@jesusismybestfriend314 For sure! In addition to the smell factor, I think the balcony is a great idea because it still gets them used to going outside to do their business and really helps reduce the confusion of "some parts of the house are okay to pee in, but not others". Giving an actual "box" for them to go in, will further help differentiate it from the rest of the house.
Apartment-specific training tips
- Thread starter jesusismybestfriend314
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jesusismybestfriend314
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Cheers!arewethereyet
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@jesusismybestfriend314 I built a grass patch on my balcony using a large metal tray (2' x 3'), some top soil, and a roll of sod! 2 months later the thing is still going strong, my my shihpoo loves having a quick easy spot to go potty. The downfall is that her pee has killed most of the grass, but hey... it works anyway! Cost was about $20 total. Highly recommend trying this! I will add, that pee pads worked well too (before I built the balcony grass patch), until she decided she hated using them. The grass was a much more attractive option for her!
jesusismybestfriend314
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@arewethereyet My DIY skills are pretty abysmal except for lego and IKEA furniture - I will try the Fresh Patch option for now and if things get expensive, I'll bite the bullet and make something.
@jesusismybestfriend314 We went all-in on proper potty training. We lived in a building with an elevator in NYC with a giant Leonberger puppy, but we still would interrupt her if she ever started peeing and brought her downstairs outside every time. It was hard work to do it especially as she got heavy to carry, but if you interrupt them and carry them, they'll hold it until you get downstairs.
We're so glad we never did pee pads—once they're trained, they're trained and it'll make life so much easier in the long term. We know many people with dogs and pee pads and they never seem to be able to get them fully trained off of them.
We're so glad we never did pee pads—once they're trained, they're trained and it'll make life so much easier in the long term. We know many people with dogs and pee pads and they never seem to be able to get them fully trained off of them.
joy_of_the_lord
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@mirxx While i think it’s possible that puppies can get used to going potty inside, I think it really depends on the dog. My puppy eventually just stopped using the pee pads all on his own even though we kept them down after he started going potty outside. In the last few weeks, he’s only used the pee pad one time and had very few accidents otherwise.
If you get a routine established of taking them outside regularly, it shouldn’t be an impossible task to break the puppy of.
If you get a routine established of taking them outside regularly, it shouldn’t be an impossible task to break the puppy of.
@joy_of_the_lord I think you’re totally correct. We might’ve ended up spending more work doing it once, but I’m glad we didn’t have to revisit. Could be super fast though. No pee pad shame.
jesusismybestfriend314
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@joy_of_the_lord Thank you - hope we get a puppy with high maturity and social consciousness like yours seems to have! It'd be great if we didn't have to wean them off the pad and it happened all on it's own.