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After much online searching, I have been able to come up with nothing on how to solve an interesting problem we’ve encountered out here, dogs and outhouses.
Someone….
is much to interested in the outhouse! So far Ronan has been caught trying to dig under it three times. That really is bad dog behavior. Luckily, none of the other dogs have any interest in the outhouse at all.
We seemed to have weaned him away from doing it for now, but here is what I’d do in the future to keep dogs from getting into an outhouse:
- Whether building one or moving somewhere that has an outhouse, teach the dog from the start that area is off limits.
- Discipline as necessary if you catch them digging.
- Use a product like this to deter dogs from the area directly around the outhouse.
- Fence off the area if possible.
- Chain the dog if you have to leave him unsupervised, and he’s still interested in the outhouse.
- Use a deodorizer (Amazon) in the outhouse so there isn’t that much temptation for the dog. Wood ash makes a great free deodorizer choice.
- Set the outhouse foundation at least a half foot in the ground if able to when building. That way dogs can’t get to the actual hole itself.
And last but not least:
If your dog just will not stay away, or if it seems to be eating a lot of poop (some poop eating is normal dog behavior!), take it to a vet. Sometimes vitamin deficiencies or parasites can cause dogs to seek out excrement to eat.
I’m happy to say Ronan was uninterested after a few months, so it must have been just exploring something new. And after 4 years of outhouse use, we’ve yet to have another dog interested in it!
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