Going to the bathroom

Question
My husband and I recently adopted a 2 year old yellow lab. When we take him on walks, he will always go to the bathroom, but he has not once gone to the bathroom in our backyard. We are both teachers so we are about to start school back up and I want to make sure that our dog goes to the bathroom in our backyard before we leave for work. Any suggestions?

Answer
Take him out in the back yard on leash the first thing in the morning.  Walk him around until he goes.  Then lavish praise on him.  He may be more comfortable if you choose a far corner away from where he spends most of his time out there.  With any luck, by the time school starts, you will have been able to phase out the walk on the leash.