Designated Dog Potty Areas

[Kimberly Cook]

I was wondering if anyone else created a potty area for their doodles?
I would like to hear what worked for you if you did. There was not a lot of info online so I thought I would share our experience.

We have young children, a playground area and a pool so we are constantly entertaining during the spring and summer. We wanted to make a potty area that was out of the play areas. We did several searches for ideas on what to use but after spending a week at the beach we decided sand worked best. We also bought FlushDoggie bags that you just put in the toilet and flush so there is no poop to throw away. It took a couple months to train Chopper to use this area. First we lead him out there on a leash and now he goes there on his own. Friends are surprised when they see this area. I'm shocked more people don't do this.

Pros:

Easy to maintain and clean.

Poop is completely removed from sand surface.

No ruined grass from urine burns.

No yard landmines for kids to accidentally step in.

Just pick up poo with biodegradable/water soluble bag and flush away!

(No I do not work for bag company) ;)

Cons:

Needs hosing down every couple days so it does not smell.

Adding Sweet PDZ a non-toxic horse stall additive to sand bed will help.

Need to add more sand every 3 or 4 months.

Overall we are pretty happy with this system.

[April S.]

I am considering a "potty area" as well but I am hesitant on the material to use because Luna likes to EAT everything...  especially rocks, bark, mulch, leaves...   This looks like a great system - thanks for sharing it!!!  Is there a lot of sand that gets tracked in on the paws or your own shoes?   Our backyard is pretty burnt from urine... I have been rinsing it but it doesn't seem to help.   Curious how others do this as well...

[Kimberly Cook]

I have only seen some sand get tracked in a few times.Mostly by my husband. /:) We also got the coarsest grain they sell and that helps. Don't get the real fine sand.
I have Chopper walk in the grass after or check him over before he goes back in the house. It has not been a big issue. We have white pines in our yard so he tracks in more pine straw. :)

[Renu & Theo]

We did the same thing from when Theo was 9 week, initially it was just dirt area now we put pea gravel. This make sure he doesn't splash urine over his legs :) and don't track dirt back in when its raining

Only issue was the smell after few days an trying to find right product . May be I will try the Sweet PDZ

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

You may want to try using white vinegar (get the gallon size) in a lawn and garden sprayer. Spray the area well and leave for 20 minutes, then rinse with a hose. I have yet to try this but have heard it works well. We don't get the smell, that I've noticed anyway. We do have a sprinkler on the side of the house, though, that does a good job of keeping the area well rinsed.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

We have a designated potty area along the side of our house. We use pea gravel, which I would think might work better than sand (no tracking in with pea gravel) and urine goes down under the gravel rather than soaking into it. We do have to replenish some of the gravel every Summer.

Its funny watching the doodles when they're out playing in the backyard. Lucy will wander off looking guilty like she'd just LOVE to potty on the lawn, and all I have to do is point to the side of the house and say, "Go  to the potty spot", and she reluctantly goes. Unfortunately, I didn't designate the area until Lucy was about a year old, so if she had her druthers she's go on the lawn. Oscar is well trained though.

[Kimberly Cook]

Post a pic of it please!! :)
Did not think of the automatic sprinkler idea. My husband has installed them before so it would not be hard to do. Cool! Thanks for mentioning it. We prefer the sand because the poo is completely gone ( even the loose ones ) when you pick it up with the bags. Once we switched to the coarser sand the tracking in the house has not been an issue. We did first consider pea gravel then after being at the beach realized the sand worked better for us since we use the flushdoggy bags. Would like to see your set up though.
And yes once in awhile Chopper will sneak off into the grass area with that look and I will yell at him and point to "his" area and he will trot off to it to do his business...lol.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I totally understand you using sand with those flushdoggy bags. Those are what we used with Lucy her first year (of lawn pottying), but gave them up when we switched to the pea gravel. I think I'd be afraid of the sand clogging up the pipes. Actually, my husband never liked those bags because he was afraid they'd get clogged somewhere in the line and do some major damage... and this was before the pea gravel. Me, not so much. I'd never heard of them causing problems, and they were better for the environment. I'll try to get a pic of the 'potty spot'.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Busy day, but I got a few pics taken. The first is looking from one end, and the 2nd is looking from the other end (notice the Jasmine bush that puts off lots of sweet scents!). The last is a shot of the 'poop station' my DH made for the poo receptacle, located at one end of the potty spot. It has a cabinet above for storing poop bags, a big box of baking soda (for sprinkling in the trash bag), often used garden tools, and other outdoor stuff. It works well to protect the bin from the elements and it keeps it (the smell!!) away from all the activity in the yard.

[Kimberly Cook]

We love the flushdoggie bags and have had no issues with them at all even with our older septic system.  Jasmine bushes! Another good idea! Funny we have large flower plants and bushes all over our yard but there. Thanks to your ideas we will be adding in the watering system and more fragrant plants. :D Love the poop station...lol.