Poop Patrol

[Ann]

Okay, I know Basenjis are clean freaks, but in the last few months our Noel has decided she'd rather not sully her own backyard with poop. She will not use our yard as a loo; she waits for her AM and PM walks out in the neighborhood, and even then it can take her 15-20 minutes to decide on the "perfect spot." Of course, I am a good neighbor and always pick up after her, but is this behavior normal? (Of all my novice-Basenji-slave questions, this one has me the most perplexed…):o

[nobarkus]

Mine does the same thing. If there's no AM walk he will use the yard. I think if you didn't do the AM walk she'd use the yard. My past three Basenjis were not walked in the AM during the week so they used the yard.

[renaultf1]

Of my 3, the only one that will not poop on the grass in our yard is Brando. The only time he has gone in the yard is when he had diarrhea and even then he held it for a walk up the driveway and went in the scrub brush. He refuses to poop in the yard and holds out for walks - he gets 2 long walks, and one short walk per day.

[Janneke]

Tillo and Lycia don't use the yard to pee or poo. Tillo doesn't even poo at the big field they have at the day care.. :rolleyes: He can walk there for two or three hours but not do anything and as soon as I pick him up and walk him to the car he will do his business..

[thunderbird8588]

Our Basenji would go in the garden and on a walk, but as you describe it sometimes took him ages to find the right spot. He would trot around sniffing and obviously desperate to go, hunch up and then decide NO! this isnt the right spot and the trotting would begin again

[Basenjimamma]

Otis doesn't care but I think he enjoy his walks as bathroom breaks more than doing it in the yard..but if nature calls backyard will do OK. He doesn't like it however if you look at him..he will move to a new spot and look very bothered..

[Ann]

Thanks everyone. When I asked "regular" dog owners about this, they looked at me (well, mostly at Noel) like we were crazy. So nice to know we're not alone…

[Rita Jean]

Jaycee and Otis are very much alike do not look at me. If Jaycee has to go the drive way works just as well as the yard. When they had the dog thing at the motrocycle store Jaycee was the only dog to poop on pavement while everyone elses went in the grass. At least ours was easy to clean up.

Rita Jean

[nobarkus]

It's funny because the red/wht Ringo I had would run back and forth numerous times across the yard trying to find the exact spot to poop.

[mauigirl]

Aaah yes, the back and forth with Zip in particularly is usually a sign of "past the point of no return". But both of ours will look like they have to go (I know you all know what I mean) and then pull it back in like "nevermind, just kidding". Picky picky!

[JISGARD]

From my experience, if given the choice they do not like to go on home territory. Our pervious dogs seem to like to find just the right spot, which as stated by other forum members could take 10 - 15 minutes (very infuriating), I have always thought that they try to find a spot where no other dog has gone before.

To boldly go where no dog has gone before, that is their goal!:D

[dcmclcm4]

None of mine mind going in the backyard but then I pick up at least once a day sometimes twice unless it is bad weather like raining/snowing. Some of them do take awhile to look for the best place to go though. If it is the least bit wet, my Arnie will go under the overhang where the rain barely touches the ground. Most of mine are rescues so the grass is better to go than a wire crate.

[jonny b.]

I LOVE this forum…. what a hoot! POOP chat! lol
and I love it mostly because everything you all said is EXACTLY on the money. Neither of my boys will poop in our yard, ever. (i think one of them did once outside the tree row when he had diarrhea) And they make you "think " they are gonna go and then , nope not now.
If I walk them a good 15 min. in the morning they will both usually go. JB HAS to go in tall grass and MUST be facing the other way so you are not looking at him. Hansel always "walks" as he goes and then will stop and look at you like "how am i doin' momma? such silly boys. gotta love em

[wizard]

My first two had no issues with the back yard.
But Gossy, being the princess chick that she is, can't be bothered with pooping in her yard and insisted on walks. I didn't catch on until recently and now I'm making a big effort to train her to the back yard at least for the morning (it's getting too dark to go for walks before work).
A lot of patience on my part and special treats just for pooping are beginnning to show results. This morning I tried the match trick someone mentioned the other day and within about 10 minutes she pooped - yay!
(I can't believe I'm excited about dog poop :D:D)