Hi Tippy Toes,
You pose an interesting question: How do you train a pet to not use a specific outdoor area to do their business?
Changing patterns and behaviors can take up to two weeks, but it sounds like your job of training is partially done—your pet knows to go outside.
Discouraging him/her from using people traveled areas may be a challenge, but there are products that can help you along. Four Paws makes an excellent dog and cat repellent, aptly named “Keep Off”. It’s designed to discourage your dog from using forbidden areas. It’s an easy to apply granular product and comes with a shaker top. The product needs to be applied daily until the behavior is modified. Be sure to pick up any waste, and water the grass well prior to application.
During this retraining process you should walk your dog to the desired location after every meal. Be sure to reward good behavior with treats and praise, while closely monitoring his habits for a few days. Punishment doesn’t work well, so if there are any accidents discretely clean up and rinse ground area thoroughly, and then re-apply “Keep Off”.
Thanks for your input Tippy,
Alpha Dog
