# I pit dogs who poop in my yard **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2014, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152 "2014-07-27T10:13:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/21 "2014-07-28T22:02:22Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > cats bury their own poop. I think some folks object to their digging in flower beds. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/22 "2014-07-29T00:53:21Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I posted the following sign, all painted nicely in country needlework-style fonts. > > “Welcome to our ard. Notice there’s no ‘y’ in it, let’s keep it that way.” I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/23 "2014-07-29T01:29:44Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > I don’t get it. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/24 "2014-07-29T18:08:32Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I had a yard customer with this problem. I found a “hippie shop” Where I bought some musk scent, and sprinkled some around the edge of the yard. It worked: Dogs would smell it, take it to be some other animal’s territory (which in a sense it was) and find someone else’s front yard to use as a restroom. Wait, does this really work? Details please. Our county imposes a $250 fine for failing to pick up after your dog. This fine has not been imposed since 1999. You would literally need to catch them on camera or do a DNA test on the poop. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/25 "2014-07-29T19:14:52Z")
I think the OP should go poop in their yard. That’ll learn 'em! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/26 "2014-07-29T20:17:35Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Wait, does this really work? > > Details please. > > Our county imposes a $250 fine for failing to pick up after your dog. This fine has not been imposed since 1999. You would literally need to catch them on camera or do a DNA test on the poop. All I can say is that my customer told me the dogs quit coming around after I did that. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/27 "2014-07-29T20:31:19Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > All I can say is that my customer told me the dogs quit coming around after I did that. Perhaps their owners quit bringing them around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/28 "2014-07-29T21:02:22Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Same here. Took my a few seconds. Look at the shape a lower case y makes. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/29 "2014-07-29T21:04:08Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > When a dog walker let their dog poop on my father’s lawn dad caught them and asked if they were going to pick it up. > > “I don’t have a bag” the owner whined. If I actually owned a dog, and it pooped in someone else’s yard on an occasion when I did not have a bag, I’d ring the homeowner’s doorbell, apologize, and ask for a bag. Just walking away and leaving a pile of dogshit because “I don’t have a bag” is a lame-ass way of handing your problem to someone else instead of owning it. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/30 "2014-07-29T21:16:39Z")
> [@armedmonkey](#): > > I remember when I first adopted my dog and brought her into the house (well, duplex at the time), she pooped in the corner of the spare bedroom. I cured that real quick, and did so in a way where I only had to do it one. Granted, she was a Besenji mutt, and thus smarter than the average dog, but I think my method works regardless. > > So here’s what you do. Next time you see a dog poop in your yard, take the owner by the collar and rub it’s nose in it. Yell “Bad owner! Bad owner!” and whap 'em on the butt a few times. [/size] So… you… rubbed your own nose in the dog shit in the corner of your room? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/31 "2014-07-29T21:17:55Z")
The problem with the OP is that promiscuously pooping dogs generally don’t read Pit threads. They’re usually thread-shitting over in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/32 "2014-07-29T21:30:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Perhaps their owners quit bringing them around. 🙂 Maybe. My customer could have raised hell with them. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/33 "2014-08-07T17:08:27Z")
I once had an incredibly rude older man that lived in our neighborhood who walked his dog about our neighborhood. We had a mobile home with a fenced yard about the home itself and a small (15’ x 15’) piece of lawn open to the street and next to our gravel drive. Near the fence, I had a 3’ circle of flowers bordered by pavers. One day, I hear our two terriers in the yard barking non-stop. I go out to see what’s setting them off. This neighbor is standing in the street in front of our house, but he has let out his dogs’ retractable leash all the way, allowing the dog to sit (and shit) in my mini-flowerbed. My dogs are next to him on the other side of the fence, barking away. The neighbor’s dog, upon finishing his pooping, does a shuffle like a cat in a sandbox, tearing up my flowers. I yell at him to get his damn dog out of my flower bed. He looks at me with bare recognition, then says, “You have bad dogs! Bad dogs!” then totters off with his little dog in tow. Asshole! ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/34 "2014-08-07T19:32:59Z")
The solution is the big, giant foodservice-size containers of ground cayenne pepper that can be bought cheap at Costco or wherever. Dump it liberally around the perimeter of the yard or in the particular problem pooping place. This works best in a dry environment; sprinklers and rain will wash it away quickly. As a bonus, it also deters squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/35 "2014-08-07T20:11:19Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > The solution is the big, giant foodservice-size containers of ground cayenne pepper that can be bought cheap at Costco or wherever. Dump it liberally around the perimeter of the yard or in the particular problem pooping place. This works best in a dry environment; sprinklers and rain will wash it away quickly. As a bonus, it also deters squirrels. That ought to work. My paint ball gun concept would probably lead to arrest. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/36 "2014-08-08T08:25:12Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > The solution is the big, giant foodservice-size containers of ground cayenne pepper that can be bought cheap at Costco or wherever. Dump it liberally around the perimeter of the yard or in the particular problem pooping place. This works best in a dry environment; sprinklers and rain will wash it away quickly. As a bonus, it also deters squirrels. Interesting, can you tell me more? A neighbourhood dog seems to have staked out my front yard as suitable for his business. I’d like it to stop, but I have no idea which neighbourhood dog is doing it, nor its owner. So this could be a good solution. Will the cayenne pepper harm the grass, or inhibit its growth? Or start growing itself? ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/37 "2014-08-08T11:34:24Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Interesting, can you tell me more? > > A neighbourhood dog seems to have staked out my front yard as suitable for his business. I’d like it to stop, but I have no idea which neighbourhood dog is doing it, nor its owner. So this could be a good solution. Will the cayenne pepper harm the grass, or inhibit its growth? Or start growing itself? Just dust it on the perimeter of your lawn or in a preferred spot, that’s all there is to it. Use enough to see but not a huge pile. It won’t work if the dog is in such a hurry that he doesn’t sniff the ground, nor will it work if it blows or washes away before the dog gets there. It’s an insignificant amount of organic matter dumped on the lawn. In that way it is no different than grass clippings or fallen leaves. It certainly won’t start growing, because it is ground up cayenne peppers; there are no intact seeds to germinate. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/38 "2014-08-08T11:37:59Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Just dust it on the perimeter of your lawn or in a preferred spot, that’s all there is to it. Use enough to see but not a huge pile. It won’t work if the dog is in such a hurry that he doesn’t sniff the ground, nor will it work if it blows or washes away before the dog gets there. > > It’s an insignificant amount of organic matter dumped on the lawn. In that way it is no different than grass clippings or fallen leaves. It certainly won’t start growing, because it is ground up cayenne peppers; there are no intact seeds to germinate. Because it can be tasted by mammals, but not birds, it can also be mixed into bird feederso deter squirrels, although I’ve not tried that myself. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/39 "2014-08-08T12:15:08Z")
Do you have a fence with a gate? Close the gate, dog does not crap on your lawn, problem solved. I got the same sort of annoyance factor going for people who let their dogs run around attacking my animals, fence your yard in and I won’t shoot fluffy for attacking my sheep, problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152/40 "2014-08-08T23:21:03Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Took my a few seconds. Look at the shape a lower case y makes. It looks like… a lower-case y. I am still not getting it. Instead of being coy, how about you provide the answer? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dogs-who-poop-in-my-yard/694152.md?page=3)