I checked on a couple of systems a few years ago, but all said, "not for use in clay soil" which is exactly what I have.
so I gave up. I wish they were viable here.

We dig very deep holes on the perimeter of our yard. Drop the poop into the hole, cover with a thin layer of dirt, continue till full, cover thoroughly with the rest of the dirt. Move about 3 feet and start another hole. My plants grow beautifully, trees love it. When we get all around the yard we go back to hole #1. Start over and all the poop is composted into the soil, gone, just soil again. I have clay soil and had the same problem as scottymam. And we have been doing this for 23 years and it's never been a problem.

I just dug out an old Doggy Dooley yesterday. Was going to freecycle it, but it was old and self-destructed in the process.

We had it for 10 years and never used it successfully. Even with enzymes, routine maintenance, and only having 1 dog, it just never seemed to work all that well. Maybe it needed to be bigger? Maybe it's our climate or environment? It just never worked well for us.

Time and again we would go back to just burying it in a designated area. This worked far better, was far easier, and definitely cheaper. For our 1 lab we had an area of about 10 square feet. If you start on one edge and work in a pattern, by the time you get back around, the poop is pretty well broken down. When the composting area started bulging, we'd shovel off the beautiful soil and use it to topdress roses or other ornamentals.

I really like mes444's idea with the deep holes- wish I'd thought of that.

We've always bagged it up, tossed it in the truck and carried it off to the dumpsters. Now with 3 dogs.. 2 of them pooping pups, I think we'll try the big hole thingy.

Now I know what to put in the holes Kaiser has been digging for me- maybe he was trying to tell me something :)

We keep a bucket with a trash bag in it- and scoop as soon as they go- then put it for trash pickup. I would bury but Lucy is a poo eater and it's best to scoop as soon as they go and put it in the bucket and put the lid back on it.

I'm with MES444. I have a hole 2 feet deep and the width of a garbage can. Three dogs. I keep a black plastic garbage can lid on top of the hole and secure that with two bricks. Throw a little lime in once in a while,but no odor in the yard. My dogs are raw fed so very small 'clean' poop and it biodegrades VERY quickly. Clay soil should be improved by this! I would say Doggie Dooley is just covering themselves with that line.

groominggal,
have you tried feeding them pumpkin? It is supposed to make the poop less palatable, while being benifical for the dogs. I haven't had to use it for that, but some of the folks on Scottie List I belong to swear by it.

scottymam- Lucy is "special"- She's a 2yr old shih tzu- former owner left her locked in a closet for 10-12 hours a day. It doesn't matter what I feed she will eat poop, not just hers either. I don't think it is so much as being something to eat for flavor, but because she was used to being locked up with her own poo all day. They say bad habits are hard to break. She went from eating poo about 6 times a day to maybe once a month and that's usually if she only has an accident in the house or if I can't scoop fast enough.

groominggal, We have a BIG TIME poop eater - big dog, big poop, major eater. But we managed to eventually break her of it. Sorry to say that nothing is a quick fix. But if you're diligent, you can break the habit. We tried everything. Cayenne pepper and jalepano juice were just added seasonings. The 2 things we found most effective were vinegar and tobasco sauce. You have to _cover it completely_(as best as possible) as soon as they go. Don't pick it up immediately. They need to eat the bad stuff. Dogs learn through repetitive training. (I'm sure you know) She finally quit. Nothing else worked and we tried it all.

Since switching our dogs to a grain-free diet, I have found that we no longer need to scoop their poop. They eat much less and less of what they eat is filler, so their poops are absolutely tiny (and all my dogs are over 100 pounds). These small poops aren't like their poops were before. They dry out, turn white, and disintegrate within a day or two. Our yard is big enough that we don't have to worry about what little poop is out there at any given time.

PetHabitats.com sells the original, 100% flushable bag. It's unique, two ply design allows the bags to hold together when they need to yet dissolve quicking in water. We also offer the WasteAway which is a back yard waste receptacle that mounts easily to your home near the plumbing cleanout. You simply scoop the waste, desposit it into the WasteAway, give it a quick shot of water and the waste is flushed into the sewer system. No more stinky trash cans to deal with.

Here is a link that might be useful: PetHabitats.com

If you are in a small place or concerned about contaminating the ground (and from what I can gather, commercial foods containing a lot of grain will generate more/larger/more offensive poop) then the correct and hygienic way to dispose of it is to flush it.

I have thought about the composting thing but have also heard negative things about it. Using a pit and mixing in some organic matter/grass clippings etc, and maybe some lime sounds like the way to go.

In my case, I discovered we have dung beetles here in Kamloops, BC, I recognised them from when I lived in Australia where they have been introduced, and confirmed it with a little online research.

These little critters are wonderful and burrow through the droppings and bury it, if I miss a turd for a day or two, they have tunnelled through it and it's usually reduced by half or more. Quite amazing.

Our dog is on the BARF (bones and raw food) diet so her poop is small, not very smelly and inoffensive- not sloppy) - I would flush it, but I don't want to kill the dung beetles so, because we live on the edge of a small reserve bordered by wild roses, I actually drop the poop onto the reserve around the roses - I know that sounds a little like crapping on the neighbour's lawn but there's no reason for anyone to walk on this section - it's quite steep - and I was careful to make sure it wasn't generating smells or flies, and it seems to be ok from that point of view. The dung beetles make short work of it and after three years there does not seem to be any negative impact.

Not really a solution for everyone but it works for us. If you find out there is a native dung beetle or an introduced one you can get hold of, perhaps you can 'seed' your local area. They were introduced to Australia to reduce the horrendous fly problem (exacerbated by introduced sheep and cattle, and their droppings) as well as urban pet droppings. It's been very successful.

If you have to toss stuff then the biodegradable bags are the way to go.

Gotta say I too love the dung beetles. We have them in Miami and it is great....looks like they turn poop into dirt. fabulous.

Here's a page from a WA county all about dog waste. They frown on burying it, composting it or using doogy-dooly-type systems:

Pet Waste Disposal

We have a large acreage here so it isn't much of a problem, but when we lived in the burbs, I just scooped it up and threw it on my perennials. Why waste wonderful fertilizer?

I flush my dog's poops down the toilet with a flushable doggy waste bag. Most eco-friendly way to get ride of poops.

The company is called Flush Doggy.

There are flushable dog poop bags. The best answer probably because dog poop can get treated just as your poop is.

FlushDoggy, is a fully biodegradable, flushable(water soluble) dog waste bag that is very eco-friendly. Dog doodies are best to be flushed down the toilet and degrade naturally , just as our own doodies. Stop destroying our earth and start educating the public, one poop at a time. Be a responsible owner and go green for our pets.

http://flushdoggy.com and get a FREE SAMPLE TO TRY !

Here is a link that might be useful: flush doggy

I am trying a DIY solution. I bought a five-gallon plastic bucket at OSH, with a lid; together they cost about $6.00. I cut the bottom off the bucket. I dug a hole and put the bucket in it, such that the top rim of the bucket extended about 2cm (3/4 in) above ground level, in order to be able to place the lid on it. I collect the dog poop and put it in the bucket. The first time, I sprinkled a packet of septic tank starter over the waste, and poured a bucket of water over it.

I'm not sure this is going to work. I've had this going since some time in July (2010), and the bucket is filling up. I don't know if the biodegradation will occur fast enough. It was a cheap enough experiment, in any case.

i used a doggy dooley when i lived in town and had 2 siberian huskies. it worked ok, not great.

now that i live in the middle of nowhere, i just pick it up and toss it into the timber or the farm field across the fence. my 3 danes are also fed grain free kibble and their poops are much smaller and much less smelly.

i've never heard of pumpkin for poop eaters but i've heard of giving them pineapple. it's supposed to make their poop taste bad. but really...they're eating POOP! what could taste worse than that?? LOL

I have a poop eater to,the pup Annabelle.She doesn't eat her own just the bassets.I believe because they eat dry food different from hers.Anyway I toss it over the fence where no one walks and we too have the dung bettles.I just really hate scooping up poop in the middle of the night though! I'm not quite fast enough at getting to it as Annabelle.

You should Read Joseph Jenkins Humanure Handbook

We take pet waste out of the garbage can where it lives forever in plastic bags in our landfills creating methane. We put it into the sewer where it belongs to be treated and reintroduced back into the environment as nitrogen. This is the EPA and Storm Water Management's preferred method of disposal. Our products range from flushable pet waste bags to a full pet bathroom that collects the pee and the poop with a bathing station. We have 14 products that solve this issue very simple and sustainable. We belong to the Colorado Green Business Network and The Pet Sustainability Coalition.

Check us out at www.pethabitats.com