# Creating a bathroom spot on concrete patio?



## buffyanne (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi everyone. I live in a townhouse in the city and I'm getting a new puppy soon, and I would really like to have some sort of "potty spot" for him to go in our backyard patio (especially for going late at night, rather than walking the city streets). However, the patio is all concrete and I'm not sure what approach to take. I can't rip any of the concrete out, so it would have to either be something like the Porch Potty/Potty Park, or just letting the dog pee on a designated area of the concrete and cleaning it every time with something like Nature's Miracle. Obviously the latter would be easier and cheaper, but would this eventually ruin the concrete, even if I clean it off every time? I'm just not sure what to do... any suggestions would be great.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

As a fellow city dweller (in our nation's crime-riddled capital), I feel your pain. But I think you should just take your dog out anyway. I think it's gross to have a dog going to the bathroom on the patio. If you really need something, I would go for the porch potty.


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## buffyanne (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks for your response! There's also the issue of where he's going to go the first few weeks after we get him. According to what I've read, we shouldn't walk him on the city streets until he's received his second set of vaccinations, or he'll be at risk of getting parvo and other diseases. So even if we take him out later, what do I do the first few weeks?? I thought of using training pads, but based on other peoples' experience, that seems like a bad idea.


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## Lucy Brees (Aug 20, 2012)

I have the Fresh Patch delivered once every two weeks. Not cheap but an absolute life saver!


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## RitaNg123 (Sep 27, 2012)

Is there a spot she can use in front of the townhouse? Without having a better idea of the set up, it's kind of hard to picture.

I live in a house, with a fenced backyard, and a patio. I had kind of debated where to have her go potty, and in the end, I just take her to the front yard a million times a day. She is too little to go down the steps from the patio into the yard, and there is just so much snow out there right now, which I would have to deal with every winter. Maybe in the future I can go that route. 

I am very lucky with the pee pads that they are no longer in use. I used them in her gated washroom when I first got her and she picked up on the idea immediately, even though she hadn't used them before. Then it got to a point where she only used them if she had to hold it in for 8 hrs or more, and for the most part, she is never in that situation, so I've taken them away altogether. For how seldom she needs to use them, I think I'm okay just cleaning up the pee, if it should happen. I think pee pads can be okay for a little while, but the less use, the better. With her, I didn't have to do that thing where I gradually moved the pee pad closer to the door and then bring it outside on the lawn. She just knew to use the lawn, but I think that was probably because of the breeder I got her from.

What is your idea for the dog's potty in a year's time? Will she be going outside on a lawn, during walks, or still using the Potty Patch thing? Maybe a Potty Patch makes for an easier transition to real grass later on. I guess like someone already said, if you HAVE to use something like that, that's the best idea, but I like the idea of getting them used to whatever it is they will be using as a life long thing, as early on as possible.


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## LadyBugAnBuddy (Jul 13, 2012)

Have you thought about a adult dog?

~Erica~


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I don't think the pee would harm the cement, if it were sealed with something...

My parents have their courtyard cemented, and sealed, out to the length of the house, then there is yard. Well they watched my pit bull and little dog over the summer while I was out of a place to live and still have little dog... they both pee'd on the cement all the time because they were too lazy to walk out to the yard, and there have been no stains or such, they hose it off now and again. 

It might be hard to get him to actually GO on cement though. Most dogs want grass naturally... mine were both shelter dogs, so they learned to pee where they had to unfortunately.


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## mrgoodkat (Oct 21, 2012)

The dog should have no problem peeing on concrete, though I think that's gross. I'm currently trying to teach my new dog not to do that. She pees a few times on the patio tiles if I don't watch her closely. The previous owner seems to have trained her to go in the house, instead of taking her out.

If I were you, I would take the dog out, even at night. Aren't there any trees nearby you could quickly go to?


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## buffyanne (Oct 26, 2012)

Our townhouse has a small concrete patio in the back, and in the front there is literally no grass closer than the park a mile away. There's one tree (surrounded by dirt) near the front of our house, but it has a big sign on it telling people not to let their dogs pee on it :/ Hence my predicament!


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## RitaNg123 (Sep 27, 2012)

I guess if the idea is to make the concrete patio a permanent potty spot, then might as well at least contain it and get one of those grass patch things. I've seen them at Walmart and Petsmart and stuff for about $50 bucks. At least then the pee/poo isn't all over the ground of the patio and you can clean it without a ton of build up on your floor.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I used a large, low plastic bin filled with dirt, and planted grass in it, and left it on the back porch for Hamilton. He LOVED it.... for digging in. Now he goes down the stairs into the yard so it isn't an issue, but it was easy enough to grow grass in a bin.


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