[gsmagoo2]

I'm wondering if anyone here uses the woody pet litter, with their puppies? If so how well does it work for you, and how does the transition from using a litter box to training outside work out?

Trina
www.tiggerdoodle.com

 

[dixiedi]

When I bred Labradoodles, I used an underbed storage container and lined it with wood burning stove pellets and then a layer of pine bark nuggets. It worked better than anything I've every used. I would put the container in the whelping box at 3-4 wks of age. It takes less than a day for the puppies to start using it. When I first put the container in there, I would stand there and watch for a little bit and when I saw a puppy go potty, I would pick it up and put it in the litterbox. After doing this a couple of times, VOILA!!!! It's amazing how quickly they catch on.

When my buyers would come to pick up their puppies, I would have a small sample of the litterbox for them to take with them so they wouldn't have to let the puppy potty at a rest area or strange soil.

As for housebreaking, it was a snap! The pine bark nuggets (don't get the chips) give it a smell of the outdoors so when you start training them to go outside, the smell is familiar.

HOpe this helps

 

[annieG]

Diane...that is so funny because when we got Tanner from you he would always go potty underneath my large bushes and trees that had bark under them instead of in the middle of the lawn :wink:

 

[dixiedi]

Tanner knew he was at home immediately

 

[lieverdmom]

Woody Pet

My Woody Pet experience is not with the indoor potty, but as an outdoor bedding for the puppy play pen.

After seeing a photo of a Wonderful puppy pen, with handsome pellets for footing, and reading the breeder's strongly flattering review of the footing, I bedded my puppy play pen in Woody Pet.

The pellets were lovely, and really do make it easy to maintain a fresh smelling yard. One caveat is to consider the generation/coat types of your dogs.

The Woody Pet is designed to quickly disintegrate into sawdust, which works very well for absorbancy, but dessicated Deva's coat... sawdust worked down to the skin, and a real matting problem with the ultra-dry coat. Maybe it works better with earlier generation dogs. Or in a yard that doesn't allow Mom.

The potty box idea sounds good... I'll be trying that one with my next litter. Thanks, Diane, for that bit of advice, and for suggesting the nuggets instead of chips, which were too fine.

Nice to hear from you, Diane, though it's odd to hear you referring to breeding in the past tense! It seems like yesterday that you and Jac were mentoring me through my first whelping! How's retirement treating you?

 

[dixiedi]

Hi Deb, I'm glad to be of help Be sure to let me know how it worked for you. If you have any questions, when the time comes, just drop me a line. I loved using the "litterbox", it is so much cleaner and sanitary for the puppies and you don't have to worry about momma's coat because she doesn't get in it.

I really miss raising the puppies and meeting all the wonderful puppy families but you have to do what you have to do. It's certainly not that I wanted to give it up I might even enjoy retirement once they quit running me from one doctor to another trying to find relief for my back :roll:

It's good to hear from you