Using A Pet Loo

[leopuppy04]

Hi All,

A bit of a weird post for me but I'm wondering if anyone uses/ relies on a pet loo when they are away from home as a way of an emergency 'spot' for their dog?

I have a 7mth old Lowchen who is an indoor dog - confined to a section of the house when I'm not home. I don't want him wrestling and rambling with the Aussies for extended periods when I'm not there to supervise.

He has always been really good with toileting when I am home (no accidents) and he will reliably use the grass mat that I use (with training pads underneath or newspaper), however whenever I try to transition him to the pet loo (or version of) we go backwards (as in, he stops using the pet loo, will go back to 'accidents' on the floor, and not exactly in the designated 'toilet' location.

Ideally I would like to use the pet loo for ease of cleaning, but if I have to keep to the grass mats, I'd rather that than finding accidents everywhere in his little area.

Oh and before anyone asks - yes, I have a dog door, yes I plan to allow him access to this, however this too is unreliable for him to *choose* to go out using the dog door.

I would also like to reiterate that when I am home, he is very reliable and is completely fine overnight out of his crate too...

Edited April 21, 2015 by leopuppy04

[persephone]

have no idea about pet loos .

if he is happy with fake grass - then a square placed on one of the conni pet pads may suit :) The conni pads absorb HEAPS , have waterproff backing ..and are machine washable - dry quickly

[leopuppy04]

have no idea about pet loos .

if he is happy with fake grass - then a square placed on one of the conni pet pads may suit :) The conni pads absorb HEAPS , have waterproff backing ..and are machine washable - dry quickly

Thanks persephone. He is pretty good - and we are normally only talking about No 1's - unless I leave him for an abnormally long time then we are usually poop free which is nice :). It's just frustrating but I am coming from the angle of my Aussies are mostly toilet trained by 12wks... but this is a puppy who is outside when I'm not home and if I am going by those standards, Ari is right on track.... I definintely think the ability to toilet inside has slowed us down :)

[JulesP]

I haven't used a pet loo but I wonder if it is the height that is the problem? have you tried slowly building up the height of the grass matting?

[leopuppy04]

I haven't used a pet loo but I wonder if it is the height that is the problem? have you tried slowly building up the height of the grass matting?

Yep I have and this doesn't seem to bother him! I am wondering if because it is a cheap and nasty he just *doesn't* like it...

[Brookestar]

Dogs choose toileting surfaces via their smell. If the pet loo smells differently and to my understanding they have chemicals in them, to help neutralise the oder that is likely to be the problem. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not associate fake grass with real grass, as it smells like plastic and nothing like the real thing. They do not look for a toilet, they smell for a toilet. If you cannot get him to use the pet loo, I would ditch the fake grass and simply use puppy pads, which you are already using underneath. No point in having two layers, it only means more cost and expense.

[Christina]

Not sure about pet loos but the fake grass is good, sometimes my young pups train themselves & go on it. If you want to use the fake grass you need something better under it than puppy pads.

I use the lid of a plastic storage box upside down under mine as they are tiny but I think you can buy rubber mats with a raised edge around. I had one years ago but cant recall where it came from.

[oakway]

Are you using your normal piece of grass on the new loo ?.

I have just purchased one, as so many people are buying them and my future pups will be already pet loo trained.

[Nushie]

We used a pet loo for Jager for about 2 years. We only had a balcony so it meant that he had a "grass" area to use when we weren't home (we took him out a few times a day to toilet so this was only used when we weren't home). I found he was fine with it for #1s but didn't use it for #2s. I think cause he circles a lot more. So maybe if your pup does a lot of circling, the area might not be big enough to find a good spot to go. Also make sure that it is 100% stable and that the grass fits in the lip. If the grass slips or its not stable you will just deter them from using it.

We didn't have any issues training Jager to it but he was paper trained when we got him so we just put the paper all over it and slightly around it to encourage him to use and then slowly reduce the paper.

Also I found that the grass that comes with the loo is horrible. Jager preferred other fake grass. We just bought some from bunnings and cut them to size. They sell 1m x 1m pre cut squares for $20.

[leopuppy04]

Are you using your normal piece of grass on the new loo ?.

I have just purchased one, as so many people are buying them and my future pups will be already pet loo trained.

It's the fake grass which came with the pet loo - so just a cheapy. I have however trained my puppies to use them and the breeder of Ari, my Lowchen used the same brand of pet loos and the pups were using them then too...

We used a pet loo for Jager for about 2 years. We only had a balcony so it meant that he had a "grass" area to use when we weren't home (we took him out a few times a day to toilet so this was only used when we weren't home). I found he was fine with it for #1s but didn't use it for #2s. I think cause he circles a lot more. So maybe if your pup does a lot of circling, the area might not be big enough to find a good spot to go. Also make sure that it is 100% stable and that the grass fits in the lip. If the grass slips or its not stable you will just deter them from using it.

We didn't have any issues training Jager to it but he was paper trained when we got him so we just put the paper all over it and slightly around it to encourage him to use and then slowly reduce the paper.

Also I found that the grass that comes with the loo is horrible. Jager preferred other fake grass. We just bought some from bunnings and cut them to size. They sell 1m x 1m pre cut squares for $20.

Thanks Nushie - this is helpufl :). Yes, the grass mats I am using are the 1mx1m Bunnings squares and we have good success with this. I've gone back to just using this for now until I get some consistency back - saves the cleaning up of accidents! I think I may follow your advice and cut the bunnings squares to the pet loo - you are right in that it slips and it is not a big area so this may be deterring him. He actually likes to lie in it like a bed, not a toilet! The other thing I am trying is two different locations for his bathroom to see if there is a preference :)

Edited April 22, 2015 by leopuppy04

[The Spotted Devil]

OT but which brand of pet loo are you using for babies LP? Still not sure what I will do in that regard...

[leopuppy04]

OT but which brand of pet loo are you using for babies LP? Still not sure what I will do in that regard...

One from crazy sales.... if I was purchasing again - I would buy this one:

http://www.crazysales.com.au/online-large-indoor-pet-toilet-73921.html

The bunnings grass mats work well FYI. At about 2 weeks I turn the whelping box into 1/2 drybed and 1/2 grass mat - they all pick it up super quick. I then transition the grass mat to outside without too much problem. Most leave at 8 weeks about 80-90% toilet trained! Mind you - apparently Kinta's 2nd litter was a bit of trouble and my puppies have chosen carpet before - but I think that comes down to my house not having any! :laugh:

[The Spotted Devil]

OT but which brand of pet loo are you using for babies LP? Still not sure what I will do in that regard...

One from crazy sales.... if I was purchasing again - I would buy this one:

http://www.crazysales.com.au/online-large-indoor-pet-toilet-73921.html

The bunnings grass mats work well FYI. At about 2 weeks I turn the whelping box into 1/2 drybed and 1/2 grass mat - they all pick it up super quick. I then transition the grass mat to outside without too much problem. Most leave at 8 weeks about 80-90% toilet trained! Mind you - apparently Kinta's 2nd litter was a bit of trouble and my puppies have chosen carpet before - but I think that comes down to my house not having any! :laugh:

Thanks - I was looking at Crazy Sales just before and didn't know which one would suit. Doesn't the pee soak through the grass mat though??? I did like the mats that Pers posted though to go under a grass mat. Think we might get that for under the kitty litter tray too! You're all brilliant enablers :D

[leopuppy04]

OT but which brand of pet loo are you using for babies LP? Still not sure what I will do in that regard...

One from crazy sales.... if I was purchasing again - I would buy this one:

http://www.crazysales.com.au/online-large-indoor-pet-toilet-73921.html

The bunnings grass mats work well FYI. At about 2 weeks I turn the whelping box into 1/2 drybed and 1/2 grass mat - they all pick it up super quick. I then transition the grass mat to outside without too much problem. Most leave at 8 weeks about 80-90% toilet trained! Mind you - apparently Kinta's 2nd litter was a bit of trouble and my puppies have chosen carpet before - but I think that comes down to my house not having any! :laugh:

Thanks - I was looking at Crazy Sales just before and didn't know which one would suit. Doesn't the pee soak through the grass mat though??? I did like the mats that Pers posted though to go under a grass mat. Think we might get that for under the kitty litter tray too! You're all brilliant enablers :D

with the bunnings mats it goes through to whatever you put underneath - so yes, it soaks through - I think it drains better than the 'fake grass' on my pet loo which may also contribute to why Ari doesn't choose it..... As for the pet loo - drains through to the tray :)

[The Spotted Devil]

Thanks LP - most helpful. Although I still haven't decided what to do...

[ness]

The Spotted Devil - not a litter but I am just using a square of fake lawn with a couple of cheap dish draining cloths (hmmm they are super absorbent cloths) and then had a puppy pad underneath but last few days I have stopped with the puppy pad and cloths under the fake turf keeps the floor dry anyway. Not my preferred method for my girl but she is in a pen while I am work and with no real undercover area outside it wasn't fair to leave her exposed. Her pen is always clean when I get home and she only uses her turf.

[The Spotted Devil]

Thanks ness :) It's likely going to be cold and wet over the next few months so I'm certainly going to need an indoor option!

[fbaudry]

TSD have you seen Susan Garrett's current litter? They all seemed to reliably use litter trays filled with paper based kitty litter by 6 weeks of age, and toilet outside when they have access. She says she never has issues transitioning.

[kiesha09]

I used a pet loo with my two for the first 3-4 years of their life as I was in a townhouse. The Petloo was actually set up outside in the garage/courtyard with a doggy door to access it. I found it took ages to teach them to use it because of the hight of it - they were fine on turf on the floor. It just took persistence and consistently taking them to it over and over to toilet. Plus really high value treats for doing their business on the loo.

[The Spotted Devil]

TSD have you seen Susan Garrett's current litter? They all seemed to reliably use litter trays filled with paper based kitty litter by 6 weeks of age, and toilet outside when they have access. She says she never has issues transitioning.

Yes! That's what has got me thinking. It actually looks easier to deal with and that's what I've been thinking about using. I'm pretty familiar with cat litter as you can imagine!