advanced potty training

Question
We are in the process of adopting a rescue dog (a bluetick coonhound) who is approx 4-5 years old. He is housetrained, but I want to train him to poop in a specific area of our yard that I will mark with wooden stakes and twine.  First of all, is this even possible, and second, how would you recommend I go about training him to do this?

Answer
It is possible.  The way to do it is to take the dog on leash every time he needs to go, and praise him copiously for going in the right spot.  After he has been doing that for a while, put him on a thirty foot training lead.  If he heads for another area, simply reel him in gently and take him to the preferred spot.  Once he goes, praise him (occasionally with treats), and then let him off lead (so long as the yard is fenced).  That way, he will begin to realize that the way he gets to go sniff around the yard is to potty in the right spot.  That is a reinforcer, too, so adds to the reward he gets for doing his biz in the right spot.  Especially if you do this from the first day you get him, he should be able to learn it fairly quickly.  However, do keep in mind that hounds are a very independent breed (it's not stubbornness, they were just bred to work independently of the human while hunting, and have retained that disposition), and most people are just glad if they are house trained;-))  That said, I have a large hound (Foxhound mix) who has a CGC and is a registered therapy dog, so they are certainly not stupid.