[waywick]

Hey folks,

I'm Shannon, brand new member here. I live on 1 acre, about half lawn & garden and half dirt/gravel - almost like a dirt road or dirt parking lot surface. Is there any reason not to train my new puppy to go potty on the dirt area? We're looking into Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, or a mix of the two.

Would this create any weird issues later in life for the pup?

Thanks a lot!

 

[hamandeggs]

There's no way to know. Some dogs have surface preferences and some don't and it can't be predicted. But, the other thing that occurred to me is that it might smell really bad. For whatever reason, grass and mulch soak up odor better. If that doesn't bother you, then I wouldn't worry about something that might happen down the road that you can't really control. Pick a location that's close to the house and easy to get to, and plan on taking your dog there on a leash for while.

 

[Amaryllis]

I agree with hamandeggs. Outside is outside, unless the dog itself has a preference. Some dogs do, some don't care at all. Also true about the smell. Grass seems not to hold it as much for some reason.