Have you met Morgan the dog?  You probably recognize him from his inclusion in Spike’s Pack in May 2009.  This August, he will be moving into an apartment/condo setting as his mom starts graduate school.  All of the graduate students I have met are pretty busy people, and Morgan’s mom is a little worried about the possibility of days where she may not be able to get home from classes and stuff to let him out before his needs trump her schedule, if you know what I mean.  She asked me my thoughts on litter boxes or potty box products like the Porch Potty.

I have seen many litter boxes in my day, since I have several feline friends, but until Morgan’s mom asked me, I had not even heard of the Porch Potty.

Getting back to Morgan, it is important to note that he is totally housebroken.  In fact, he handles potty time and potty spots so well, that when he he visits other people’s homes, he only needs to be shown once which door goes outside for potty time, and he will consistently ask to go out that door, holding it in until he is outside.

Since Morgan is a small dog, I think that a litter box could be a very cool thing, but it may provide some mixed signals for him, since he is so well-behaved about potty time.  There are some days, mainly the really hot, really rainy, or really cold days, that I would like to have a little box inside to protect me from the elements.  Unfortunately, we have not seen one large enough for me.  Ever wonder what a litter box for a 110 pound Golden Retriever would look like?  Let me know if you see one.

Dogs are pretty smart about this potty stuff.  In fact, most of the time when people complain about their dog’s potty habits, it is usually something that the people did, or did not do that is the problem.  Once you start unloading things in Morgan’s new home, place the litter box in its permanent location.  Show Morgan where his new potty place is, and if the new place is large, you may have to confine Morgan with the litter box until he figures out the new location and uses it on the “long days.”

Keep in mind that moving can be traumatic for dogs, since they do not really understand what is happening.  During the packing and moving activities, try to keep the new routine as close to the old one as possible.  Morgan will have to learn new doors to enter and exit, where his new potty spot is, and where his toys and bowls have moved.  Even with a dog as smart as Morgan, there may even be a few accidents at first, but do not get upset.  Morgan has not forgotten everything he learned, he is still figuring things out in the new place!

Mom and I have taught a few classes about dog litter boxes.  Here in Atlanta, there are many high-rise apartment and condominium buildings, and that number keep growing.  The people that live in those buildings do not want to run down stairs or catching an elevator when it is potty time for their pup!

One time, Mom taught a class and one of the students lived in one of those big condo buildings in Buckhead, a swanky part of Atlanta.  Although the class was specifically about potty training, it never fails that people have questions about all kinds of other dog stuff.  In this class, someone asked about flea control, so Mom explained the options available to declare war on them.  The guy from Buckhead decided this was an appropriate time to announce to the whole class that his dogs did not have any fleas, did not get any fleas, etc.  He further explained that the reason his dog was flealess is because he lived in the Buckhead neighborhood!  Mom, the never-ending comedienne, asked the man if the fleas in Atlanta jumped off of dogs when they passed the “Welcome to Buckhead” sign?  After class, I suggested that perhaps there was a very small sign located under the welcoming sign that read, “Fleas Not Allowed.”

Training for the Porch Potty will be much the same, and I suggest you start using it before the move, if possible.  In the interest of full disclosure, after learning about the Porch Potty and trying one out, I became an affiliate for their company.  As you may have noticed, Mom and I do not endorse just anything.  To get my pawed seal of approval, I have to make sure it meets my standards.  If you find that it fits your needs, you can get $15 off by entering “askspikeonline” in the coupon code field.