Fake grass and parvo

Hey guys,

I've noticed everyone on here does the paper pad training but then I've seen some issues with the pup starting to pee everywhere. I've seen those grass pads around that soak up everything, would anyone recommend those? I thought it might be better so the pup gets used to the grass texture and doesn't get confused. We have a closed porch we could put it on too because I'm really nervous about our pup getting parvo. Colorado isn't a high state for it, but it worries me when he'll only have his first shot when we get him We have families with big dogs and small dogs, so we plan on socializing him with them then working up to actual places once he gets two more rounds of shots, so he will be getting socialized with all types of dogs and dogs that we know are vaccinated.

We have a lot of people who have dogs in our apartment complex that go everywhere so I don't know if I want him walking around on the grass all the time since we don't know anything about all the neighbors dogs. So would this fake grass be a good idea? Should we mix it up a bit? This is our first puppy so we want to be as prepared as we can be.

Thanks in advanced!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle & Jetty on March 19, 2015 at 8:55am

I am no expert by any means, but I too live in an apartment where everyone has dogs. My apartment requires proof of vaccinations, but who is to say that everyone is honest and registered their dog with the office. I have a screened in balcony and I have one of those fake grass patch things. It works great! I do put potty pads under the grass patch to absorb any urine and I clean the feces immediately. I have had my boys for about a month now, and they both are pretty good about going to the balcony door when they need to go. They run straight for that grass patch and do their thing. I am hoping that once they are fully vaccinated the transition to real grass will go smoothly. At least they are learning to not go in the apartment.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on March 19, 2015 at 7:07pm

UNLESS YOU LIVE IN A HIGH RISK AREA FOR PARVO, I would be taking the puppy to do its business outside as much as possible. Just stick to one area until he has received his second set of shots (around 12 wks. Pee pads will work against your housebreaking efforts. I also would not use the fake grass unless I was unable to physically take the pup outdoors. It's just teaching him to eliminate where you ultimately don't want him to. People who are away at work for long periods, usually use plain newspapers in a small area ( such as a section of an X-Pen ), reducing and eventually eliminating them as the pup gains in bladder control. The chances of Parvo are a lot smaller than the chances you will have a puppy who is poorly housebroken and poorly socialized, if you wait for him to be fully protected by the immunizations..... Take a deep breath and relax. One cannot protect against everything and grow up normal, so it makes sense to accept manageable risks.