Dog Product Reviews, Training

A dog’s indoor “potty patch”

445 Comments

UPDATE 10/15/2010:  PLEASE READ AT LEAST SOME OF THE COMMENTS THIS POST HAS GENERATED BEFORE YOU MAKE A PURCHASE DECISION.

Has anyone tried this product?  I got an ad in my e-mail about it, and I’m trying to decide what I think of the Potty Patch.

According to the ad, this is the “perfect” solution for pets who must stay inside for long periods of time, or at least for longer than they can cross their legs.

The picture appears to be a swatch about the size of a carpet sample, made of three layers.  The bottom layer is a tray that can hold up to a gallon of urine.  The middle layer is basically a grate that allows the urine to travel from the top layer to the tray.  The top layer looks (and feels?) like grass.

The idea is that your dog will feel comfortable peeing on the “grass” and will not make a mess on your floors.

My questions:

Do you have to train your dog to use it, like you would newspapers, or does he naturally gravitate to it?

How hard is it to clean all three layers to keep them from stinking?

Why is this any better than newspaper training?

If you have answers, please let me know.

Until next time,

The Dog Lady

UPDATE!:  See related posts and articles:

Review on 2buyornot2buy

Response from Potty Patch company owner.

Did you get your Potty Patch yet?

Concerns about Potty Patch being an identity theft scam.

Buyer beware.

Alternatives to the Potty Patch.

Article on Indoor Dog Potties.

Similar Posts:

445 thoughts on “A dog’s indoor “potty patch””

  1. My sis emailed me this blog shortly after I placed my order. I contacted my cc. They said the charge had not gone through yet. A fraud alert has been placed on my account and a new card is being overnighted. The usual cc overnight fee of $15 was waived as this is possibly a fraud.

  2. I received the potty patch email, ordered it online, received a confirmation number, but have no way of tracking the number on the website. As stated above, there is no way on contacting this company. I have not been billed as of yet, but am concerned about identity theft. What do I do now, do I contact the Attorney General, Consumer Affairs? I also had the feeling after ordering that something was wrong when they told me that it would take 3 – 4 days to process. What recourse do any of us have?

  3. So I just ordered the potty patch and then came across this website with all these negative comments! I received an email immediately after I placed my order confirming it, it also provided a customer service number of 1-866-518-2294 and an email address of http://www.picustomerservice.com- my question is, has everyone else received these same email confirmations? Or are they trying to “better” there services now & are legit? Oh it also says that it takes 4-6 weeks to ship…

  4. I was watching television and saw the ad for potty patch. I went online to place an order and found this blog site first. I’m so glad I did!! I hope everyone who has a complaint will be able to get it resolved. I will not be placing an order now, and I will definitely be checking out the possibility of making one for my doggies. Thank you!!!!

  6. Potty Patch … like Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty is a scam. Look carefully at the commercial … none of the dogs are going potty at all. They are just sitting there like they were trained to do so. Don’t buy it. Scam, scam, scam.

  7. Do not give them your credit card number. Within days of ordering it online I had two unauthorized purchases of video games on my credit card. I have never bought video games and have not given anyone else my credit card number, so, I’m sure they stole my identity. Also, they told me that they don’t have my order on file because it takes several days to update their computer system. I knew right then something was seriously wrong. Buyers beware!!

  9. You can make your own doggy patch by purchasing a washing machine tray from Lowes. (used to prevent water damage from leaky overflowing washing machine) They are about $30. I would suggest a plastic flourescent light grid as a way to keep the artificial turf up off the bottom of the pan. These can be purchased at Lowes as well and cut to fit the pan. (They basically are just small squares that allow the light to go through and difuse the light.)

    To keep the turf from moving around and sliding, I suggest velcro attachments to over lap to the outside of the tray. If the turf moves when the dog walks in it, they will be scared to stand on it.

    I would also suggest perforating the rubber backing of the artificial turf to allow the dog pee to drain into the pan. To attract the dog to the doggy patch, purchase the scented puppy pads from PetSmart and place them under the artificial turf.

    I haven’t tried this yet !! So not sure it will work,!! But I have been researching this for a upcoming move to a condo with no yard. Beats the late night walk in your pajamas!! Good luck !!

  10. I SAW THE POTTY PATCH ON TV. I WANTED TO ORDER 2 FOR MY SISTER WHO LIVES IN IDAHO. THE WEATHER HAS BEEN AWFULLY THERE. HER LITTLE MALTESE + ?. IS SCARED TO GO OUTSIDE. I THOUGHT SHE COULD PUT 1 IN THE GARAGE AND ONE JUST OUTSIDE THE BACK DOOR. BUT, WHEN I TRIED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THE MEASUREMENTS. GUESS WHAT. NOBODY WILL ANSWER. THEN I WENT ON DOGGIES.COM AND I COULDN’T BELIEVE ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS. IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE A SCAM. I WOULD APPRECIATE IF SOMEONE COULD TELL ME WHERE TO GET SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

  11. Am so I glad I came upon this site. I was going to order a Potty Patch for my daughter. I like the idea of DIY. What about the lid from a large plastic tote
    as the base, it’s bigger than a boot tray………

  12. I just googled “potty patch” so that I could order a couple for my dogs. Thank goodness this site came up first. (Yes, I am one of those people who starts at the top and works my way down–oc, I know, but just how I do stuff!) Thank goodness!

    I especially wanted to thank George Peters for the great idea on how to DIY. The one suggestion I might add is to be sure to “prime the pump” of the homemade version by adding the ever-so-eluring smell of doggy tinkle to start things off.

    I’ll be doing this and report back as to how it works.

    Thanks again, George!

  15. large plastic tray might be found at lowes. especially in winter…….like a boot tray etc.

  16. ** Hey George Peters*** I wanted to see if had an idea where this PVC/plastic tray could be purchased. I have checked with Menards, Home Depot, Lowes even. No luck so far. Also for others look to make their own there is an EBAY Seller: who sells the artifical turf at any sizes needed for a good price. His seller ID is: turf_man_sales

    Any ideas for the tray part of things would be wonderful. I have found all other things needed.

    ■George Peters on June 4th, 2009 10:09 pm
    I was also taken in at first by the Potty Patch product but after looking at it and similar products (”Poo Patch” at a whopping $255 price tag!) I decided that anyone could make one of these from readily available materials at a hardware store for under $10. No hassle with waiting for the order or worrying about being scammed. Use a large plastic tray, cover with two or three layers of steel grid mesh wire fencing, bend edges to fit into the tray with about 1″ of space then cover with a mat of either real sod or plastic grass mat…. Done

  17. Hey George Peters — perhaps you should consider selling a “Peter’s Potty” for $30! It’ll be cheaper than the competition, and you’ll make a nice little profit! 🙂

  18. I have tried everything with my little Bichon. The only thing that works is doggie diapers. Not any kind, I’ve tried them all, including toddler pampers that I wrapped around his middle. I get the diapers from http://www.do-rites.com/.

  19. I came across this site after receiving emails from the Potty Patch people as well. I’m glad I didn’t purchase one.
    However, a very similar product has been advertised in the SkyMall in-flight magazine for over 2 years (the products come from Hammacher Schlemmer, very reputable). I have always received everything I’ve ordered through SkyMall (and I order a lot).
    Their “Indoor Dog Restroom” is pricier ($140), but at least you know you’ll get the item and it’s apt to be much better quality. It also appears to be a bit larger.
    Below is the link:
    http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102628291&c=

  20. I was also taken in at first by the Potty Patch product but after looking at it and similar products (“Poo Patch” at a whopping $255 price tag!) I decided that anyone could make one of these from readily available materials at a hardware store for under $10. No hassle with waiting for the order or worrying about being scammed. Use a large plastic tray, cover with two or three layers of steel grid mesh wire fencing, bend edges to fit into the tray with about 1″ of space then cover with a mat of either real sod or plastic grass mat…. Done!

  21. Rosa – What a nightmare! Thanks for sharing your experience.

    For all: see the post from 5/31 for the latest info I have – hoping commenters will update us on their experience.

  22. I am interested in ordering the potty patch to simply test if works but I am concerned over the ordering issues I see here. Please advise when a real
    resolution is reached as I am waiting on ordering to be sure this is a legitmate company,

  23. Before ordering the POTTY PATCH this morning 5/29/09, I got excited and e-mailed their web site: http://www.pottypatch.com to friends and family. I then proceeded with my order. It’s been a NIGHTMARE as my friends & family, who I e-mailed this site, advised me that my Debit Card information appeared when they clicked their link. I immediately called the company. It toow over 9 hours to get through and they didn’t seem concerned. After sending my information in my order, I never received a total of the order. I began to question this company, only to find out they don’t list an address or a regular phone number, other than their toll free number: 866-518-2294 and a FAX, which I got from a supervisor as: 866-823-9214 and a supervisor by the name of Monica. She gave me an address as: PO Box 3042; Wallingford, CT 06494.
    After connecting with Monica, she advised me that the POTTY PATCH order would be processed the following Monday, June 1, 2009 and she could not cancel my order. I immediately called my bank and stopped payment.

    I later checked with BBB and this company was not listed on their web site. I left a message with Attorney General in CT and hopefully the people, who have order this product will have more information on this company, which gives little information about them. It seems like a great product if it’s really legitimate.
    Rosa

  24. Regarding the people who ordered Potty Patch and never received the product. Hopefully they used a credit card – NOT a debit card. If you ordered by credit card, contact your credit card company, tell them you were defrauded on a credit card purchase, and request a complaint form. Once you fill it out and return it, they will investigate. In most cases the charges can be reversed and credited back onto your card.

    I hope this helps.

  25. As an alternative to the Potty Patch, you might try the Porch Potty (www.porchpotty.com). It can be used indoors or out. My dog took to it very easily with little training and can be used with real grass or artificial grass. It works really well for me.

  26. Hello Dog Lady,
    I did some further investigating concerning pottypatch’ and will email you my results.
    Hopefully I have a good contact name and number, so please let me know. I will check back on this forum or my personal email in hopes that the info. is of any help.
    I am truly upset that so many people haven’t gotten a response from a company that advertises on the Internet and on TV.
    I will certainly be contacting the BBB and urge others to do so. I truly hope that everyone gets their product or a refund. Heck, even a response would allay many fears about a possible scam.

    Thank you doggies.com for alerting me and I am sure many others about this problem.
    VPinTN

  27. I came upon this website by accident when I was getting ready to order a potty patch. Thank goodness I did. You just saved me from giving my credit card no. THANK YOU!

  28. I too just ordered this product and THEN found this site. I called the customer service number above and got a business called Radient Financial Group who seem to be doing mortgage restructuring and refinance. I recalled the number and couldn’t get through. Got a message “all circuits are busy”, on a sunday morning! I will stop the payment on my credit card STAT. Thanks for reporting this site.

  29. I checked at the bottom of the pottypatch website and found a contact link. I was about to order one of these for my little dog Lu Lu until reading the possible problems others have had.I haven’t tried the toll free number listed on the contact page for pottypatch.com but here is the info. I hope this helps.

    CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMATION:

    Potty Patch is committed to providing the best products and friendliest customer service. If you should have any questions about ordering or a question about any of our great products, please feel free to contact us via the information provided below.

    Customer Service:
    Phone: 1-866-518-2294

  30. Pingback: Dog’s Indoor Potty Patch = Identity Theft Scan???? : Doggies.com Dog Blog

  31. Am I glad that I looked for information before ordering. I was all set to place an order as it is a problem for my small dogs to go outside when it is raining or snowing for hours on end. Does anyone know of a similar product that has “good” reviews?? Would appreciate feedback.

  32. Just to let you know, I have not forgotten about this issue. Having gotten no response from my note to the website owner’s address, today I sent a request to Animal Planet, as suggested by Natasha, to see if they could assist me in locating a person to contact. I’ll let you know what I find out. My next stop will be the Better Business Bureau, and possibly the FCC or some other government agency that might regulate trade on the Internet and via TV ads.

  33. I saw the ad of TV for Potty Patch and immediately thought ‘this is just what my daughter needs for her indoor peeing and pooping chihuahua, UNTIL I read all the many bad news reports here. Thank you for blogging before I could lose money from my meager social security retirement income. If this turns out to not be a scam but merely an inability to keep up with orders, please let us know. Then and only then I will be delighted to order one for each of my kids and me for our pets. I am about to start fostering for the Human Society and ASPCA and this would be huge training aid.

  34. I would not trust this product. I am not surprised no one received anything but money was taken. there is no website. This has to be a fraud. Also, in their tv ad which I guess that can afford because they’ve received money but havent’ had to send any potty patches, it says why spend money on dog walkers. That is ridiculous. Dogs are meant to get out and excercise. Potty patches or anything like it don’t take the place of that. Also, this stuff gets really stinky even if cleaned and is flat on the ground which doesn’t allow for accidents. All in all, I say this is a scam, false advertising and I think people should contact the Animal Planet since ads appear on that channel. Also can contact consumer affairs.

  35. I also ordered 2 Potty Patches and received nothing since January 8, 2009. Then I noticed that there is no contact number or place. I decided that I was scammed. Unfortunately, they have my credit card number and I have nothing. What should we do next – report them for Fraud? Susan

  37. Add me to the list. I also ordered and no charge seen yet and also no potty patch. I ordered 2/6/09. I never received an email confirmation. My order # is 9965202. Is this a scam???Let me know if they are stealing identities and information, we need to report ASAP. Thanks.

    Lisa

  38. Here’s what I sent. We’ll give them a couple of weeks to respond & see what happens.

    February 19, 2009

    Dear Mr. Greenstone,

    I found your name and address as the registered owner of OfficialTVWebsite.com on the WhoIs directory. Hopefully, you are the correct person to whom I should be addressing this concern.

    I am the blog writer for doggies.com and recently posted a story about the Indoor Potty Patch, which I thought was a rather interesting product. I asked my readers what they thought of the product, but was not prepared for the types of responses I received. I have had several readers comment that they had ordered the product but had yet to receive it. The good news is that their credit cards were not charged, but they are still disappointed in not having received what they ordered.

    My hope is that your fulfillment system somehow got overloaded, and that these readers’ products are on their way. I would be very interested in getting your feedback as to what might have happened, and I promise to post your response on my blog at http://doggies.com/blog/2009/01/08/a-dogs-indoor-potty-patch/, where you may also read of the complaints I have received to date. If you care to do so, you may also post your responsive comments directly on the blog.

    You may contact me via any of the means shown below. I look forward to hearing from you soonest. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    Beth Philley
    [email protected]

  39. Good news! I did a bit of research and found some contact information for this company. I don’t know that it will do any good, but let me bug them a bit & see if I can find out what’s going on. If I don’t get this resolved, I’ll post their address & we can flood them with mail until they get the message. (I’ll be nice as long as they are.)

  41. I have also ordered the potty patch and have not received it. I did received a confirmation email, but NO WAY to call customer service and no direct email address (you have to email through the site). On the up side, my account hasn’t been charged yet either.

  43. I also ordered this about the 7th of Jan and no confirmation, nothing. I have emailed them several times and no reply, i have also looked on the as seen on TV site as that is listed on the ad and they do not have this on their web site. I am begining to feel scammed!

  44. Louise Grabe: Unfortunately, I don’t have any way to contact the company to follow up on this for you. I checked their website & googled them, but they do not have a “contact us” page anywhere that I could see. I also checked with their website host, but couldn’t find so much as an 800 number. Sorry!

  45. I ordered potty patch sometime ago and as of yet have not received it. My id# is 9019032 please contact me re this order.

  46. I went to a home before Christmas for the first time and as the front door was opened all I could smell was strong urine. A potty training pad was at the front door for her 2 dogs to use and it was full. She stated that she did not let her dogs outside. In the course of conversation she stated that her son would not bring her granddaughter to visit her. I wonder why?

    So, be fair to your pet and train it for outside!

  47. I used a similar product (http://www.porchpotty.com) with my most recent litter of English Springer Spaniel puppies, and it worked like a charm. They gravitated to it naturally, and I heard from the new owners after the pups went to their permanent homes that they were extremely easy to housebreak, as they were already used to eliminating on grass. I used real sod in the one I have, so it was more like actual grass. I don’t know if there would be problems with older dogs wanting to go in the house, but the comparative ease of housebreaking for my pups makes me think it would be okay. The best thing about the product I used was that there’s a drain, so it could be set up to drain outdoors rather than having a container filled with urine.

  49. I don’t think I’d want my dog to feel that it was okay to potty inside at all.
    Though, I would like this for my small fenced-in yard, where there isn’t any grass. I want her to potty out there, but she prefers to go on grass.

  50. I don’t think I’d want my dog to ever feel that it’s okay to potty inside.
    Though, I would like something like this for my small fenced-in yard where there’s no grass. I want her to potty out there, but she prefers grass.

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