Dog Won’t Potty on the Grass? It Could be a Substrate Preference
For us humans, using the restroom is just that, a way to eliminate earlier meals and make room for more, but from a dog’s perspective, going potty entails much more, so much more that some dogs are “picky poopers” and some others won’t potty on the grass or other surfaces. Why is that? We might assume that our dogs are being particularly stubborn or fastidious about their potty areas, but sometimes it’s just a matter of substrate preference. Yes, dogs can indeed have preferences when it comes to potty areas, and it sometimes all boils down to how they were potty trained and introduced to potty areas when the dogs were pups.
Just Like Kids
Many parents out there may remember how tough it was for their children to transition from the potty to the toilet. Indeed, some moms may recall the transition being almost as difficult as getting their child potty trained in the first place!
To help their children out, these moms may have had to resort to some astute strategies such placing the potty next to the toilet or using a child-size toilet seat for the toilet. Puppies aren’t much different. Just like kids, they may have problems transitioning from going potty on one surface and then going potty on a totally different one.
This is because puppies develop what’s called “substrate preference” which means they develop a preference for going potty on certain surfaces. This becomes a problem with puppies trained to go potty indoors on paper and then required to go potty in the yard on grass, dirt or gravel.
“Humans experience substrate preference too. Our preferences just tend to be for porcelain. Do you remember the last time you had to go to the bathroom in the woods or in a foreign country where the amenities weren’t quite what you expected?”~ Lisa Rayburn, Mid-Atlantic Border Collie Rescue
A Matter of Preference
According to Karen Overall, puppies tend to develop a substrate preference at around 8 and a half weeks of age. By this time frame, most puppies will have fully developed senses and good physical coordination, which puts them into the position of learning to use a preferred substrate.
At this stage, it’s important for the puppy owner to provide guidance on which substrate to use, otherwise the puppy will develop a preference on his own and this may often not coincide with owner’s wishes.
“If the puppy is not supervised and not encouraged to eliminate in a specific spot, that dog will learn to eliminate in the area that is used most frequently as a youngster.”
What You See is What You Get
When a puppy is adopted from a pet store and the puppy is over 8 weeks, it’s important to pay attention to what substrate was being used while there. Many pet store puppies are kept on shredded newspaper so these puppies are forced to develop a preference for this substrate. Dogs in shelters instead may develop a preference for concrete floors. It’s important to keep these preference in mind when adopting these dogs and transitioning them to another substrate.
On the other hand, adult free ranging dogs may be used to using any substrate. When it comes to their elimination habits, these dogs tend to have a lack of inhibition as they are used to eliminate any place they are. When brought into a home, these formally free-ranging dogs may not show a preference towards a particular substrate such as grass, so they’ll need guidance in developing a preferred substrate
