Porch Potty Premium: First Automated Grass Litter Box for Dogs

I am leading off with my interpretation of the wildly disparate ratings on different potty solutions for dogs. I think that all potty options are totally dog-owner dependent. They are like leashes. You have to keep trying until you find one that works for you. Problem is, leashes are not as expensive as dog potties. Before the Porch Potty, I had one that was expensive, one that was cheap and one I made with heavy cardboard and an old rug pad. Because we don't have close neighbors and it was frozen in the winter, the cardboard one actually worked very well. When spring came I had to make a decision whether or not to replace the cardboard box. My dog and I agree that the Porch Potty works for us. It took a little bit of effort to move from the beloved frozen card-board box to the Porch Potty but the transition was made. I left both in place and gradually my dog began to use the Porch Potty. I was helped along but a few well-timed snow storms that covered both the box and the Porch Potty but even without that she would have made the transition. As she increased the frequency of using it, I (gingerly) removed the frozen cardboard box.

I think her initial reticence to use the Porch Potty is that it flexes. Dogs go on hard ground. The ground does not flex. This does. There is also a cant toward the drain. Because of the slight flex, if your dog faces out to do its business it is possible that the floor of the potty will flex enough to cause balance problems. For my dog it caused a bit of consternation and made it harder for her to do her serious business. She has gotten used to the flex pretty well but it is still hard to get her to do the big business but she is happy, happy to use it for her regular business. I would recommend putting two together for larger dogs. My dog is a medium size and it is a bit of a challenge for her to march around as much as she would like. Her strategy is to march around the outside of the box and then hop in. That may be important when you are considering placement size.

I like how easy it is to keep clean. The drain hose is just great. I don't imagine the catch basin would be perfect but if you could not use the drain hose it would be a reasonable solution. I did not get the training grass, largely because of the weather but also because I wanted her to learn to use the box in less than her picky-perfect way. The artificial grass is quite nice although really not exactly like grass as some have said. In a perfect world it would cost less to make a product like this. In the real world, this is a well made, attractive potty that seems like it will last a good long while. Honestly, I was surprised that she used it and I was surprised at how easy it is to maintain. Three cheers for Porch Potty!