Wouldn't it be nice to have a low-maintenance dog who "goes" on her own without dragging you from your easy chair?
You can--if you train your toy poodle to use an indoor "bathroom" in a room that you select. We have. And it's wonderful!
There are several ways to set up a toy poodle bathroom and still keep your house clean.
Indoor Outhouse
It goes without saying that toy poodles are little. Most are smaller than average-size cats.Did we say cats?
Yes, some pet parents train their toy poodles to use litter boxes. Apparently, that method works well. Cleanup for small-dog owners is no more difficult than for people owned by cats.
But instead of using a litter box, we've trained our toy poodles to use wee-wee pads that we place on the floor of our laundry room. The floor is solid vinyl so any "peripheral" errors are easily cleaned.
A wee-wee pad (sometimes called
a "puppy pad") is a plastic sheet with absorbent layers on top. The plastic side lies against the floor. When your dog walks on the pad and relieves herself, the absorbent layers quickly take up any urine. Wee-wee pads are disposable. Just roll 'em up and toss in the trash.
You might be thinking, "Why use wee-wee pads when newspapers are free?" And, besides, many newspapers deserve to be used in this way.
A dog walking on newspapers, whether wet or dry, will always have dirty paws and smear newsprint all over the floor. Wee-wee pads keep your pet--and your house--cleaner.
That said, wee-wee pads made for dogs are expensive. So what's the fix?
You can use disposable chair- or bed-size pads made for people living with incontinence issues. These pads come in various sizes from small to extra-large. Choose a size that's appropriate for your dog and the length of time the pad will be on the floor. For example, if the pad will be down while you are at work, the extra-large size could handle several bathroom visits in your absence.
Human incontinence pads are constructed much the same as puppy pads. Use them the same way. Place on the floor in an easy to clean room. Dispose of the pad when it's soiled.
Disposable pads are widely available. Most pharmacies and some grocery stores carry them.
Save Money--and the Planet
To save even more money, you can purchase reusable incontinence pads for people. Both chair- and bed-size pads are available, with several sizes in between. These pads cost more initially but you can launder them countless times.
With four pets, this is the option that works best for us. We launder
the pads in our washing machine and line-dry in the sun whenever possible. Reusable incontinence pads are sold in hospital supply stores.We also have several children's twin-size, bed-wetting pads like the one in the photo above. These, too, can be washed and reused. We recently purchased several at Target. They're not as sturdy or thick as the hospital-style pads but they work well and cost a lot less. A hospital-style pad might be $40 while a bed-wetting pad costs half as much.
In our final installment, we will tell you about the combination house-training method preferred by our dogs.
Until next time,
Cape Rose Toy Poodles
