Backyard is fully fenced with 6ft solid picket and I'm in town so the wildlife is less concerning, but my dogs are also Velcro dogs and hate the cold so especially during the winter they'd be right back in. I am home most of the time so it is really mostly for at night. They are small so they can't really hold it all night. I used a strip of live sod in a tray inside when I lived in an apartment that I'd toss when it started to smell, but now that I have a yard it's just annoying.