Indoor Dog Potty Buyer’s Guide
There can be multiple issues for a dog not being able to use the bathroom, and it can also be an incredible challenge to train them to use it.
But an indoor dog potty is a completely different world for them. These things are already made to depict the natural environment a dog likes to do their business in, so it can make the task so much easier.
Why An Indoor Dog Potty Can Be A Wonder Product?
You wouldn’t ask this question at all had you used a good indoor dog potty just for a couple of weeks. But to answer the question, one of the most important reasons is that it can completely stop all the accidents your dog may be causing in your home.
Most indoor dog potty pee pads we have reviewed above either come with real grass or synthetic grass that looks very realistic. It would encourage your dog to “go” just the way they do when they are outside.
We have also carefully chosen dog pee pads that make it easy to dispose the urine and waste, so your life would certainly get easier as you won’t have to deal with all those accidents.
There are obviously also times when taking your dog outside just isn’t an option, such as when it’s freezing cold or raining heavily outside. Some dog owners also leave in apartments (where you may not even have a garden) that make it much more challenging to take their dog out just for peeing.
It’s very unreasonable to expect your dog to control their urge to “go” for more than a few minutes, especially older dogs that typically have bladder control or bowel incontinence issues.
For all these things and many more, an indoor dog potty can very well turn out to be one of the best indoor dog potty pee pads you would ever buy for your dog and yourself.
How Does An Indoor Dog Potty Works?
Most indoor dog potty systems come with three layers, except the real grass ones. The first layer is synthetic or faux grass mat.
The second layer is a grid that paves the way for quick, effective drainage of the urine so as to keep the grass layer dry and odor-free. The bottom layer is removable and works as a collective tray for the urine.
The synthetic grass helps attract your dog, as dogs love to do their business on grass in the garden. This makes it incredibly easy to potty train your dog or puppy, while also preventing the annoying accidents around the home.
The pee pads we have picked above are also easy to clean, and usually just require being rinsed with soapy water and dried before assembling back and putting back in use.
Other Types Of Indoor Dog Potty Systems
While the synthetic grass dog potty systems are extremely popular and ideal for most dog owners, some also prefer going for the natural, real grass ones. This is because they are easier to get used to for the dog, while also being much better at absorbing the odor.
Real Grass
Also, as they come with real grass, they don’t need to be cleaned or washed. However, the trade-off is that they have to be thrown away and replaced with a new one every couple weeks or so, as there’s no drainage or cleaning to make them useable for a long time.
There’s obviously no hassle of having to dispose the urine or clean the system. But it’s not really an option for those on a budget as the cost can really add up over time.
Automatic Self Cleaning
The only other type of dog potty system we have on our list is an automatic self-cleaning indoor potty. It’s specifically designed for puppies, and an exceptional choice for them as it handles both #1 and #2, something that hardly any other product can do.
In other words, you don’t have to manually remove the waste on the potty after your puppy is done. It automatically wraps it in the pad roll, which can easily be thrown away.
Pee Pads
While not on our list, many dog owners also use pee pads. Most may switch to one of the dog pee pads we reviewed above if they knew about them, though.
This is because while pee pads can help reduce accidents, they usually cannot totally prevent them. They are also a lot more hassle than the indoor dog pee pads we reviewed above.
Most dogs also don’t like them, and you would likely struggle to get your dog used to them or potty train a dog or a puppy using pee pads.
Further, as they need to be replaced with use, their cost can add up as well, just like the real grass potty system.
There are also some other types of potty systems like a litter box and a grate, but they are not as good an option as the ones we have already discussed.
Potty Training Your Dog Using An Indoor Dog Potty
If you have decided to get an indoor dog potty, you would also want to know how to potty train your dog with it.
Well, to your pleasant surprise, many dogs take to an indoor dog potty system right after you introduce it to them. This is especially true with real grass pee pads or the synthetic grass ones we reviewed in this post, as they create the kind of environment that dogs are already naturally used to.
But some dogs do require training. However, it’s much easier than potty training them without an indoor dog potty.
You need to start with introducing the potty to your dog and asking them to “go” on it. Similarly, whenever they give you the signal that they want to relieve themselves, bring them to the potty and ask them to “go” there.
A great way to reinforce the habit when they start using the potty is to generously praise and give them a good treat.
Once they get used to the potty, they wouldn’t want to “go” anywhere else in your home.
This is a simple process but does require some patience. However, if you want to get there a bit faster, you can put some dog pee on the potty, which would give a big signal to your dog that the potty is a suitable place for them to do their business.
