I currently live in an area where my beagle has the run of about five fenced acres. His potty habits were never a problem. However, I'll be moving to a smaller place in the next few months -- approximately 3/4 acres -- and I'd like to know how to make a specific potty area that he would be attracted to. He easily trainable, but I don't know what to use in an area like that. I want to use natural materials that would be fairly easy to clean and deodorize. I would appreciate all the help anyone could give me.
I''ve heard of sand, peameal and/or gravel being very effective potty areas To train a dog to use only that spot start out by always taking him on a leash when he needs to go. Lead him to that spot and wait until he eliminates there. When he does, praise him! Eventually he should automatically go there every time (although he might mark other parts of the yard too simply to claim it as his).
Yes, I do. I've always heard they were difficult, but Barney was a quick learner. The biggest training problem we had was to keep him from running out the front door every time we opened it. It took us about two weeks to get over that, but no other major problems.
I agree with the sand. We used bricks and stones to section off a small area near a tree in our backyard (far corner, away from the patio and swingset).
Then poured in a big bag of sand. At first, she played in the sand a little bit. Then she got used to it. Then it rained and the sand froze. Now it's totally covered in ice and snow.
I'd like to use gravel. Maybe after the puppy stage is over...right now she'd probably eat the stones.
Thanks, Kerry. That's kind of what I was thinking about, an area behind a hedge that would be hidden and fairly easy to clean and deodorize. Perhaps if we dig an impression, put in a layer of pea gravel with a load of sand on top that will do the trick.
Well you could fence a section in with those shorter decorative fences and then take your dog to that area only to potty. In a few weeks he should be reliable enough to use it. That's how we trained Keno in an area. Just be sure to keep it clean so he doesn't go in other places. Maybe some wood chips would work.
To train a dog to use only that spot start out by always taking him on a leash when he needs to go. Lead him to that spot and wait until he eliminates there. When he does, praise him! Eventually he should automatically go there every time (although he might mark other parts of the yard too simply to claim it as his).
