Customer Reviews

UGODOG Indoor Dog Potty

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I recently bought the ugodog from their own website and received it this Sat. We own a three year old German Shepherd mix. Obviously this is not a small dog by any means.

My first attempt failed miserably. Bee (dog's name) had no idea what to do with it. She didn't even want to step on top of it. I was really angry and thought about that review I read here (the only one star review). So, I physically picked up my dog and planted her on it. She did not like this very much. She sat on it and looked up at me like, "What do you want me to do now?" I told her, "Dai di, con." that's vnese for "Go pee pee". Still a vacant stare. She's obviously scared from me picking her up. So I tried again two hours later. I know for sure she REALLY has to pee this time. Of course she's no dummy and remembers me picking her up. She sat there in front of the bathroom and refused to go in. A little nudge (not too forceful) and raising my voice a little made her a little more obedient. Sure enough she went in and started sniffing around. I closed the door leaving a little gap to peek in and said, "Dai di, con." To my amazement, she sat down and relieved herself.

I hope my little story helps those that couldn't make this work for them. This is a godsend and has saved me $30/mo on the pads. This is DEFINITELY worth the money considering the $150 alternative that I was going to get. Please people, this is no substitute for a walk. S/he still needs the exercise. Have fun ppl.

Pros:
1. The two grates have 4 or 5 legs around the center to support heavier dogs.
2. Dog's feet will NOT get wet if s/he pees a lot. this happens often with the pads for us.
3. easy to clean. I just dump the urine in the toilet and spray some of that Simple Green product then rinse away.
4. for me, it's not too big to be an eye sore in the bathroom and not too small that the dog has difficulty planting herself.

cons:
1. $50? damn. The Chinese can probably have this made and sold for less than half this price for the exception of quality control. ;)
2. i don't see replacement grates. I might step on this by accident and break the grates.
3. Since it's a small company, the advertisement isn't ubiquitous. :) I wish I found this three years ago.

I got this for my small breed puppy. I was using puppy pads but wanted to save money and help the environment by trying this instead. After trying it for just over 2 months I really wouldn't recommend it.

First of all, it's 100% made of plastic, so I don't know why it's so expensive. I can get plastic litter pans with metal grids for my rabbits for $12 so I really don't know why one for my dog was $50. It's also very thin.

I tried using it with newspapers under the grid, but it made my bathroom smell horrably like dog pee, even when I replaced the paper after every time my puppy went. I tried it with litter, and the thing is so thin that I wasn't able to put a thick layer of litter. The pee just soaks the whole bottom of the tray and then the pee soaked litter sticks to the bottom of the tray so instead of just being able to scoop up the pee soaked areas, I had to empty and scrub the whole thing or else it would smell. So much for saving money. About the only thing that worked well for me to use to line the bottom of this thing was Puppy Pads, which was what I was trying to get away from in the first place!

It's such a pain to clean this thing too. If it's pee I can just rinse it but my puppy was sick for awhile and it was horrable cleaning his loose poo out from the cracks in the grid, gross!

Another thing is that this tray has no edges so a lot of the time my dog will accidently hang his back end off the end of it and miss the tray completly. And I don't know how my male dog would use this once he starts lifting his leg to pee?

Honnestly it was such a pain I went out and got another thing of Puppy Pads. I think I'm going to try a diffrent dog litter box - one with high sides and a deeper tray. I really wish I didn't spend so much money on this thing.

I have a ugodog that I purchased for my 12 week old shih-tzu puppy after weeks of less than positive experiences with newspapers, disastrous experiences with Purinas Second Nature puppy litter box and expensive pads. Mi-Joo is now 9 months old and has been successively using the UgoDog since the second day. I had great hopes for the puppy litter box but she spent far more time chewing on the side of the box and even the litter than I had ever anticipated. I promptly traded the expensive litter for newspaper but had the same misfortune. I then bought pads which seemed to work but still had glitches.

The entrance to the litter box was simply too high for a 5 pound puppy to get into on her own when she was racing against time. Plus, I would then be stuck cleaning soaking wet foot pads and legs. Disgusting. I have a beautiful yard that I have no intention of turning into a giant toilet so I knew I had to do something. Enter the UgoDog.

When Mi-Joo needs to go she simply walks over to the box, circles a couple of times, does her business, waits 2 seconds while I wipe her "whats-it" and then races me to the toilet to flush the tissue. Simple, clean, easy. No more wet paws or legs. The grate is fantastic for catching urine. For poop, well, that can be a nasty little mess. But I figured out a while ago that when she poops all I need to do is place a piece of kleenex down below her rear-end. Then when she is done I fold it and flush it and we're all done. It's all good!

For clean up I spray the entire thing down with a vinegar spray and wash with hot water. If I am in a real hurry I will cheat with Dow Scrubbing bubbles spray but either way, as long as you don't let poop get directly on it, it is super easy to clean.

Cons: 1) The sides are too low for a young pup and you will have to help them aim. 2) The box is both too shallow and too narrow (in width) to successfully use newspaper - besides then you have to pick up sopping wet newspaper, eeewwww. 3) The grates can allow poop to fall in and create a nasty cleaning event. 4) The box is simply not sized to fit any of the pee pads on the market so you will have to do a little creative fitting of the pads yourself... 5) $50 (including shipping) really does seem like a high price to me. I don't see why this product could not be sold for $20-$25 instead.

Pros: 1) The grate system allows for a completely non-messy urination experience, no dripping! 2) The grates are soft and easy on a puppy's sensitive feet, thereby encouraging her to get with the program. 3) The box itself is rather tough and stands up to even vigorous chewers (like mine). 4) The whole system is fairly light weight and super easy to take and go. You can move it to different rooms, even take it when you travel. 5) The system cleans easily. 6) UgoDog prevents even newspaper from leaking onto your floors/carpets. 7) The double grate system allows for quick disposal of even diarrhea (provided you place kleenex down first). 8) Fairly unobtrusive as well, no unsightly giant box to dominate whatever room it is in. Also, the fact that it is so easy to move allows you to easily train your pet to eventually go in the room of your choosing.

Bottom line, this is a great product and although I have a couple of tweaks I would wish for I still think this is the best thing on the market. Get it, you won't be disappointed.

BTW, Yes, I still use pads (clean go puppy pads are your best bet value wise, btw) but now I use less than half the number of pads I had before.

It's a great concept but too small for most dogs. I ended up using the idea to make my own LARGER potty box. I bought a dishwasher pan (about 30" by 30" from a building materials store) and then purchased some of those garage drain tiles (that allow liquid to drain through them) and made my own potty box. It works great and my dogs love the extra room cuz they had a hard time on this one cuz it was so small.

Love this for my pup. My puppy was trained to use a litterbox with pine pellets by the breeder, and after a few days of pine pellet explosion with digging fun by pup, I went in search of another indoor solution for when I'm at work and pup is inside too long to hold it. Definately didn't want to go with puppy pads -- too messy and get chewed and too much waste. After lots of research I decided on this item, mostly because I don't want her trained to use grass (one of the other alternatives) and I don't want bright blue for a dog accessory in my house (one of the other alternatives). I got this, put some pine pellets under the grids ("horse bedding" from feed store is cheapest, or identical Feline Pine is another convenient route, just more expensive for same thing) so I don't have a tray full of "liquid" to handle everyday as pellets absorb it, ...then I plopped it down next to the puppy's litterbox and showed her the new "thing." She immediately smelled it, climbed on and went! And she didn't use her litterbox again, so after a few days I removed the litterbox and just have out the Ugodog. The pellets helped I'm sure, since it smelled like her "go" place. Then for the outdoor training, I dump the used pine pellets (minus poop of course) outside in her designated "spot" and we're having effortless potty training both inside and outside. Highly recommended. Easy to clean, I pick up the poop with paper towels when I get home and toss in outside garbage; then I just dump pine pellets once a week or so (which never smell), spray Ugodog with disinfectant and wipe with paper towels, load more pellets and put back in place. Daily I spray the edges with disinfectant and the grid tops and then wipe, about a 15-second job. I could see some might skip that step, whatever your cleanliness standards are.... And pup stays clean too. Great item!

The free shipping makes me tolerate the price a bit more. Other than that, the product is fine (I purchased 2). I have 2 Shih Tzu who are 1-y.o. and 2-y.o. who were previously trained to use puppy pads.

PRODUCT
The construction of the product seems durable. I don't expect the base to break anytime soon. I believe the grates will hold up for some time as well, though it would be nice if they sold replacements just in case. It is a bit small and makes me wonder how medium-large dogs could ever use this! Sometimes my dogs go off the side so I can't imagine a larger dog (especially if they like to spin like mine) making the mark.

Some reviewers have mentioned that it's a bit of an eye sore, however, I find it to be a huge improvement over looking at a pee stained white pad! The product is a bit bulky so I will stick to puppy pads for travel. The bulkiness can also affect cleaning, but I find [if they get really messy if a dog gets sick or something] filling up a bathtub and leaving them to soak with some cleaner and disinfectant makes the job a lot easier. The color and discreetness of the product makes me comfortable with placing it in high traffic areas of the house.

The product description describes the system as being built to be used with newspaper to be eco-friendly, however, I wish they'd sized it to also accommodate PoochPad 20-Inch by 27-Inch Pet Training Pad, Medium, 2-Pack. If you're interested in using the reusable pads the smallest on the market (17" x 23") are the best fit, but do leave some uncovered areas(length). Not ideal, but will save me a few hundred dollars a year (literally, not kidding, I did the math) compared to using disposable puppy pads and since most of my reading is online the newspaper idea won't go far with me.

TRAINING
I'll try to summarize, but will be more than happy to elaborate if asked. To train them I first used it without the grates and placed a puppy pad inside and placed it where they usually relieved themselves (replacing the old pad holder). One dog took to this right away. After a few days I placed the grates on. When they would go near it or look like they wanted to relieve themselves I placed them on the grates and gave them the command to relieve themselves. They looked at me like I was crazy, but after a while (with high praise and rewards when she go it right) my youngest dog became an expert.
My older dog was not warming up to the system at all so I had to keep pads out or he would go on the floor instead! I even tried wiping his urine over the grates and stuff to get the smell in to no avail. Luckily I had a week off when the snow storms came through and made it my mission to get him used to it. I started from scratch and treated it like we were house-training all over again. I began with placing the reusable pad on the floor, then moved up to placing the pad in the base, finally put the grates on. I used the same training techniques I did when he was a puppy. If he went to the bathroom in the wrong place and I caught him in the act I said "bad potty" picked him up and put him on the pad. When we got up for the day I took him to the pad and put him on it and gave the command "go potty" so he knew that's where he goes. After a while I think he got used to the feel of the grates on his feet. The first time he used it on his own he got a huge celebration and treats. He's been good since. You really have to be prepared to retrain them to use it. It will take time for some, maybe even a few weeks (or months like my older puppy).

SUMMARY
The price is ugly, but the initial investment makes it cheaper in the long run than my old system. I was going to give it 3-stars, but settled on 4 because it meets the criteria for the new house-training setup. Not 5 because of the price and sizing.
I wanted [and it met]:
-Something that would save me money compared to what I was using at the time which was a plastic pad holder and disposable pads.
-Something that wouldn't become a toy or project in the middle of the day. My youngest dog started tearing up pads and showed the older one how much fun it could be.
-Something that I could use reusable poochpads with. I wish it was better sized to accommodate these especially since they help with smell.
-Something that would keep paws dry (especially after moving to a place with wall-to-wall carpeting).
-Something that was more eye-pleasing. Most people have to ask what it is now!

My very tiny 1.8 pound, 9 week old havanese puppy uses the Ugodog with no problem. What a smart, simple idea. I don't want to use piddle pads, which are expensive and environmentally ugly. Plain old newspaper is cheap, abundant, and works just fine. The Ugodog isn't exactly the same dimensions as the newspaper, but seriously-how much effort does it take to fold it to fit ? No more worrying about wet or soiled unsanitary newspaper on the floor (yuck), nothing shredded to pieces. Cleans up with very little effort. Well worth paying what they ask for the convenience and ease of use, and it pays for itself in a short time with the money saved on piddle pads.

4-23-10 Update-my little dog is almost two, and uses her UGD with ease. I've trained her to know that going outside is also fine, in fact it's in their nature to do so, so confusion has never been a problem. I actually have a system to clean the pottys-(a runny poo can be tough to completely clean). I purchased another,and rotate them when more than a daily cleaning is neccessary. I just put it in a large plastic bin with some hot water, dish soap and a little bleach, soak and rinse. It comes out immaculate and sanitary. The cost to buy another is well worth it. I love this product.

I have a mini long haired dachshund and I bought Ugodog for him about 4 mos ago. I tried the dog potties with the artificial grass on top and they smelled awful because part of the urine clings to the grass and my dog didn't want to use it (I don't blame him), and no matter how many times I washed the artificial grass with strong cleaning products and bleach, it still smelled like urine. I put the Ugodog out on the patio and my dog uses a sliding glass doggie door to go out. I put about 1 1/2 cups of pine pellets (I use Feline Pine) in the Ugodog tray which is lined with plastic--I buy the Glad OdorShield Tall 13 gal. trash bags and cut them in half because cat box liners didn't fit. Then the grates go on top. I change the pellets about once a week or every 5 days and the pine pellets completely covers the urine odor. It's easy to lift out the liner and fold up and dispose of the used pellets; solids are flushed immediately. I tried using papers instead of the pine pellets, but they smelled and were not absorbent like the pine pellets, which turn to sawdust when they get wet and absorb liquids really well.

My dog uses the Ugodog with no problem and I find the plastic grates very easy to clean. I just want to add though that dogs have to be trained to use a dog potty--most are not going to see it and go, oh there's the bathroom. So for those complaining their dogs won't use this, you have to do the work upfront first. It took time for me to train my dog and I started him out with a dog potty that had real soiless sod on top, which I had to order online and pay to have shipped. He was used to going outside on grass and I started saying "go pee" all the time so eventually he knew what that meant. When I got the Ugodog, I would remind him to go outside and "go pee," but now he does it on his own. Did he have the occasional accident in the house in the beginning--yes. But now that he has gotten the hang of using the Ugodog, there haven't been anymore accidents and we're both happier. Also, I know people use dog potties indoors, but I think it's a bad idea to encourage a dog to do his business in the house.

I highly recommend this product for people with small dogs. It's nice not having to grab the leash and take my dog out in the rain, or if it's just not convenient, plus he can go whenever he wants and doesn't have to hold it until I can take him out. I just placed an order for an extra set of the grates to switch them out between cleanings.
9/18/11 Update: My dog is still using Ugodog very successfully. I bought an extra set of grates. This is especially helpful when solids get stuck to the grates occasionally. Instead of trying to clean the grates with a Q-tip as some have mentioned, I just switch them out with the other pair of grates and soak the soiled ones overnight in a mixture of Pine-sol and water, then wash off with water.

Length:: 1:15 Mins

I was absolutely desperate. My Maltese puppy got into the habit of tearing the pee pads right out of their holder and shredding them. I'd walk in to find poo, pee, and shredded pads all over the kitchen floor. Worst of all, I didnt know what to do; she shreds the pads, and dog litter is too messy.

So I was excited to find the UGODOG Indoor Dog Potty. My puppy had no problem learning to eliminate on its plastic grating, instead of the usual pee pads. I thought my problem was solved.

Then I discovered that she could LIFT UP THE GRATING with her teeth! Within 24 hours, she had learned to lift the grating and gain accesss to the pad below it, which she shred into 100 pieces.

Depression set in.

I didn't know what to do. So I got an idea on how to modify the UGODOG. I went the hardware store with my son, Kevin, and together we created a modification that solved the problem. Now, it's impossible for my pup to lift of the grating. You can see the modified UGODOG by clicking my Video Review here. The pee pad stays safe beneath the grating, and I am ONE VERY HAPPY DOG OWNER!

Email me at kevlut77@yahoo.com and I'll tell you how to modify your UGODOG so you too can be a happy dog owner.

I bought this product hoping that my puppy would use it. He really did take to it. He would use it all the time. The only problem was that he wouldn't fully stand on the plastic grate. He would place his front 2 paws off the side... having a boy puppy you can imagine where the urine went, right off the side. So now I was cleaning the floor as well as the UGO potty. The UGO potty was also awful to clean and took forever. I went through many pairs of rubber gloves. This potty became a daily project and I started using weewee pads with it, so it didn't save me a penny. Another thing with the cleaning, feces got caught in it. I spent more time cleaning this product then I did playing with my new puppy. It lasted a couple of months and then I finally threw it out and went back to wee wee pads. Thank goodness my puppy is at the point of going outside! I would not recommend this product, it is not worth the money.