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Is there an effective way to teach a dog how to defecate in one area of the yard? If so, can someone outline the steps? The puppy gets the run of the yard all day and I am away at work all day. Any thoughts? Thanks!

>>Is there an effective way to teach a dog how to defecate in one area of the yard? If so, can someone outline the steps? The puppy gets the run of the yard all day and I am away at work all day. Any thoughts? Thanks!

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Until the dog has mastered the skill, no run of the yard without you there. For 3-6 weeks, you take the dog on leash to the desired area for every potty trip. And you keep that area very clean--many dogs will not use a dirty area. Eventually, if you keep up the leash work long enough, it becomes a habit.

Another alternative is easier. Keep the dog in the house and have a potty yard right out the back door. Let the dog into the potty yard several times a day to use it, and then right back into the house. Pick up the potty yard daily. Done this way, clean up is 5 minutes or less, pottying the dog is quick and easy, and you have a clean yard as well as a clean dog.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Thanks, really appreciate the input. I assumed it was something along those lines but this will be a challenge.

With a large breed puppy, I am afraid that crating her all day (even if I come home at lunch) will be a disaster in the making. Naturally she is very energetic and playful --and doesn't realize her size makes her hard to control at times.

Now that she has had the taste of "freedom", going back to a crate, how do I handle that? She is obviously not able to stay in the house unattended. She's about 3 1/2 months, so EVERYthing is a chew toy. She does well when I am around, but otherwise, it is the crate.

Thanks again!

>>Thanks, really appreciate the input. I assumed it was something along those lines but this will be a challenge.
>>
>>With a large breed puppy, I am afraid that crating her all day (even if I come home at lunch) will be a disaster in the making. Naturally she is very energetic and playful --and doesn't realize her size makes her hard to control at times.
>>
>>Now that she has had the taste of "freedom", going back to a crate, how do I handle that? She is obviously not able to stay in the house unattended. She's about 3 1/2 months, so EVERYthing is a chew toy. She does well when I am around, but otherwise, it is the crate.
>>
>>Thanks again!

>>>>>>>>>>>>

One thing that helps greatly with control coming out of crate confinement is to always bring the dog out very calmly rather than opening the dog and having her come dashing out. You can have her learn to sit and stay in the crate while you open the door, or have her her sit right after she steps out of the crate, or both.

Don't make it a negative time--do the practicing at other times first so that you can do this smoothly and easily with her when you're actually getting her out of the crate. Take her outside calmly, not a big wild dash. Let a few minutes pass before you pet her or feed her. Make the exit from the crate a really calm thing. It's so much better in the long term.

Dogs sleep 14 hours a day or more, so a lot of the crate time will be sleeping time if you're careful not to overuse it. When you settle her into the crate, give her something nice to chew herself to sleep with.

Teach her Stays and Settle and to hold still for grooming right from the start. This builds a dog's ability to have composure when needed. Make her exercise mental at the same time it's physical--that tires the dog more, teaches her more, and reduces the risks of injury. Keep her inside with the family when you're home except for short potty trips outside and going outside with you when you're out there. The more she is with you, the less wild she will get around you.

A lot of training info, including Stay training, Retrieving (that's thinking exercise), destructive chewing, wild behavior and crate training can be found here:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com