Training to defacate in certain areas.

Question
We have a two year old Golden Retriever. She is a wonderful dog and very well trained. One thing though, she seems to always defacate in the grassy area around our patio.  We have a fairly large yard and I was hoping we could train her to start defacating in the back area of the yard if possible. Is there some training method or some sort of product we could put down in the patio area that would make her go to another part of the yard to defacate?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Doug,

Rather than letting your dog outside and going where she pleases (which isn't pleasing you), try changing her routine by putting her on a leash and walking her to the part of your yard you'd rather have her use.

It might help if you were to move one or two of her fecal deposits to the new area, so she has a clue of what's expected to occur in that space. It also would help if you had a friend who could bring their dog over, and have them leash walk their dog in that same area. Most dogs will respond to where other dogs have marked, and want to re-mark that territory.

You'll have to be persistent in leash walking your dog to this new area, since it's not yet her habit to use this part of your yard. It can take up to a month to brake some dogs of a habit, while retraining a desired behavior.

While you're re-training your dog by leashing her to the new part of your yard, it might be beneficial to also use a dog repellent in the patio area to further show your dog right from wrong. "Liquid Fence" "Repel" and "Boundary Dog Repellent Granules" are three such products you could try for that purpose. You can find them online, or at your local garden supply or pet supply stores.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck!

-Patti