Pet potties for dogs (clean, poop, cleaning, train)
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I am considering a move to a condo. I have 2 dogs around 25 lbs each. One is 15 and she cries to go out once or twice a night. Currently, I am in a house with a fenced yard, so easy enough. But how do condo people handle this? I see pet potties for sale and wonder how well they work on a balcony. Is cleaning them a nightmare? Do most dogs easily adapt to using them? Anyone have experience and a brand to recommend?
Ground floor condo with access to the outdoors would continue to be the best option. Dogs are individuals and none of us could predict how yours mght make the transition. No guarantee whether one or both dogs would take to an indoor potty box, pads, or papers, especially if they're older. I'd suggest experimenting before you write that really big check! Buying a potty box/fake grass, or whatever just to find out it won't work would cost peanuts compared to the wrong condo.
If you take on the responsibility of a pet- you have to take it outside when it needs to go. A short walk to "get things going"
Are you kidding me with this answer? I have upheld my responsibility and cared for this dog for over 14 years and I have had elderly dogs before. You don't always have time to travel down multiple floors to get them outside in the middle of the night before they can't hold it anymore. The problem with old dogs is the opposite of needing to "get things going." I am looking for a way to accommodate the needs of my aging dog, not just my convenience. Perhaps you think the better answer is to just turn her over to a shelter if my housing situation changes (which, of course I would never do) rather than try to find a solution for her?
Ground floor condo with access to the outdoors would continue to be the best option. Dogs are individuals and none of us could predict how yours mght make the transition. No guarantee whether one or both dogs would take to an indoor potty box, pads, or papers, especially if they're older. I'd suggest experimenting before you write that really big check! Buying a potty box/fake grass, or whatever just to find out it won't work is a lot less expensive than a condo.
Yes, I have given ground floor units extra looks. My dogs know the command "go potty" already, so it might not be such a difficult transition. It would not be indoors, but on a balcony. Getting them to go indoors....that I think would be difficult since they have been trained not to do that, but going outside might not be as much of a change. Right now, I am just trying to consider all options and hope to hear from someone who has actually tried it.
Yes, I have given ground floor units extra looks. My dogs know the command "go potty" already, so it might not be such a difficult transition. It would not be indoors, but on a balcony. Getting them to go indoors....that I think would be difficult since they have been trained not to do that, but going outside might not be as much of a change. Right now, I am just trying to consider all options and hope to hear from someone who has actually tried it.
Why not post your question under the Pets subforum instead of burying it here? More likely that pet owners who might have tried this will read it.
From my experience, some pets may ultimately adopt to those "pet potties" but usually not quick enough to avoid management involvement. It only takes one oopps onto the downstairs residents to get that certified letter in the mail.
As Parnassia suggested, consider a ground floor unit or start weaning them into a "balcony" style setup at your current location to see if the accept the change or show signs of being amenable to this setup. You (actually your dogs) don't want a sudden 'Surprise! your potty habits have changed starting now!' situation.
I moved to a condo from a house and continued to foster dogs and had my personal dog. I was not able to retrain my personal dog; I was on the 2nd floor and did walk him down the back stairs to the outdoor area. But my foster dogs were able to use the turf I set up in a corner of our balcony. I think its a good idea to start training your dog to a turf patch on your present home’s patio before you move.
Some high rise condos have an area of artificial turf outside on one floor of the building. I had two dogs in a high rise condo in Chicago, I lived on the 20th floor and the "dog walk" was on the 9th floor, so I could take the dogs down the elevator to the 9th floor for a quick pee instead of taking them all the way down and out for a walk. They were fine with it. One day, the elevators didn't work and they had to pee. One did OK walking down and back up the steps, I had to carry the other one. Both dogs weighed about 25 pounds. The other issue was when it snowed and the condo staff didn't shovel paths to the turf area. One month in winter, the wind chill was 40 below zero and the snow was very high and frozen ice. The dogs needed coats and boots on all four paws to go out. It was a nightmare to deal with, I only lived there for a year. I would not have dogs in a high rise condo again.
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