I was given the grass system with Gigi when I got her. I don't think her previous owner ever washed it, it stank so bad! Anyway, it is a 3 part system. top is the grass mat, 2nd is the grated tray, so the urine can fall into the bottom solid tray. To me you now have 3 things to clean everyday, instead of just picking up a wee pad and disposing it. I kept the bottom solid tray to hold the wee pad which works just fine.
I was having a problem with wee wee paw prints all over the floor. But then after several people suggested getting a better wee pad, I hadn't realized that the pads do prevent the paw prints from going all over the floor. After she would go I would put a piece of newspaper on top of it, to extend the life of the pad, only to find out that the newspaper would suck up the pee and when she stepped on it again, thus the paw prints all over the floor. Anyway I picked up new pads at Petsmart 50/$15.00 and within hours the urine spot is dry and no more wee paw prints on the floor. BTW to get the smell out of the plastic tray, I used vinegar and hot water. I also use 1/3 cup of Vinegar in the next to last rinse cycle for their beds and anything else that should have an odor. It is fantastic, absolutely no smell at all and it is far more environmental for the dogs. ♥ Peggy & The Girls ♥ -----Original Message----- From: Annette Le <[email protected]> To: Chihuahuas <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, Nov 6, 2010 12:11 pm Subject: [Chihuahuas] indoor potty adventures... Well, I've been working with Paco and Pixie on finding the best indoor potty solution. Would love to hear what others are using. Here is what we've done so far.... 1) pee pads - they worked okay, except they chewed them all up and started pooping on the floor around the edge and only peeing on the pads. 2) dog litter box - works pretty well but they sometimes "miss" down the back or front of the litter box for some reason. Dog litter is expensive. 3) dog litter box with wood pellets - these are really cheap ($4 for 40 lbs. or so), but the pellets disintegrate and the dogs tracked the dust (or spread the dust) all over and I had to keep wiping and sweeping all the time. 4) small cat litter box with high sides and Yesterday's Mews cat litter - I thought maybe this would keep pups from peeing down the sides since it had higher sides and the smaller size would let me change the litter more often without wasting so much. Well, the pups starting going outside of the box because they didn't have enough room, I guess. 5) back to the larger dog litter box using Yesterday's Mews. Seems the best so far, except more expensive than the wood pellets (but I think cheaper than the dog litter and basically the same thing--just smaller pieces). 6) thinking about getting an artificial grass system, but they are pricey and I would want to get the right one. There are some with higher walls, different drainage systems, etc. Would appreciate any thoughts or experiences with the artificial grass systems. (They also have real sod systems, but that seems like even more work!) Are they hard to clean? Would it be better to get one with high sides? On the up side, the puppies finally go potty outside just fine, which at first they wouldn't. Yay!! (They used to wait till we got back home from our walk and then go in the litter box!) Since hubby and I both work, we have to have inside option, but are glad we can take them out as well!! Take care, Annette & family (Seattle)
