Training

House-training a puppy or adult dog is a matter of being consistent, paying attention, and following your dog’s instincts about bathroom behavior. Here are some tips:

• Choose a dedicated Fresh Patch potty spot for your dog. Most dogs take to Fresh Patch instantly. If your dog is having trouble, we recommend transferring the scent of your dog’s urine onto the patch.
• Follow an established routine and take your dog to potty after he wakes up in the morning, before and after meals, after playtime, after naps, and at bedtime.
• Walk him on leash straight to his potty spot and give the prompt or cue you’ve chosen, such as “do your business” or “go potty.”
• If he doesn’t go within 5 minutes, try again in about 15 minutes.
• When he’s done, praise your dog enthusiastically and give him a treat.
• Between potty breaks, watch for signs your dog needs to go — coming to a sudden halt, circling, sniffing in a dedicated manner, or dropping his bottom. If you do see him about to go, distract him and take him to his potty spot as quickly as possible.
• Confine your dog if you can’t watch him. 

*It is important to establish one location for the FRESH PATCH unit so you do not confuse your dog.

SMALL DOGS

How Does FRESH PATCH Work?

• Our 16″ X 24″ living patch of hydroponically-grown grass is shipped to your doorstep.
• Simply open the container and place FRESH PATCH where you want your dog to “go.” (Retain cover for use at disposal time.) 
• The complex root structure of the living grass naturally absorbs urine while controlling odors.
• Make sure to remove and dispose of solid waste, and then wash hands, just as you would when walking your dog.
• Keep away from young children, just as you would a kitty litter box with animal waste.
• Simply replace the cover and discard the entire unit whenever your new order of FRESH PATCH arrives.

Additional Guidance

• It is important to establish one location for the FRESH PATCH unit so as not to confuse your dog.
• Show approval to your dog when used properly.
• Limit exposure of unit to direct sunlight and heavy rain.
• When used indoors, locate FRESH PATCH near a window to maximize indirect exposure to natural light.
• When used outdoors, elevate FRESH PATCH by placing it on top of a tray or structure. It is preferable to elevate FRESH PATCH (when used outdoors). This ensures that the unit will not sit in water in the event of rain.
• If you have a chew-loving dog or rambunctious puppy, you may want to order our new optional outer sleeve to provide extra protection to all four side-walls of the box bottom. The FRESH PATCH unit can be easily removed from this outer sleeve at disposal time. If interested, please contact us to discuss and place an order.
• If you have a grass-eating dog, then FRESH PATCH is probably not right for your particular dog and you should discontinue our service.

A Note About Dog Behavior When You Introduce FRESH PATCH

Dogs naturally want to please their owners if they can understand what is wanted. But, just like people, dogs can take a little time to get used to something brand new—like a new type of dog potty. That’s when verbal encouragement (and sometimes a reward with a treat or some extra attention and petting) can ease a dog’s transition to a new way of doing “business.” How quickly a dog adapts to using FRESH PATCH may also depend on previous experiences, as described below.

Dogs Used To Going Only Outside the House: These well-trained dogs can be expected to transition to FRESH PATCH very easily. They will associate the living grass of FRESH PATCH with the outdoors, where they normally do their “business.” The clear message will be that there are only two ways you want them to “go”—either outside the house or inside on real grass.

Dogs Who Have Used Fake-Grass Potties or Pee Pads: These dogs may need some extra time to switch over to FRESH PATCH in order to unlearn the behavior of “going” on synthetic material. It shouldn’t take them too long to make the transition because real grass is so much more appealing to them than fake products. Synthetic potty products really teach dogs to “go” on synthetic rugs and floors !!!

Untrained Puppies: The little ones should take to FRESH PATCH pretty quickly. They should associate FRESH PATCH with the natural scent of grass when you take them outdoors. It will help if you use the same verbal cues for FRESH PATCH as you do for outside walks. The pups will recognize these verbal cues just as they do the visual cue of a leash. If a puppy uses FRESH PATCH successfully you may want to take him outdoors immediately afterwards to strengthen that association. But, please remember that pups just don’t have the bladder and bowel capacity of older dogs. So, they may need to be brought over to the FRESH PATCH and reminded to use it every few hours when you are home. If you can’t do that, it would be good to leave your pup with its FRESH PATCH in a relatively confined space with a tile floor, where the FRESH PATCH is clearly visible to and within easy reach of the pup. Try not to react too negatively if your pup makes “mistakes,” especially if they are near the FRESH PATCH. The pup may have been trying to get to the FRESH PATCH, but just missed it because of poor timing. In those circumstances, a negative reaction could be confusing to the pup. Our customers tell us that a consistent message of praising the desired behavior tends to work best for all dogs, and especially puppies.

Skeptical Dogs: Some very obedient, well-trained dogs may also be skeptical by nature. They may not really believe they have your permission to use FRESH PATCH in the house. (Is this a trick or what ??) They probably need a little extra encouragement before they believe that the wonderful grass in FRESH PATCH is really meant for them to use in the house. Stick with your dog during this time and the results will be worth it. Very smart dogs tend to be a bit skeptical by nature, but once they really believe that FRESH PATCH has your seal of approval, they should use it regularly.

“Not For Me” Dogs: Very rarely, a dog just won’t use FRESH PATCH—for whatever reason. If so, you may want to try spraying the grass with an additional dog-attracting scent and also step up the verbal encouragement. Please contact us to discuss the problem and get additional recommendations. Remember that we will cancel your order at any time. While FRESH PATCH can be great for most dogs, we recognize it may not work for all dogs.