Tie out suggestions?

[Renee Hacker]

Lily gets 1-2 walks every day, plus playtime with me in the yard, but she also loves to just hang out in our fenced in back yard.  Seriously, she likes being outside more than inside with us I think.  And she actually prefers to go to the bathroom in our yard vs. on her walks.  Problem is, our yard slopes to one end and whenever it rains or snow thaws there is a puddle down there that has become her favorite digging spot.  She has also decided to start digging in our garden.  I can fence off the garden (although I'm sure she could just jump it), but there's no way to fence off this other area.  So I'm thinking that instead of just letting her have free run of the whole backyard I need some sort of tie out to limit her radius.  :)  I've never had a dog of her size and I've never used a tie out.  So any recommendations?  Anything I should be aware of or look for in particular?  I'm planning to ask for advice at our local independent pet shop, but you guys are always the experts in all things doodle so I thought I'd start here.

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

My coworker told me that her moms dog used to dig holes but now she doesnt. the mom used to fill up the hole with the dogs poop and water and stick the dogs nose in it. I thought it very cruel but one time I was so sick of Zoe digging into the sprinklers I simply set one of her poops on the patched up hole. She hasn't bothered that area since and I removed that piece of poop a while back.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Putting poop in the hole is fine and not at all cruel, I've often seen that recommended as way to stop a dog from digging in one particular place. Adding water and sticking the dog's nose in there sounds like something a crazy person would do.

I can't figure out where these loony ideas about putting dogs' noses in poop come from. We have actually had people put that down on adoption applications as a way to housebreak a dog! Even my grandmother, who was born in the 1890's, knew better than that!

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Hahaha Karen! Seriously there are some crazy people out there! I'm guessing that person didnt get the dog? Lol

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not in a hundred million years, lol. And sadly, there have been more than one.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What about metal stakes and garden fencing attached to the stakes with zip ties?  You could 'fence off' the puddle areas.  A trainer's suggestion for digging holes was to put a blown up balloon in the hole then cover it up.  When the dog started to dig in that hole, the balloon pops startling them.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's a great idea, Nancy!

[Renee Hacker]

Wow, kinda sorry I asked.  I wasn't planning to tie her out there to sit all day.  Just thought that when she had to pee I could put her on the chain so she could still pee, but not get to the problem area.  As I said, she doesn't like to pee or poop on our walks which I know is bizarre since our walks are 30-40 minutes, but it's true.  She prefers our yard.  We will take a super long walk and she won't go until we get home.  When she goes out there she's not out there for long periods of time.  Today she was out there for exactly 8 minutes (how do I know?...the timer on the stove was set because I was cooking something.  The timer went off at the same time she barked to come in...covered in mud)  I don't neglect my dog.  I don't leave her outside for hours at a time.  I know people without fences have to have some way to keep their dogs in their yard, right?  In any case, the yard IS landscaped.  But as I said, it slopes to one corner, so after heavy rains or a major thaw water pools there until it can soak in.  It's where the lawn meets the mulch and it pools there.  Here in Chicago we just had a day of heavy rain, followed by freezing rain and so now the ground is saturated and frozen.  The sun came out today just long enough to thaw that spot to the point it looked fun apparently.  She doesn't dig constantly, actually this is only the 2nd time she's ever done it.  She gets plenty of exercise, but she still just likes being outside.  And um, I was being sarcastic when I said she likes being outside better than being in with us.  She's part of our family and very well loved.  She loves playing with us and cuddling on the couch with us, but she also loves laying on the back steps right by the patio door.  Why?  I don't know.  She also loves rain and I don't understand that either.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My guy loves to lie on the patio outside the sliding doors, because we have a corner lot, and he has a great view of the neighborhood out there.

If it's just a question of going out in the yard for 10 minutes to potty, couldn't you just keep an eye on her for that? I'm also in Chicago, and I know that even 10 minutes in this bitter cold is not fun, but maybe you could just watch from the windows and be ready to get out there with a correction and /or a leash to bring her in if she heads for that area or starts digging.

I lived with dogs in a house without a fence for 28 years, and the way that I kept the dogs in the yard was to take them out there on a leash, always. I never tied them out.

Having a fenced yard now and being able to just watch from the window or even just stand on the patio under the overhang is a real treat for me, lol.

Even without a sloping yard, there's lots of mud out there. I try to keep all of the dirt areas heavily mulched, and next year I am going to have pea gravel put in some of the heavy traffic areas. You might consider that as well.

[BG and Gavin]

Don't take it wrong.  I was not thinking any of those things about you!  Gavin loves to be outside too and until he was over two years old, he never did any business except in his own yard.  Luckily he has now relaxed his standards (well mostly). 

But seriously, if you can make the time now to do some boundary training you will forever be grateful that you did.  I started when Gavin was really young and made one room in the house off limits and only exposed him to that room when I could supervise.  It involved long sit stays or down stays at the door, putting interesting things inside the room and correcting him when he went for it etc.  All was done in preparation for going to our cottage which is not fenced.  He dug some holes too.  We put chicken wire around them when we could not be out to supervise and let him try for it when we were.  I can leave our back gate open and he will not leave the yard unless I release him.  I can also take him places and show him his boundaries on leash, take him off leash and he keeps them.  If it gets close I say "uh, uh," and he knows that's the cue to stop and turn back.  It is not hard and really pays off.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

BG, I think it's a good things that dogs like to potty in their own yards. My old dog use to insist on a long, out of our yard walk, blocks away he would relieve himself. Imagine having to do that in the pouring rain and you will understand why we insisted Daisy potty in our yard before we went anywhere. LOL

[BG and Gavin]

Yes it's a good thing, except if it's exclusive.  Gavin recently stayed overnight at my parents and did not pee or poo for 22 hours!  Goofy dood!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I saw that discussion....he has a huge bladder apparently. :o)