going potty...

[Kate]

I'm planning for my puppy to come home in August at the earliest. For those of you living in a city, where did you take your puppy out to go potty? I know we're not supposed to expose them to places where other dogs have walked, but I don't have a balcony and the building doesn't have any outside areas. There's a dog park less than 3 blocks away, but I can't take him there in the middle of the night. And, again, there's the whole 'exposure to other dogs' issue. Just wondering what has worked. Thanks!

[Kate]

Hi Megan, I'm not sure why I didn't see this reply sooner, but I must have missed it. Anyway, thank you very much for your input. My breeder starts the puppies off on potty training and tells them to "get busy." So that should be a good start. Was it difficult to get your puppy to go on concrete and other hard surfaces? There are a couple of little dirt patches on the sidewalk where trees should be, but I see all the neighborhood dogs going there, so they'll be off limits until my puppy is fully vaccinated. I love the idea of keeping a log. I will try that. Thanks, again. --Kate

By the way, Douglas is absolutely adorable!

[Kate]

A HUGE party it will be. I'll even sing. And lots of tasty treats. :)

[Camilla and Darwin]

Kate, I apologize for not responding sooner. I don't know why I didn't see your question earlier, LOL. I think that Megan's advice is good. Also, I know that many people are very worried about letting the dog pee/poop where other dogs go. But when we got Darwin, we just took him out to our grassy area where many dogs had gone, and he was completely fine. Of course we didn't throw caution to the wind, but we didn't completely shelter him. I think it's okay if your pup goes potty on a common area, just be very careful to make sure they don't go near other dog's poos that aren't picked up, etc. Perhaps you could carry your pup to a potty spot, then set them down or them to go? Just to limit exposure...

[Kate]

Camilla, Thanks for your response. You have put my mind somewhat at ease knowing that Darwin is fine even though he went where other dogs had gone. I was devising all of these crazy plans in my head like putting shoes on my puppy every time we go outside. LOL!

[Camilla and Darwin]

LOL. I think being cautious is good, but I think shoes might be a LITTLE too much. :-) Your puppy will be just fine.

[Geoff & Mico]

All the research I've been reading about pups, has got me quite nervous about catching Parvo. I have no backyard and live across the street from a dog park.  Dogs are traversing my sidewalks in front of my house every hour of the day.

I don't want to train on indoor potty pads as that only confuses their training outside. I also have a roommate with a dog and don't' want to teach it bad habits either.

I like the shoe idea. ;)