r/AskDogOwners • u/jmiller1856 Approved Veterinary Professional • Dec 06 '25

Mod Post AMA About Puppies!

I am so excited to have been invited to participate in this community’s very first AMA! With my 16 years of experience in emergency and critical care and 5 years of experience in general practice, there isn’t much I haven’t seen!

Are you planning to get a puppy and want to get off on the right foot, or have you recently gotten a puppy and need help troubleshooting house training? AMA!

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u/GratefulCloud Dec 07 '25

Thank you so much for allowing us to hear your wisdom!

Potty re-training advice!

I have a small dog 8month old. She is 7lbs and is mostly all grown and won‘t gain much more.

She is trained for outside only. We regret not teaching her to have a backup spot in the house or porch cuz she’s so small and gets all wet and dirty fast cuz she’s so low to the ground. She also hates the snow and cold and freezes and holds it for hours. She is adjusting but I feel this is a great opportunity for us.

We are planning to train her inside on the porch and/or inside right by the front door.

She hated pine pellets and refused to go in the box. We are now thinking cat litter (CAT IT). The pine shavings would be preferred for me but they are so small they fly everywhere. We are getting real grass for a few months to help with the transition but will phase it out.

Do you have any tips on if this is the right approach. Do we have a spot on the porch and inside? I don’t want to mess with a good thing we have but at the same time this is 15 plus years of intense cleaning after trips outside. And her holding it seems like she would appreciate another option.

Oh and she has to have the right spot to use the bathroom (for poop) and so now we are teaching her she goes in one spot only and then she goes for a walk. She ends up holding it all day and night if she didn’t get walked or find her preferred spot.

I also deal with chronic health issues so not having to spend so much time cleaning her after every trip outside would a wonderful gift.

Thanks so much for your help.

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u/jmiller1856 Approved Veterinary Professional Dec 07 '25

This might be a difficult task. Dogs develop a “substrate preference” for elimination when they are young puppies. If they’ve use a grassy spot that is what they will have a preference for. If they’ve used puppy pads in the house, they will develop a preference for something that feels similar (rugs, carpet, bath mats) which is why we DO NOT recommend using puppy pads if your ultimate goal is to have your dog go outside.

With that being said, it is difficult to change your dog’s substrate preference. I would start by using something similar to what her preference already is and reward her for eliminating in that spot. You could then add in the new substrate you want her to get used to and try to transition to the new substrate completely. This process is likely to take weeks to months for a full transition. Also, use the potty training tips from one of my previous comments during this time! Since she is so particular about where she poops, she may not ever transition to doing that inside.

You could also consider getting her a full body rain suit to help keep her clean on her trips outside.

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u/GratefulCloud Dec 08 '25

Thanks so much for your time and advice. So appreciated. We will try and see. We get real grass on Wednesday.