DIY Dog Potty Grass

Dog potty grass is useful for the pooch whose parents are away from home for long hours at a time, like for work. Knowing your dog can relieve himself and won't bust a bladder waiting for your return is peace of mind that only dog parents can understand. During cold and wet weather, you'll appreciate the convenience of an indoor latrine for obvious reasons. It's also a blessing for dogs who live in apartments or homes without grassy yards. Commercially made potty grass is certainly available, but at a price. Building your own dog potty grass system is economical and allows you to customize the size rather than having to choose from what the manufacturer makes available.

One of the two options for making your dog his own patch of potty grass is to use real sod. This will involve building a tray deep enough to hold the grass and enough soil to keep it growing. The tray will have be a two-part system with a drainage tray under the main tray and screen or mesh on the bottom of the main tray to allow for draining when you water the grass. Some of the commercial products that use real grass incorporate a dirt-less system, so you may be able to talk to a specialist at a home and garden center who can advise you on a dirt-less method for your DIY indoor potty grass.

Some commercial potty grass systems use artificial turf instead of real grass to provide a place for poochies to potty indoors. The artificial turf approach still requires a two-part tray that places the draining tray below the main tray to catch liquid when your dog relieves himself, but because synthetic grass isn't as heavy as real sod and doesn't require soil or anything else to keep it alive, the artificial turf potties are fairly light in weight. In addition to the trays, all you'll need to put together artificial dog potty grass is a piece of artificial turf and a grid to fit into the top of the main tray just under the turf. If you have more than one piece of artificial grass, you'll be able to change them frequently. This allows you to put a clean piece of turf in place while the used one is being cleaned.

Real grass or artificial turf, whichever style you choose depends on your preferences and your needs. Dogs are drawn to real grass, so your dog might take to potty grass that's made from real sod. You can encourage your dog to use his new indoor potty if you use sod from his favorite existing outdoor site. Real sod needs to be maintained just like an outdoor lawn, though, so be prepared for watering and trimming duties. Even though it is real grass, you'll still need to douse it with deodorizing spray two or three times a week to keep your home smelling fresh. And because it is real, the grass will need replacing every so often, up to every three months.

You might need to be a little more patient when trying to switch your dog over to an indoor potty with artificial turf if he's used to going on real grass outside. There are sprays available that are supposed to encourage a dog to potty in specific places, and you may need to spritz your DIY artificial turf dog potty with some to get the ball rolling. Artificial turf will need to be changed out once or twice a week, depending how well your deodorizing spray works. Soiled turf needs to be cleaned and disinfected and thoroughly dried before it can be used again and even so, a piece of artificial turf won't last forever. You'll find yourself replacing artificial grass two or three times a year. Again it depends on how fresh you can keep it.