Many dog owners face the common challenge of getting their canine companions to consistently use the backyard for potty breaks instead of waiting for walks. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re trying to maintain a clean yard and a predictable routine. This article delves into effective strategies for How To Get My Dog To Pee In The Backyard, drawing on both a seasoned dog trainer’s proven methods and valuable insights from a large online dog community. We’ll explore practical steps to recondition your dog’s potty habits, ensuring they learn to relieve themselves comfortably and reliably in your own yard.
Andrew Ledford’s Standard Backyard Potty Routine
Based on years of experience, here is a routine I’ve found highly effective for training dogs to relieve themselves in the backyard, often as part of a broader house-training program:
- Ensure Yard Comfort: Make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable eliminating in the yard. Initially, keeping them on a leash can help focus their attention on the task at hand.
- Scheduled Outings: Take your dog out to the yard immediately after they wake up from sleeping and shortly after eating. These are prime times when dogs typically need to go.
- Stimulate Activity: Engage your dog in some vigorous activity, such as short, intense obedience training sessions or a lively game of fetch, before taking them to their designated potty spot. Activity can stimulate the urge to eliminate. For puppies learning to navigate new environments, early puppy leash training can be integrated with these activities.
- Designated Area: Lead your dog to a specific, consistent potty area in the yard. This spot should ideally be away from the main house doors or high-traffic play areas.
- Potty on Command: Use a consistent verbal command like “Potty,” “Go pee,” or “Do your business.” As soon as your dog starts to eliminate, repeat the command. When they finish, offer immediate food reinforcement or a favorite toy.
- Reinforcing Social Activity: After your dog successfully eliminates in the yard, engage them in a social activity they find highly reinforcing. For dogs that prefer relieving themselves on walks, this often means immediately taking them for a walk.
- No Walk Until Potty: Crucially, do not take your dog for their full walk until they have successfully gone potty in the yard. This establishes a clear consequence and reward system.
This routine formed the basis of my advice when a member of my old Google Plus Dogs community, which boasted over 225,000 members, asked the question: “How to teach a dog potty in the backyard instead of on walks.” Let’s explore some of the solutions suggested by community members and my take on their effectiveness.
A young Boxer dog being house-trained to pee on command in a designated backyard area, demonstrating effective outdoor potty training.
Community Insights: Addressing the “Pee on Walks Only” Challenge
The “Dogs community” was a vibrant forum with many experienced dog owners and trainers. Here are some paraphrased suggestions from members, along with my assessment and expansion on their ideas:
Suggestion 1: “Turn the dog loose in the backyard. The dog will potty once he gets comfortable.”
Getting a dog comfortable in the backyard is an excellent first step for many potty problems, especially for dogs who are insecure or hesitant in open spaces. I’ve worked with numerous dogs that initially showed reluctance to eliminate in the yard due to unfamiliarity or mild anxiety. For these dogs, allowing them to explore and habituate to the yard can indeed be part of the solution.
However, my experience indicates that the majority of dogs who only want to potty on walks are already quite comfortable in their backyards. For these dogs, simply giving them more time in the yard without a structured approach often has little impact. If your dog is comfortable in the yard but still prefers to go on walks, a different strategy is needed.
Some dogs, especially those waiting for walks to eliminate, tend to view the yard as an extension of their living area—a place to keep clean, just like the house. In such cases, the goal is to recondition them to use a specific part of the yard as a designated “potty zone.” It’s often helpful to define this area clearly, perhaps a far corner or a side section, well away from main play areas or the back door.
Suggestion 2: “When the dog goes in the backyard, congratulate him there instead of when he goes on a walk.”
This suggestion has significant merit and is something I always incorporate into any housebreaking or retraining program. However, a slight semantic modification can make this technique far more powerful: change “congratulate” to “reward” or “reinforce.”
My recommendation for reinforcement goes beyond simple verbal praise. I typically use immediate high-value food treats or a favorite toy combined with play right after the dog finishes. While this immediate reward is crucial, the biggest reinforcement for many dogs, particularly those who love walks, is to grant them the walk they desire after they’ve relieved themselves in the yard. This strategy leverages the dog’s existing motivation. If your dog tends to pull on the leash out of excitement for walks, this reward system can also be a valuable training opportunity to reinforce calm behavior before the walk begins.
Suggestion 3: “The dog gets excited when walked, this causes him to potty. Get him excited in the backyard before the walk. If he still poops on the sidewalk, use a reprimand.”
There’s truth to the idea that excitement and physical activity can stimulate the urge to eliminate. Many dogs are indeed stimulated to potty by the movement and novelty of a walk. To leverage this, I often try to encourage elimination before a walk by engaging the dog in vigorous activity within the yard. This usually involves fast-paced obedience training combined with free play. This approach works for roughly half of the dogs I train. If your dog enjoys activities like basic agility training, incorporating short bursts of these can also be highly effective in stimulating their bowels.
For dogs more determined to only go on walks, a more structured program is necessary, often involving crate training and carefully timed outings.
The “Quick Retreat” Method:
When working with a dog that is highly resistant to going in the yard, you can still take them for a walk, but don’t venture far from the house. As soon as your dog shows any signs of getting ready to potty (sniffing intently, circling, squatting), quickly turn around and take them back to the yard. You may need to move very swiftly, even run, to get them back. Once in the yard, give them the “potty” command. If they eliminate, reward them generously with food or a toy, and then you can resume your walk. Some dogs might go a second time on the walk, so initially, don’t go too far until you know their habits better or they are reliably yard-trained. This method helps your dog associate the act of relieving themselves with the backyard, even if the initial urge was stimulated by the walk.
Tracking Your Dog’s Potty Habits:
As you train your dog, you’ll naturally learn their unique patterns. By observing closely, you’ll become better at predicting when they’re most likely to need to go. To aid this process, I recommend keeping a small notebook to record data on how, when, and where your dog eliminates. This record will not only reveal patterns but also help you gauge the effectiveness of your training methods and how consistently you’re reinforcing positive backyard potty behavior. Understanding their elimination schedule is also crucial for getting your puppy to poop outside consistently.
It’s important to note my strong disagreement with the “reprimand” aspect of this suggestion. Reprimands, especially after the fact or for a natural behavior like eliminating, can instill fear and anxiety, potentially making the problem worse rather than solving it. Positive reinforcement and redirection are always the preferred methods in effective dog training.
Suggestion 4: “Put the dog’s stools in the area of the backyard you would like him to use. The scent will encourage him to go there in the future.”
My experience indicates that this technique is generally not very effective on its own. While it is true that the presence of their own stool might act as a mild cue for a dog to eliminate in that area, it’s unlikely to be a powerful training method if used in isolation.
I don’t believe placing a stool in the yard will actively hamper your training. In fact, I sometimes do this myself to subtly guide the dog toward the specific area I want them to use. However, as I’ve observed, it doesn’t significantly increase the speed at which most dogs learn to consistently potty in the yard and stop waiting for walks. It should only be a minor component of a larger, more comprehensive plan.
Developing a Holistic Potty Training Plan
When you’re house-training or reconditioning your dog to use the yard, the key to success is to develop a multifaceted dog training plan. This holistic approach should incorporate several complementary techniques that all work together towards the same goal. Avoid a “hodgepodge” of disconnected methods; instead, ensure each training element builds upon the others. By employing a few consistent techniques simultaneously, you can accelerate your dog’s learning and achieve a reliably yard-trained companion. Consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement are your most powerful tools.
Wishing you the best in dogs and in life,
Andrew Ledford
Southern California Dog Training
714-827-4058
