ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by April H.

I'm having a problem with my little Maltese puppy, Muppet. We got her back in August, and love her to pieces, but she has a strange personality quirk that is going to cause problems when I start work Monday. She WILL NOT poop in our yard. She doesn't even like to pee in our yard, but will if you have her out there long enough. She has always been like this...I remember having to literally drag her in our yard so she would do her business there instead of the neighbors. Now the problem has gotten worse. She will not go except when we are going around the block, which then has to be cleaned up. It's been at least a month since she has visited 'her spots' in our yard that she did go to! I've even dragged her to those places, and nothing. She's even gone in the house a couple times, something she hasn't done in months! Any ideas? I'm getting frustrated, and worried.

DISCUSSION:

I've read that sometimes dogs think of their yard like the house and want to keep everything around them clean. But it does not compute when you say she has gone in the house. Try using the Spray that we used to train them as puppy's. Do you have a friend with a dog that you could ask to have their dog use your yard? Good luck.
-Shelley

I agree with Shelley that they want to keep THEIR surroundings clean, and I have the same problem! Travis & Harlee Dee will NOT "go" in our yard; the neighbors yard is just fine with them!! 9 x's out of 10, we walk a pretty far distance to what I call "PooPoo Alley", silly huh? But that's where they like to go, and I won't deny them. They enjoy taking a long walk when I come home from work, after all, they've been stuck in the house ALL day!, and YES, At 4 yrs old, they still have occasional accidents in the house. But I can't get angry, because I would NOT want someone dictating to me when I could "go" and when I couldn't!!! Sometime it happens!!!
-Karen Kalamaras