Poop in my yard....Please!!

[renae]

Today is day #11 with Murphy. Things are going well and I think we've made a ton of progress. My question is regarding 'the potty spot'. Murphy is doing pretty good with sticking to a regular spot outside but with poop, he wont go unless we walk, which in itself is a challenge b/c he isn't a great walker. We have started taking him into the backyard for his middle of the night pit stops and first thing in the morning. It took a bit of time but he will finally pee out there. How the heck can I get him to poop out back though? This winter, I'd love to be able to have him go out there without needing a walk every time. Help! Oh, and as a side note, it takes forever after a meal for him to go - not the usual 1 hr you read about....typically it's 2.5 to 3 hrs post meal.

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Don't worry...as your puppy grows all of this should change. Whopper had her spots and habits but as she grew and learned what was expected she became very flexible with the whens and wheres. I'm also assuming at day 11 your puppy hasn't had all of his shots but once this happens he'll be able to explore more areas and become more comfortable with taking care of business in different environments.
When he finally goes where you want him to go just praise or treat him substantially and he'll learn quickly. Also, Whopper used to be the opposite and need to go immediately after eating. She also required more outdoor trips than another doodle her age that lived nearby. Now, she's on a pretty set schedule, almost clockwork in terms of her habits and can go from 6:30-7PM until 7:30 AM without going out at all. Once she goes out that last time at night she can't be bothered to go out again even when we ask her! In the morning she sometimes goes out before eating and sometimes after but either way she is okay until between 1-2. So there's hope!

[renae]

Thanks so much for your reply!! I can't wait until he is on a schedule. I certainly want this all to go as smoothly as possible and don't want to miss an opportunity for success/rewarding but he is so unpredictable! I'm loving Whopper's schedule!! Fingers crossed. Murphy is 14 weeks old now...almost 15 actually...so I'm hoping that our middle of the night wakings will soon end too.

[Julie Savolt]

You might try taking some of his poop from a walk and placing it in the yard where you want him to go. Our vet told us about this when our last dog wouldnt go poop for an entire weekend while we were at our cottage. We transported some poop and it was like magic! Give it a try, you never know.

[Adina P]

Walking helps him get his bowels a movin' so you may just need to run around with him in your yard with his leash on...then return to his poop spot...if he doesn't go within a minute or two...run around a bit more and return there. Just to shake that pooper!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Walking helps as Adina said. Peri still has to be walked to poop (5 1/2 months old). Also, don't be alarmed if he poops a LOT for a while. At first we were going through the little cleanup bags like they were water! She went 8+ times per day for a while. YUCK. Now it is 3x and life is much, much easier. I never thought I could say that, but I just did :)