Post # 1
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
Darling Husband and I are getting a maltipoo puppy in less than 4 weeks from now. We’re excited as can be (both of us have had dogs our whole lives) and can’t wait to get her. However, we live in an apartment complex and our building especially has a lot of dogs. I think we’re the only ones in our building who don’t (there are 8 apartments per building). So my question is- where am I going to take my sweet little puppy to go to the bathroom? There’s grass right outside our apartment, but other dogs go potty there too. I know puppies aren’t supposed to be exposed to other dogs poop/pee until they’ve had their parvo shot, so where should I take her? I can’t go far especially if she has to go in the middle of the night.
Post # 3
Member
799 posts
Busy bee
@vintagemodernbride: There are wee-wee pads that can be used indoors. Just google them. The problem I’ve heard though is that the dog can learn that it is okay to pee in the house.
Post # 4
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@lotam240: yeah we really want to train her to go outside right away so i really dont want to use pee pads all the time. 🙁
Post # 5
Member
3126 posts
Sugar bee
I would just walk her down the block a ways. Be sure you bring baggies with to pick up her poo. Nothing bothers me more than dog owners who just let it lie…
Post # 6
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@MissTatas: yeah i may have to scope out the area and see where there are no signs of other dogs. we bought baggies that go with her leash. i cant stand people who leave it too. too easy to accicentally step in!
Post # 7
Member
5148 posts
Bee Keeper
I would just take her further out where less dogs go.
As far as pee-pads, I hate those things. They only serve to confuse the dog, you train it that using the bathroom inside is okay, and then you have to re-train the dog to go outside. It just prolongs the process. (And also if you use pee-pads, be prepared for the dog to pee/poop on any newspaper, magazine, etc., that’s on the floor because they’ve been trained use something laid down on the floor as their bathroom area.) Taking them outside from the get-go is best.
Post # 8
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@abbyful: thanks for the advice. i think that’s what i’ll end up doing. we bought pee pads, but i’m probably going to take them back to the store because i really just want to train her to go outside. 🙂
Post # 9
Member
1902 posts
Buzzing bee
Do you have any spot of outside land that is just yours, or is all the gardens outside area communal/shared?
It’s going to be a tough few months, but train her to go outside.. even if other dogs use it. That way the puppy will get into the routine expected of it in the future 🙂
Post # 10
Hostess
11168 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I wouldn’t use wee wee pads they are just a disaster waiting to happen. If you start out encouraging the pup to go outdoors you will be much more successful, especially with smaller breeds.
For apartments there is always this option too: http://www.porchpotty.com/ My mom uses it and she loves the freedom it gives the dogs to go onto the balcony during the training stages. She left the sliding glass door open and it allowed the pups to understand that when you need to go, go outside.
Post # 11
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@Treejewel19: that is the coolest thing i’ve seen! that might be a good option while my puppy is little. we live on the 2nd floor, so it’d be nice to take her to the porch especially late at night when she needs to go potty
Post # 12
Member
701 posts
Busy bee
@lotam240: Honestly the pee pads aren’t hard to train them off of. Do you have a balcony at all? I’d suggest a pee pad on the balcony (or fake grass or the like) that way it’s outside and she’ll associate outside with doing her business but it’s not anywhere near other dogs
You really want to be careful – parvo can be picked up from pee, poo or bodily fluids (think a puddle that another dog licked out of). I’ve worked at a vet clinic for 4 years and parvo does the most damage on really young puppies.
If you do decide to just take her further than where the other dogs do their business make sure she doesn’t walk through the grass or any areas that might have been soiled. For this route I’d suggest carrying her at least until she gets fully vaccinated.
Post # 13
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@kayberry: thanks for the info. we do have a balcony, so i am looking at the fake grass. though i’m reading alot of complaints that the grass starts to smell bad fast. she’s gonna be little though, so i may do it anyway since her little bladder will hardly hold much liquid. it’d be good for late nights and until she’s fully vaccinated. thanks for the advice!
Post # 14
Member
701 posts
Busy bee
@vintagemodernbride: No problem! My sister has a 6 month old puppy and he used pee pads until he was 3 months – they’re disposable after a few uses and they don’t tend to smell. It’s very true that they get up quite a bit to pee and won’t warn you in the beginning.
Any problems or questions feel free to message me, I love helping out with puppies 🙂
Post # 15
Member
219 posts
Helper bee
@kayberry: thanks so much! yeah i’ll keep you in mind if i have more questions. i just want to get fully prepared with all the info i need to know before we get our puppy 🙂
Post # 16
Member
701 posts
Busy bee
@vintagemodernbride: Also make sure you at least keep the hair on her face trimmed. I don’t know if you know about this but many owners don’t – their vision can become compromised if their eyes are covered for long periods of time (i.e. excessive hair growth)
It’s not hard to do yourself if you get a pair of blunt-tip scissors and get her really comfortable with them around her face (before you actually start hair cutting!). But if you prefer you can have it professionally done! I just find many places are expensive.