Potty training-2nd floor Apartment with large covered balcony

[Claire Scruggs]

Would love to hear some advice on my house training dilemma

I'm preparing to bring home my 8 week old puppy in 10 days and the big question I  have is how to do initial house training. I am fortunate to live in a large 2 bedroom apartment with a large covered patio with a concrete floor (no grass or dirt and entirely covered). Unfortunately, it is about a 60 second walk down to the sidewalk where there is grass in front of the apartment complex. The question I have is regarding the frequent potty breaks he needs those first few weeks. I I think it's too far to expect a puppy with a small bladder to walk, not to mention he doesn't have all his shots yet. I've read conflicting opinions on whether I should carry him down to the potty spot or should walk him, and of course there is the question of if he can even touch the ground where other dogs may have been.

I have read the excellent Dr. Ian Dunbar Before and After You Bring Your Puppy Home books but I am still not certain what to do. I have a roughly 6ft x 6ft pen area (on a linoleum sheet to protect the carpet where he will be when we are home-as advised by the book. I also have a crate for him and will be crate training as well.

The alternative is to use a wee pad (or a pet loo but those are pricier), but I would prefer that be done on our patio because of the smell and I want him to get used to going outside and not in the house. Also, I don't need the cat acting out what the dog is doing and going in the house too. The Dr. Dunbar book says you should just put a "puppy potty (wee pads or a homemade one-i still don't understand how that would work) INSIDE the play pen but away from the food and water. Wouldn't it be better to just get him acclimated right away to going outside and not leave an option to potty indoors?

I am a first-time dog owner so advice is greatly appreciated. I have read several books to get a variety of opinions: The Art of Raising a Puppy (Monks of New Skete), Puppy's First Steps (Tufts University), Puppies for Dummies, and the previously mentioned Dr. Ian Dunbar books. Any other recommendations would be welcome. I'm not a fan of the Caesar Milan books because I don't care for the style of the writing, I just can't get through one.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

We used Ian Dunbar's methods for just about everything, and I couldn't be much happier with Oliver now at one year. No destructive chewing, accidents, aggression, or anxiety.

We had a real grass potty it was delivered weekly by Amazon and worked very well. We placed it in his long term confinement puppy pen with his bed and water every night. If I lived in CA I would be concerned about Parvo and using the grass outside your building before your puppy was fully vaccinated. I think I would opt to use a real grass potty patch on my deck.

Fresh Patch http://www.amazon.com/FRESH-PATCH-Disposable-Potty-Grass/dp/B005G7S6UI

[Murph and Me]

I made a bathroom pad out of a plastic tray you would put under a wash-machine and some fake grass carpet for my deck which has served us great until the warm weather. It now STINKS. So we have to take him out on regular breaks now no matter what. But while he was a little guy it worked great.

[Suzanne Newman]

I wonder if you put pee pads underneath the turf and change them out regularly if that would work better?  We have tinkle turf outside, but our deck is not covered, and thus it gets rained on regularly- which of course fills the pan with rainwater, that I just empty out.  

[Itims]

We have the same set up (covered concrete balcony that flanks our living room) except we are on the 4th floor and our elevator is extremely slow. We waited till 2 shots were done and used the balcony until then.  It made the first 2 months much easier when you need to take them out every hour!

We still use the balcony sometimes (like when shes sick or if there is crazy weather outside). It hasn't affected her indoor potty training (any more than people with yards etc.) She used to sometimes pee inside right in front of the door but stopped when she was 4 months old. She still sometimes asks to go on the balcony. We usually take her downstairs then and are slowly trying to wean her off the balcony. Shes been sick recently and still recovering (not allowed to walk too long) so I'm not forcing it these days. 

[Claire Scruggs]

I am so grateful to everyone who has weighed in on this! Sound like we will be using the patio then-at least for a little while. I am considering using real gras tht gets delivered once a week, but it is pricey. Puppy pads might be cheaper?

[Claire Scruggs]

http://doggielawn.com This is the grass I was talking about.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

This is essentially what we used. We used the Fresh Patch brand ordered though Amazon but this one seems really similar. I think that it's much better to use real grass if you plan on transitioning them to real grass. As a side note, make sure to get a new one each week, puppies go to the bathroom a lot!