11 year old won't poop in yard

by Ray L.
(Buffalo, NY)


I recently got an eleven year old Great Pyrenees male who was kenneled most of his life. He loves walks and car rides and is the most gentle, well trained and loving dog I ever met. After three months I noticed he rarely poops in the backyard. Last Sunday he held it until we went for a walk around noon. He has had a couple accidents in the house. The other day he got exited for a van ride and pooped just after getting in at around 1:00 pm after being outside most of the morning. I am at a loss why he just won't go in the yard, he did at first and does occasionally. The same goes for the empty lot at the corner, he used to go there but now waits until we start walking again, sometimes where he should not, and did not before, like walking the Farmer's Market after given ample opportunities. I cannot figure when he has to go. In the house he won't signal to go out he just waits until we go walking. Winter is coming to Western New York and morning walks are getting more difficult for me as I am also getting old, any Ideas anyone ??

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Nov 15, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Routine
by: Donna

If he were kenneled most of his life, he doesn't know where to go. He's never had any bathroom routine. Getting him to go in the backyard will take time and a routine.

Make a routine for him. This takes time especially if he has only known a kennel.

You'll need to walk him three/four times a day. When he does poop, just say 'good boy' when he does go outside. When you get up in the morning, noon, before dinner, before bed.

When he is in the house, you need to watch him or keep him leashed to you. If he shows sign of pooping/peeing, take him outside in the backyard and walk him around there. With luck, he'll poop/pee. When he does, tell him 'good boy' and take him back inside.

He'll get it eventually. Consistency and routine on your part. Always positive-reinforcement training. Here is some information for you:
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/is_my_male_shih_tzu_being_a_s_when_he_potties_in_the_house/

Just as an aside, although it doesn't matter, but your dog is a mix with not much Pyr. He may have Catahoula or Bullmastiff (or any other brindle coloured dog) in him (the brindle colouring and shorter hair).
Nov 15, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ours won't poop in yard either
by: Nashville

We have a lovely 3 year old rescue who would not poop in yard and still has not in the year we've had him. He considers the yard and the neigbhorhood he can see out the front window his territory and will not poop in it. We have to walk him out of the neighborhood. It's an excuse for exercise. The breed is pretty quirky. It might have something to do with the livestock guarding although I do not know why. We walk Russell in the morning and he gets another walk after dinner. Sometimes I get a student to run with him a few times a week.
Good luck but it sure makes the back yard nice.
Nov 16, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Backya
by: Anonymous

My boy will never poop in his own yard unless he is dealing with blowout. I have always thought since we got him from a farm at three months he was housebroken without ever being in the house. Seems to me he's just a clean boy. Not surprised. I think walks especially shortly after meal time on a consistent basis will clear things up
Nov 23, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		pyrs pooping
by: Marianne

I've had my pyr for 10 years and if she does poop in the yard it's the furthest from the house she can get, usually at the fence line.

I think it has to do with territory...if she is in my front yard she goes in the woods...I have about an acre..
they just seem to have to claim territory .
Jan 07, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Don't just make a routine, make a command
by: Anonymous

When house training my Great Pyr as a puppy, I immediately started using a command, "go piddles!!" When I would take her outside or on walks, i would watch closely for when she was about to pee and give the command "go piddles" as soon as started and during. I would end with a "good girl" and some petting once she was finished. Great Pyrs are SMART and it didn't take her long to pair the command with the action. The benefit of peeing on command? It shortens time on walks, she will spend forever sniffing along fence or post, giving the command lets her know it's time to move on. It also helps when the vet needs to take a urine sample. I handed her off to vet tech and told her what command to say, 2 minutes later she comes back and says "well that the easiest sample ever."

So I would suggest coming up with a command phrase, something unique you wouldn't normally say in every day conversation.... Go poopies, Ca-ca time, etc. and say it whenever you see your dog defecating, even if it's indoors. Follow up with praise. Then start saying it walking around in the yard. It may a take awhile so be patient and always reinforce with lots of praise.

I also trained my dog to ring a bell when she needed to go outside. I bought a bell at the pet store, it's meant for bird cages....it's a bell suspended in a rubber ball. I hung it from the back door and I would ring it twice every time I opened the door to let the dog out. Again, they are a smart breed. She quickly learned to ring the bell by nudging the ball with her nose whenever she wanted to go out. So we never had any house training accidents because I didn't notice she was waiting by the door. She also learned that ringing bell would get me to come to the door (i.e. Really to her), and she quickly started abusing that power!

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