PETMAKER 3-Layer Dog Grass Pad with Tray, Large

For reference, I bought this for Reese, my five month old six lb. Chorkie and placed it on my back patio. Previously, we have been taking her out the front door to the grass on a leash. This is so we can just let her out on the gated patio and not have suit up to go out in the cold at all hours of the night. By the way, my puppy seems to be ultra smart. She learns very quickly and is eager to please. She already has us well trained, lol. Day one: I put some turds on it and when she went out she put her front paws on the mat and peed on the concrete. I soaked up the pee with a paper towel and squeezed it on the mat (wearing rubber gloves) and gave her praise. I later discovered you can just pick up the faux grass and pat the puddle with it, much easier! She later pooped on the patio and I moved the poop to the mat again praising her for going potty on the patio (and not inside the house). Day two: She peed on the mat for Daddy, but every time Mommy lets her out she holds her pee and will only poop on the patio, but not on the faux grass. I removed the old piles of poop that I placed on the grass, just in case she needs the space. Remember that prior to this, she only went potty out the front door on a leash in the grass. So this is a totally new and probably confusing concept to her, as this is the back door, no leash, Mommy and Daddy are inside and the grass is fake. Day three: She peed and pooped on the patio, but not on the faux grass. We are at this point pretty happy that she is confident going on the patio. We can hose it off. One thing to note is that she saw me cleaning up the poop and spraying the pee and washing it. I think this confused her, because she has seen me in the past clean her accidents inside the house, after having scolded her. So I think when she saw me cleaning her patio messes she might have thought she did bad. I would suggest cleaning it when they are not looking. Day four: No pee pees on the faux grass yet. Maybe when Daddy gets home he can get her to go. Maybe I give up too quickly. I take her out the front door if she doesn't perform out back. I'm just afraid that if I don't, she will go in my new house and I love that new house smell. Day five: She is pottying on the back porch, one time next to the mat, but most of the time nowhere close to it. We have a new problem, for some reason, she now squats and pees on the indoor house carpet right in front of me when I ask her to roll over! I have no idea where this came from, as she absolutely loved rolling over for treats. I think all of this has just really confused her. I'm going to go on YouTube and see if there are any videos showing tips on how to get them to pee on a pad. (No tips found). Day six: Today we got a poop that landed on the pad. She backed up to it and did her business. Technically only half the turd landed on the grass, but it was time for a poopy party! We celebrated her accomplishment. The rest of the day, she did her business on the back patio, but not on the grass. Thankfully she is back to rolling over and not thinking it means to squat and pee. We just make sure to let her out to potty before doing inside tricks (which she loves doing). Day seven: We got a pee on the faux grass! Just one, but we are seeing progress, so we are happy. We let her out onto the porch and watch from inside, no coaxing or trying to direct her to the pad (it's too cold outside for that). So we are hoping that she will gravitate to that pad on her own. Day eight: The last five peepee's have been on the pad!!!! The poopoo's are landing closer too. Day nine: I'm so please to report that Reesie now runs straight for the faux grass to do ALL of her peepee!!! Her poos are still landing elsewhere on the porch, but I'm okay with that because they are easier to clean, especially now that it's 15 degrees outside (think poop sickles)! Let me reiterate that I have done no coaxing toward the grass, I just patted her initial puddles with the pad to get her smell on it. I then gave treats and praise for going outside, with extra praise for going on the pad. I am removing the poo now from the patio and placing the freshest batch on the pad. We may still buy a second one, for extra space and to take on vacation with us (we stay at beach condos/houses and would probably transport it in the bed of our truck as I'm sure it smells like pee). I saw a video on YouTube where they placed two just outside the door and gated the area to include only the pads, so the puppy had no choice but to go on the pad! Excellent idea! I'm upgrading my review to five stars!!!!! This thing is SO WORTH IT!!!! Especially now that it's 15 degrees outside!!!! I will update when the poo starts landing on the grass. SMELL: As far as smell goes, there is none, it's too cold for that, all pee pee is turning to ice in the bottom tray and I just discard the p'ice.

In response to frustrated reviewers and to those considering buying this… (I’m not paid, I’m a regular customer like you). I know this is a long review, sorry, but these tips are very helpful based on my own experience. Thank you to other reviewers for helping me learn what and what not to do. This “grass” is NOT absorbent, look at the pictures in the ad. I intentionally wanted permeable, (after reading the reviews), so that I can use potty pads underneath for the ease of cleaning. Yeah I gotta buy the pads regularly, the cost of convenience, but I don’t mind cuz it’s easier than what other reviewers have stated they’ve gone through. Gotta pick my battles. I live in a 3 story apartment, so when I’m not feeling well or just not wanting to hike the stairs, I’ll have the dogs potty on the “grass” (and pads) on my patio. I replace the pads often and pick up the poo right away, (of course the poo will stick if not picked up right away. LOL ). Other reviewers have complained that their dogs won’t use this “grass” cuz their dogs “aren’t stupid and can’t be fooled.” Goodness, that’s a given. This “grass” IS a different feel, it IS fake, it DOES LOOK fake, and, yes, your dog WILL respond to it differently than they do to natural grass. This stuff is artificial… It takes patient training and time to TEACH your dog to use it. TRAINING: What I do to train… when I know my dog’s gotta go, I’ll stay nearby, encouraging it to WILLINGLY, not forcingingly, merely step on the “grass” by luring with treats and praise. I initially don’t expect my dog to stay on it long, much less potty on it. I follow up with praise and treats every time they do step on it. I’ll repeat this every time they gotta potty until the dog learns it pleases me to be on it. I won’t take them to natural grass, leaving them no choice but to eventually potty on the “grass.” If I have to, cuz the dog won’t potty on it, I’ll leave the potty area with the dog to mentally “reset” myself and the dog for a few minutes, then try again, repeating until successful. (POSITIVE ASSOCIATION is imperative)! Initially, my dog would potty next to it instead of on it, so I would KINDLY pick him up mid stream and put him on the “grass” while constantly praising him as he’s going. (They can’t stop once they start, so this works LOL). When he DOES go potty on it, even if I have to place him on it, I will give EXCESS praise as he’s going and then LOTS of treats after he’s finished. (I buy freeze-dried treats - most dogs cannot refuse liver! They make beef liver, chicken liver, pork liver, salmon, beef liver with pumpkin, etc. Freeze-dried is WAY healthier, it’s only one ingredient, so it does not upset my dog’s sensitive tummy - no stinky farts LOL. You cannot find these awesome treats at Walmart, you gotta go to a pet store, but it’s so worth it! I take the time to use scissors to break them into bit-size pieces - it’s one of my relaxing mindfulness activities). Anyway, NEVER EVER get mad or frustrated with your dog or it’ll associate being in trouble with being on the “grass” and then you’ll never have success! Repeat this process every time you want them to potty on the “grass.” Once they figure out what you want, it’ll eventually feel more “normal” to your dog. Even though my dogs have figured it out after a couple weeks, I still praise and treat every time cuz it’s NOT real grass, it’s not natural for them to potty on it. My dogs are still getting used to it, but they’re starting to use it more readily. This takes time! Be patient with them! Remember, dogs only wanna please you, so give them time to figure out what you want from them, then they’ll be more willing to do what you want. This applies to everything you want them to do - sit, stay, etc. (This even applies to children). After only a couple times of urinating on the “grass,” I’ll replace the pads, but I keep it outside. If I used this thing inside my home, I’d replace the pads every time cuz I HATE the smell of urine! Using pads replaces the work of cleaning the entire setup - that’s just too much work and it’s gross! I rarely have to clean/rinse the “grass” itself cuz it’s permeable and the pads take the brunt. My dogs won’t use the “grass” if the pads underneath are overused - I wouldn’t either if I had to pee on this thing. (Yes, the “grass” is very thin, it’s permeable)! I’ve not had trouble with the “grass” shedding or from an initial/brand new odor, not from this brand anyway. I have two different sizes cuz I had to figure out the right size. My boys are both 17 lbs, I will be buying another large size to give them more space. For large dogs, I recommend using 2-3 large “grass” setups placed next to each other like mine are - refer to my pix. Remember to keep the included plastic bottom under the pads. In my picks, I have one medium and one large setup. I keep a tightly closed trash bag inside a lidded trash can to manage the odor. I replace the trash bag when necessary. I use regular poo bags to pick up the poo. Again, I’m sorry for this long review, but I find it necessary to help you understand how to use this product properly. I spent a lot of time writing this review, BTW, to make sure it’s right. I hope this helps. Enjoy the convenience.

Decent quality, arrived on time, all parts as listed. Happy with purchase

The grass keeps shredding out . Extremely poor

Highly recommended for puppy training. My pups come to work with me and it helps keep them clean. I use a puppy pad under the grass surface to help with the cleaning. They took to it straight away and has been a game changer in toilet training when the weather isn't the best

You need a tray to use under it as it gets messy after few pees

Pros: When dog was puppy she used this immediately I didn't have to try to encourage it - it was instant Medium size is good but I suggest purchasing two and pushing them together because my chihuahua likes to have enough room to circle before she pees or poops There's a three layer system (grass, then bubbly plastic sifter and plastic tray) I use a pee pad at the very bottom (place on tray, the put bubble sifter over pad then grass over sifter) and it helps reduce smells and easier to keep clean Grass is a bit stinky to rinse out, but use vinegar or apple cider vinegar or a special urine removing enzyme product to help keep grass clean. It's perfect for windy balconies - the trays don't blow away or fly apart in windy conditions The dog loves this contraption Cons: If you leave it too long the grass really stinks when you go to rinse it with warm water so make sure if you are in apartment to open windows and try to put your hair in scarf so it doesn't permeate your hair. Buying replacement grass is expensive, but if you keep it relatively clean it can last a long time You're better off just buying the whole kit again cuz the grass replacement is only a few dollars cheaper If you have a large or medium sized dog I'd get 3-4 of these so they can have the room to circle. Also if you have a male dog you can buy these little fire hydrant things that can sit on the grass to encourage him to pee there. Overall I'm happy I purchased 2 of these things and I recently just bought 2 more. I'll keep buying them in the future as well.