Hey DumDog!
I have the answer, but not sure you are gonna like it! :) Some dogs have the need for speed. They need to relieve themselves while on the move, basically. I've got one of those here right now, Gus - Ben was another like that.
I get many dogs here who were "backyard dogs" and relieved themselves on their own schedule. Others came from nice homes and are used to getting good long walks on which they had multiple opportunities to go for it. Their bodies get used to expecting that bit of exercise first.
The good news is that you can train them to go on your terms. I'm having Patrick re-train Gus right now for me, because Patrick's schedule is changing and he can't do the first-thing-in-the-morning chores every day now. At the moment, Gus expects that he'll go do chores and sometime during that, he'll completely relieve himself. It's what he used to do during hard training and also when he worked the sheep ranch in CO.
I've asked Patrick to walk Gus directly out to where he normally poops - a place about halfway through the chore routine, and give him his cue words. Then he's to briskly walk him back to the house and crate him, take all the rest of the dogs out to go potty, then get Gus again, and take him where he normally goes potty, and repeat the magic words, until he goes.
Gus isn't trying to be stubborn or anything, he's just used to this routine, so he usually obliges at that point. Then Patrick is to take him to do chores. No chores until he poops.
At night I'm going to take him out and do the same, and then work him a little, so he gets the idea that if he poops on command, he'll get to work.
I had to do the same to train Ben to go on command. Ted too - he wouldn't go, as a pup, until I wouldn't let him do anything at all - I mean anything, until he went poopies - and Ted has to go twice before he's done.
It was the opposite before, see? They got what they wanted, then they had their sweet time to go potty. All these dogs are perfectly capable of holding it indefinitely because they are working bred - Lynn would pop before she could hold it more than a couple days, and Zhi ditto.
In your case, trying to apply this in the backyard, I'd leash my dog and go for "walkies" in the yard, nice and boring, while saying the cue words periodically. Then crate.
When he or she has done all his business, say, "Are you all done? Good dog!" And let the dog off - and don't just leave right away - work in a quick training or playtime session.
Eventually the dog will get bored of his/her whole world being leash walk and crate, particularly if this is a clever, high-energy dog as you say. The first time you get what you want and let them off, and then give them a nice intense playtime, the dog will go, hmmmm. The next time may be the first time you see the dog speed things up to get to playtime quicker.
After that, give the dog a playtime every time after he or she goes potty, for about two weeks, then only every now and then to keep the dog's mind working that way. If you go back to the old pattern, the dog will eventually go back to his or her old pattern, because it's not a disobedient thing, but rather a response to what you are reinforcing - you let the dog stay out and give the dog attention while it's not pooping.
A message to Lurkerland: please do not ever stick anything up your dogs' anal opening that's not made to go there (ie, a thermometer) without the advice of your vet. You can cause serious damage to some delicate glands that are right there, not to mention the lower gi. *shudders*