brentd49 Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Baby Einstein will be ready to come home in less than a month. I'll be taking off of work for the first week I have him, but after that I'll be at work 9 to 5 with a dog walker that will come around noon. My question is, has anyone tried using one of those indoor grass areas to teach dog's to go potty? I'm thinking of building my own. I know the ideal situation is to just use the crate/kennel when not there and that paper training or potty pads create confusion. But until he is 3 to 4 months old, he won't be able to hold it long enough (4 hours) until the dog walker arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Baby Einstein will be ready to come home in less than a month. I'll be taking off of work for the first week I have him, but after that I'll be at work 9 to 5 with a dog walker that will come around noon. My question is, has anyone tried using one of those indoor grass areas to teach dog's to go potty? I'm thinking of building my own. I know the ideal situation is to just use the crate/kennel when not there and that paper training or potty pads create confusion. But until he is 3 to 4 months old, he won't be able to hold it long enough (4 hours) until the dog walker arrives. A friend of mine used a grass mat very successfully with his Aussie pup. He cut a piece of real sod and put it in a cut-down cardboard box and put that in the pup's (oversized) crate. He removed any poop daily and changed the entire sod mat every couple of days. There wasn't the same issue that you have with papertraining or pee-pads since the substrate (natural grass) was consistent. I imagine that if your pup is spending significant time alone you might have an issue with boredom and chewing. Good luck with your pup! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 At Home Depots around here (southern California) they get a delivery of a pallet of sod every morning before they open at 6AM. By 6:30 it's usually all sold! Anyhow, one morning I was there to buy a couple pieces because someone whose name will remain secret dug a hole in my back yard. I chatted with a lady there who was buying new pieces for her very elderly dog to use in the "mini-lawn" she'd rigged on her penthouse apartment's patio. It was much easier for the little dog than making the exhausting (for the old dog) trip down the elevator and down the street several times a day. This worked very well for them, whereas pads had not, since the dog KNEW it was supposed to go on grass and dirt. I guess they are sensitive to substrate, so real grass is probably a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentd49 Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 He cut a piece of real sod and put it in a cut-down cardboard box and put that in the pup's (oversized) crate. He removed any poop daily and changed the entire sod mat every couple of days. I like this idea. Instead of partitioning the crate using the divider, I can just put the sod on one side. At Home Depots around here (southern California) they get a delivery of a pallet of sod every morning before they open at 6AM. By 6:30 it's usually all sold! I'll check out Home Depot. I wonder how expensive it is.. My only concern with sod is digging, but hopefully that will be manageable with a young pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Sod costs $2 per strip, which is say 1 foot by 3 foot. Maybe a bit larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentd49 Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Sod costs $2 per strip, which is say 1 foot by 3 foot. Maybe a bit larger. Wow. That's cheap. The sod patches people try to sell online for dog potties are WAY over priced--like $30+ for 3' x 3'. Thanks. Looks like I'm using sod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 I personally haven't used sod, but the doggy day care where I teach recommends using it for potty training. I've talked to several owners of small dogs and said nothing had worked up until that point. One guy told me he uses a baking sheet with a lip and puts the sod on top, during the rainy months when his Chi doesn't like going out he uses sod by the back door, then when it's dry the dog starts going out again. Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentd49 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 One guy told me he uses a baking sheet with a lip and puts the sod on top, during the rainy months when his Chi doesn't like going out he uses sod by the back door, then when it's dry the dog starts going out again. A pan to hold it not a bad idea. I saw one container I liked that had a tall lip all around it except the entrance, which required the dog to get inside to use it instead of just going on the edge, e.g., two paws in and two paws out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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