental conscience and would like a practical, low budget way to handle this chore.

So share your routines with me! I would like to have something put in place from the start!

Thanks!

[BG and Gavin]

Its like a doggy outhouse Judy!  Great idea!

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

I just reuse the plastic bags that the newspaper comes in or the ones from the stores. I used to use a hand shovel but it meant you had to rinse it, so now I just put my hand in the bag and use it to pick up the poop. I pick it up every day. The backyard is fenced in so we toss it over the fence into a flower pot I keep on the side of the house so we're not looking at a pile of poop bags. You can tell your husband this is like poop basketball and maybe he'll be the poop picker upper! I'm still trying that idea with mine! Our trash pickup is twice a week, so we just add it to the garbage bag in garage when we put it out.

[Moe]

I trained my dog to go in a mulched section of the yard. When I first got her I would bring her out on a leash and click and treat for going in the right spot. It took a week or so to train but now I don't have to worry about poops in the yard. I use a poop scoop to pick it up. No bending no fuss. Our yard is fenced in so she is out there by herself so I don't always see her as she goes. I like it because you can pick up multiple poops. I have a trash can outside where I deposit the poop. I line it with two kitchen garbage bags. I don't bag it the individual poops. I empty the can once a week.

[Debbie & Gibbs]

We have 4 dogs, 3 Westie's and our new Labradoodle puppy.  Keeping the yard picked up is a must for us as they like to go all over the place.  It's about a 5-10 minute job every day.  We have a pooper scooper, the kind that is flat bottomed shovel and a rake type that you just drag the poop into the shovel.  We have an old flower pot that we gather poop for about a week and then bundle it up and send it out in the trash. 

[Miss Ellie]

We pick up right away after every time she poops.  We put them in double bags out in the garage and never have had an issue.

[Donna Bay & Buzz]

Ok, first...congratulations on your new home.  Hope you enjoy many happy, healthy years there!  I pretty much do a daily pick-up.  I purchased one of those long handled devices that sort of "grab" the poop.  then, I drop the "load" (sorry) into an old spackle bucket, that's got a garbage bag in it.  I keep it behind the shed and every garbage day, the bag goes on top (I'm sure my garbage men will be getting a little extra in their holiday card this year) Or, you can use the poop bags you buy at your local pet store.  They are biodegradable.  put them in the lined spackle bucket.  Keep the lid on so puppy can't access the...well, you know.  Good luck!

[Lynda Kamrath]

We have a pooper scooper (tools and pail) just below a fence and outside the doggie run where they usually go to the bathroom.  We have another can (and garden tool) hidden behind another fence by the laundry room.  We scoop about every two days and with two large dogs, we are happy that they have their doggie run.  When the pail fills up, we take it down and bury it in a hole at the bottom of our property.  I would suggest picking an area for him to use for his bathroom and take him there on leash until he accepts this area as his own.  Then scoop frequently, but don't give him free rein to use the entire yard for his potty area. My first labradoodle was actually trained to use the bathroom (pee and poop) on command and in the area designated.  He associated it with going somewhere in the car and when I told him to go pee-pee he would (even if only a few squirts).  He always would poop right after he ate, so that was pretty easy.  What a dog!  The others are not so cooperative.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I use an old flower pot with drainage holes and leave it uncovered. I pick up all poop immediately and  deposit the bagged poop in to this container and empty it into the garbage on pickup day. Because it doesn't hold water and isn't covered there is no noticeable odor and the container sits a within a few feet of the door that we use all the time. 

[Heather & Brinkley]

Well, we have a fenced in yard but Brinkley won't poop in it. He still gets two walks a day and that is when he poops. He got so use to pooping on walks during the time that we didn't have a fence and so it has continued. However, we still clean up the poop and bring it back to the house. We keep a flower pot outside in the back of the house and throw the poop bags in it. Then we empty that into the trash the night before trash day when we bring the can to the curb.

Congrats on the house!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We bought a small metal trash can with a tightly fitting lid - I think it is for horse food something because we got it at a feed store. We line it with a garbage bag and put the poo in it.  On trash pick up day we seal that bag and put it in our large trash can.I use a shovel to pick up the poo, but if I had just one dog, I think I would use poop bags also.

[Christy&Riley]

My husband uses a shovel to toss it out back in the trees. From what he tells me...he has gotten pretty good at getting the shovel under her as she goes so it doesn't even hit the ground. :-)

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Congratulations new home owner!  You are going to want to keep your outside trash cans in a place away from the backyard anyway as poop isn't the only thing that will smell in them!  I just pick up once a day put it in a plastic bag and tie it up and put it in the trash.

However I do know that there are poop bags available with a deodorizer in them, or you can keep baking soda in a shaker with the bags and sprinkle a little in the bag before pup (picking up poop).

I knew one woman who had a tight lidded container in her freezer and she froze the bagged poop all week and put it in trash just before pick up.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it would keep the smell down!

 

Enjoy your new home