UPDATE 10/15/2010: PLEASE READ AT LEAST SOME OF THE COMMENTS THIS POST HAS GENERATED BEFORE YOU MAKE A PURCHASE DECISION.
Has anyone tried this product? I got an ad in my e-mail about it, and I’m trying to decide what I think of the Potty Patch.
According to the ad, this is the “perfect” solution for pets who must stay inside for long periods of time, or at least for longer than they can cross their legs.
The picture appears to be a swatch about the size of a carpet sample, made of three layers. The bottom layer is a tray that can hold up to a gallon of urine. The middle layer is basically a grate that allows the urine to travel from the top layer to the tray. The top layer looks (and feels?) like grass.
The idea is that your dog will feel comfortable peeing on the “grass” and will not make a mess on your floors.
My questions:
Do you have to train your dog to use it, like you would newspapers, or does he naturally gravitate to it?
How hard is it to clean all three layers to keep them from stinking?
Why is this any better than newspaper training?
If you have answers, please let me know.
Until next time,
The Dog Lady
UPDATE!: See related posts and articles:
Response from Potty Patch company owner.
Did you get your Potty Patch yet?
Concerns about Potty Patch being an identity theft scam.
Alternatives to the Potty Patch.
Article on Indoor Dog Potties.
Your page reminds me of this radicalllll article I read days ago about Call of duty modern warfare 3 free elite subscription. The vid is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8k87qnGnMs Keep up the hard work with your site it’s very nice.
Whether its on newpapers or this product, you will have to train your dog.
What’s up to all, the contents present at this web page are actually remarkable for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
I was just looking for this Dog’s indoor article. It’s so amusing.
Thanks
Jenny Tabassum
“Vinny’s Towing”
No matter how much I cleaned that stinky fake grass I could never get rid of the odor. Now I order real grass from http://www.freshpatch.com and it has made everything much easier. I get a new one delivered every two weeks and throw the old one away.
I have been examinating out some of your stories and it’s pretty nice stuff. I will definitely bookmark your blog.
I bought the Potty Patch at PetCo for my 3 year old teacup Yorkie – he shredded the grass mat within a 24 hour period – total waste of $40….
The tender passion is much overrated by the poets. They have their living to earn, poor fellows.
I have noticed that sensible real estate agents all over the place are getting set to FSBO Promotion. They are acknowledging that it’s more than simply placing a sign in the front property. It’s really about building relationships with these retailers who sooner or later will become consumers. So, after you give your time and energy to aiding these sellers go it alone – the “Law of Reciprocity” kicks in. Great blog post.
Just want to say your article is as tonishing. The lucidity in your post is simply spectacular and i can assume you are an expert on this field. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the ac complished work.
Hello, just want to tell you that your blog content is interesting, but you must improve site’s graphics
Hey – nice blog, just trying around some blogs, looks a pretty nice platform you are using for your site. I’m currently using WordPress for a few of my sites but wanting to alter one in every of them over to a platform similar to yours as an endeavor run
Being that I am on the third floor of an apartment complex I bought the Potty Patch from Petsmart. It’s a good thing too- my puppy is only 2 months old and she isnt allowed on the ground outside yet until she is done with all of her shots (mainly Parvovirus). She loooves her potty path. I had her potty trained in less than 2 weeks. Only draw back is the smell… I have I find a way to keep it smelling better. We have a puddle pad next to it just in case of an accident but he has done very well!
i think the product is great.
Dont understand why all these people ordered the potty patch ,when all you had to do was go to your local pet shop, even Wal-mart has them.If I am in a hurry to get my dog transitioned from outside to inside, I dont have time for the mailman, or these crazy companies.
I am moving from a house to an apartment, so my dogs wont have the luxury of going outside as often, so before I move I am beginning to get them used to the potty patch, as so they can somewhat understand that they are to use it. But I will still continue to give them their evening walks, after I get off work. Good luck to all who has been successful with it.
This product has so many bad comments. But I found so many good opinions about PetZoom Pet Park Indoor Pet Potty
Visit http://amzn.to/fJRFC1
Well we did make the mistake of ordering this piece of garbage – first they sent the wrong size – we ordered a small got a small base with a large fake grass cover – we called to return the whole order – sure send it back was the response – yea send it back at your own expense. I ask to speak to a supervisor – well they don’t have phone extensions – WTF. I can understand the customer being responsible for return shipping if they simply decided to return the product, but in this case the wrong product and at that a mismatched product was shipped. If you make the mistake of ordering this crap – dispute the charge on your card – ASAP. It’s a company that specializes in FRAUDULENT charges not pet products ……. IMHO
You can also purchase the potty patch at Bed, Bath & Beyond. that way you can use their 20% off coupon.
I have an older large dog with medical problems that causes him to have incontinence problems when left longer than 2 hours so this would be wonderful. But has anyone used the large dog one? I’m worried that the middle try will give when he steps on it and make him scared since he’s a three legged guy.
This item is available at petsmart and target. So stop ordering online. I am going to buy one today. I will repost if it works.
I would not recommend this product. Is a poor design. The grass slides all over the place and is just a cheap piece of grass. I did train my male to a command, but he refuses to step on the grass due to how unstable the whole set up. So, he pees next to it and it still hits the wall. I WOULD NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT AGAIN. It needs to have sides and be of a better design. I was hoping this would work. Back to pee pads.
Train. Train. Train.
My 5 month old lh chi is 100% trained to use her potty patch (and has been since we had her for 2 weeks at 3 months old). I can go to work for multiple hours and leave her in the entire apartment without fear of accidents.
I absolutely love this product. I don’t have the option of coming home every few hours to let out my pup, so having the patch is amazing. I would recommend his product to anyone with a small doggy:) Yes it took a few weeks of constant supervision and running her to the patch anytime she was about to or already was in the process of eliminating but after the hard work she was fully trained.
I bought a potty patch for my dog and it came today. I know it’s early, but i’m already predicting problems. My dog seems timid around it and won’t set foot on it. I’m worried that she might not want to have anything to do with the potty patch. Does anyone have tips on how to get a timid dog to use the potty patch?
I just bought this from PetSmart for my 9 month old Pekingese who is very stubborn and hard to housebreak. We just moved to a house with a poor excuse for a backyard. I put the patch on the porch so it doesn’t smell inside and we have a doggy door for her to get to the porch. As of now she has no interest in the patch so any ideas on how to get her to use it? I’m thinking of getting a piece of sod and then once she goes on that, remove the sod and just sprinkle some grass on the pad. I have high hopes in this product. I also am working on getting her to use the doggy door. Any tips on how to get her to use either the door or the pad?!
My wife ordered one of these. After three weeks we were notified that the item was not deliverable to our po box. As a result, we are being refuned our money less 15% for restock fees. This is absolutly a fraudulent scam, Our po box is for a business, it is very active and we visit it 6 days a week. In the 21 years that we have had this po box, this is the first and only time we have had this happen. She ordered through Amazon, we posted a complaint, but it sounds like this has been going on for quite a while and this situation just sounds like another way for them to scam people. My advise, stay away.
I love the Potty Patch! I bought mine at PetSmart. I have two chihuahuas and live where its snows. When it is cold out I just can’t put my girls outside. I also work all day so I had to come up with something that was better than potty pads. I use the patches (I bought two so that they would feel like they have more room and are not uncomfortable) with the pads draped along the sides because one of my girls tends to pee along the edge. However they DO use them and the smell in my house is WAAAAY better than it used to be. Picking up the poop and flushing it as soon as possible and rinsing the pads a couple of times a week does the trick.
I received the Potty Patch earlier in December for my birthday………I was so disappointed in it. The top unit slides all over the place and my dog was afraid due to how unstable the whole thing was……….SHE WOULD PEE NEXT TO IT, BUT NOT ON IT!!! I think because it was sliding all over the place.
Also, I still had to buy the pads to put under the grass……….so this DID NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM!! Now I still had to buy pads and wash the grass!!!!
My sister gave me a Rascal Dog Litter Box for Christmas. It has sides, no pads are needed and the grass is machine washable. I LOVE THE DESIGN of the box and so does COCO my little YORKIE!!! The box has sides, which only makes sense to keep the urine in the box and for emptying it……
I would suggest this company’s product….I have been very satisfied. I liked the box so much that I ordered a second one for our upstairs bedroom. I talked with the owner of the company and she was so nice and helpful. Great Customer Service!!! Good Luck! NAncy and Coco
Hi my name is marti in a couple for weeks i am going to pick up my 8 week old chow chow puppy and i would like to get something like the potty-patch because i work ten hours a day would this be a good ideal for her because she will also go for walks every day will she use something like this
I love the reusable puppy pads better! I know where you can get a lot of them for a good price. My dogs love there reusable pads and so do I. Now I have papillons, they don’t tear them up or mess around with them.
Here’s a recipe for a cleaning sloution for cleaning your dog’s Potty Patch. It’s cheap and easy to make BUT ( i cannot stress this point enough!) you must either use it all or dispose any remaining solution as it can explode if stored. It is the same solution for de-skunking your dog. If it can get out skunk oil, it can get out dog urine! It’s 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 tsp Dawn dish soap. It works great on both your potty patch and your dog!
I purchased 2 Pup.Head by PupGear on eBay for my miniature dachshund and it is a lifesaver! I live in Alberta,Canada where the winters are COLD! I put pee pads in the bottom tray to absorb the urine ( trying to carry a tray full of urine and then pouring it ? YUCK!). I also turned the grates upside down which works better. My pup is 4 mths old and used it right away without any ecouragement. Truffles has used it consistently ever since. I only wish I had found this product 4 dogs ago LOL. I recommend this product to anyone!
I ordered the larger version of this product. The website never gave me the price or an option to submit my order..they just charged my card for over $60 more than the small item. I called immediately and was told that I ws showing in their system yet, but they gave me a website that they told me I could cancel from as soon as it was. I waited until 2 AM and my order fnally showed up. There was no option to cancel, but there was an email address which I sent the cancellation to. I got no response, so called this morning and was told that it was shipped already even though on their status page it is showing as being processed. They have already charged my card and have told me that I have to wait, return the unopened product and in “several” weeks would be credited.
I don’t recommend ordering this product!
So I read a little over half the comments and couldnt be asked to go on any further, so sorry if this comment has already been made. If there are so many problems with the company’s website go to pet smart. Their online store sells it, and I’m assuming at least some locations sell it.
I should have listened to my sister who lives in New York. She purchased The Potty Patch and told me it was a piece of junk, That the top part of the unit slid all over the floor and her dog was afraid of it.
I was desperate to find a way to train my dog as I was tired of coming home to a mess in the kitchen EVERY DAY!!!
So, I bought this box. I did train my dog to use it and I secured the grass to the base with duct tape which answered the skidding problem. Cleaning it! Forget it! There is no basin to contain the urine and it tips all over the place! I had a mess all over my floor. Very poor design.
The Potty Patch is just a piece of grass over a flat base. My male still was peeing over the edge of it. A complete waste of my money.
Since I had gone through the time and energy of training Scooter to use the Potty Patch I wanted to find another system. I did some searching on line and found the Rascal Dog Potty System and ordered that. I did pay more, but it was a quality product! It has a deep basin and is so easy to clean.
So, good luck to everyone….don’t waste your money on the PottyPatch. Also, I would have thought that the AKC who endorses the Potty Patch would have higher standards……Kat and Scooter.
I just bought one and it is being shipped. My rescue dog was badly neglected and beaten before we got her and now she cannot be house broken. She goes outside most of the time, but now that it is raining, she only makes it to the door. Disciplining her doesn’t work because when I scold her she still thinks I am going to hurt her because my voice is angry. HOPE THIS WORKS. Oh and by the way, just use vinegar to get out the smell from the puppy patch. Dogs urine is basic and vinegar is acidic. THe VINEGAR will NUETRALIZE the odor.
I just got a potty patch, it says as seen on TV and for small dogs under 15 pounds, I now know thanks to reading these reviews that i will put it in a pillow case to wash and that i need something to hold the grass to the base, thankfully i didn’t have to go through the scam thing. i am getting a Shitz Tzu and Chihuahua mix in a few weeks, it will be a male, but because it is only a pup i don’t think i will have to worry about it lifting its leg and peeing off the grass, is there anything else i should worry about??thanks……..
Andrew – Thanks for the suggestion. I left the link in, but put the warning in red at the top of the post. Good idea!
Dog Lady,
Given that you now have 309 comments from readers who feel they’ve been ripped off by this company, I think it’d be prudent for you to update your original article with a warning in the first line advising readers not to trust the company, and you might want to stop linking to their website… anyone who doesn’t read the comments might just click though and buy it, and be burned like everyone else.
I bought my Potty Patch about a month ago for my long haired Chihuahua and I am very satisfied with it. I was excited when my dog used it about 15 minutes after I set it up without any kind of prompting and has continued to use it every since. Previously I had been using the training pads but found that the urine always seemed to find it’s way onto the floor. I didn’t always notice it had happened until it had been sitting for a while. I had to find a way to save my floors and the Potty Patch has been a great solution. There is little to no smell as long as you empty it daily. I found that the training pads were very smelly and messy to clean up.
I bought mine at petsmart for the same price. I have a teacup pom he is ten weeks old. He goes on it every time I love it. I wash it with the water hose twice a week it doesn’t smell at all. The best thing ever. I think s small dog does really well
hi,
i love my spotty indoor training potty. all my puppies go right to it. and i love it.
it is a very good to have. and they look so sweet on it.
IT IS SUPER.
Potty Patch may be cheaper than all the other Potty’s but the company who makes them are not in the pet business and could care less about the risks they are taking with our pets. Potty Patch has high levels of lead in thier grass. Recent testing was done on 2 of Potty Patches purchased at Walgreens and the other at Petco. The potty purchased at Petco had 1900 ppm lead content and the Potty Patch purchased at Walgreens had a reading of 4500 ppm lead levels. The maxium level of lead allowed is 300ppm.
Please be careful and think twice before you purchase the Potty Patch because you could be risking the life and health of your pet with those high levels of lead content.
I saw this potty patch at Pet Smart today. Maybe you can go buy one, so you will not be scamed.
I agree with Katrina. The grass slids right off; the plastic spokes do not work. And this is with a Shitz Shu. Total waste of $50. Puppy never used it had it for a month; not once
I am so thankful that I came across this website as I will be adopting a puppy in the near future, however I live in a second story apartment, and I get a little bit of anxiety thinking about how I am going to be able to potty train a puppy the absolute correct way living upstairs. I have a huge balcony so I was considering getting the potty patch, but after reading all of the feedback I am very glad I haven’t bought anything yet. So, I have been researching the alternative patches that people have provided us with and with that said I want to know which product is better- the pup-head, the porch potty, or the rascal dog litter box? I ultimately want my puppy to know to only pee outside on grass, and unfortunately I like the idea of the porch potty but I don’t have a hose to connect to it, and the price seems rather high because of the self cleaning features it offers. Any advice on which one I should end up buying for my lil guy??
I did purchase this product at Walgreens……….it is a piece of junk. I came home, unpacked it and put it right back together again and back to the store for a credit. The grass is really cheap and the worse part is that it shifts all over the place. The grass does not sit securely on the base. I did not give my dog a chance to try it as I was worried he would hurt himself on it. I don’t know why the AKC would back a product like this as I think it is very unsafe. Hundreds of sharp painty plastic needles are suppose to hold the grass in place….Very poorly designed! Also, I don’t know what I was thinking……..my male would pee right off of the edge of this just like he does with the pads. As most items are in the SEEN ON TV rows, it was worthless and junky.
WHY DON’T YOU ALL JUST GO TO PETSMART AND BUY THIS PRODUCT OFF THE SHELF. IT SELLS FOR 39.95 AND THEY SELL THEM AT A VARIETY OF DRUG STORES (WALGREENS, CVS) ON THE “AS SEEN ON TV” ISLE. THE CONTACT # ARE ON THE BOX. I’D GIVE YOU THEM BUT I HAVE LONG SINCE THROWN THE BOX AWAY.