Dog Fouling

[Tarser]

I have two dogs that I walk every day. I hate dog excrement as much as the next man and I hate seeing it as this gives dog owners a bad name and it is the height of bad manners! I always, without fail, pick up my dog's mess, but what is the law on the 'residue' that you just cannot get up into a bag? My dog is often quite 'loose' and now and again, it will end up on or just outside someone's front drive. I pick up what I can but what do I say to a complaining home owner where my dog has done his business? (when a Deerhound decides to stop, there's not much I can do to pull him away). Carrying a bucket and scrubbing brush is surely too much to ask! The same problem with urine. I had an irate bloke the other day moaning about my dog doing a wee just outside his drive. What is the law on this? What is the public spirited approach to adopt?

[woofgang]

take your dogs out in the garden and teach them to go on request before they get their exercise.

[woofgang]

PS I am a dog owner too. My dogs are never allowed to wee or poo in the street and if I had to walk them on pavements I would keep them well away from people's drives because accidents do happen.

[Eve]

I've never trained a dog but would agree with woofgang where possible.

It's really unpleasant to come out or home to find a dog has fouled on your property. I'm not sure where it's coming from but I've had a few instances lately of it on my lawn and, once, on the paving in front of my wheelie bin, being disabled and it being a challenge enough to get it out without trying not to wheel it through dog mess or try and negotiate round it on my own property, it's something I could do without.

I'm guessing it is dogs on the loose as I live near a large park and have seen a good few of them though a I know a couple who used to live down the road used to let their two out for a late night wander and ignore them doing their business on my front lawn.

Sorry for the rant! If there is the chance of an unplanned incident while out then could you carry a large flask of very hot water to at least wash it into a drain or something or offer to do the same if they can provide some if more is needed, at least show willing?

[woofgang]

all guide dogs are taught to wee and poo on request.

[Tarser]

Woofgang - Just a couple of points - I would love to be able to teach them to only wee and poo in our garden, like a guide dog, but I think you'd need to be an expert behaviourist to do this.I have no idea how to do this but will look into it. If I kept my dogs well away from people's drives, I would be walking them in the road. Pavements are narrow where I live. It's a really difficult problem and I think the flask of hot water might be worth a try.

[cecil39]

I had a little westie that was always a bit loose do to a tummy problem, so I used to take a bottle of water with me to wash away the bit of mess that was left, but a deerhounds 'leavings' are in a different class, quite a problem Tarser as its not easy to retrain older dogs, I would ignore the cap moaning about a wee, it will soon dry up.

[mallyh]

can you not walk him gutterside my grandson has just come in from the park walking dog poo into my house ugh!.at least you pick up your dogs

[SpikeyBush]

My boxer that came from a rescue centre has been well trained. She prefers to go into the bushes and do her business out of the way. But on this particular occasion she must have had a tummy upset because as I was walking her past Tesco there was what can only be described as an explosion of liquid effluent. Luckily the staff at the petrol station lent me a bucket of water to swish it away but had it happen elsewhere or at a time when the garage was closed there would have been nothing even the best prepared dog owner would have been able to do to clear the mess away.