Great Idea - Great Product - GET IT!
|
| Review Date: May 22, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jacli Primo, Loxahatchee, FL USA |
I have a ugodog that I purchased for my 12 week old shih-tzu puppy after weeks of less than positive experiences with newspapers, disastrous experiences with Purinas Second Nature puppy litter box and expensive pads. Mi-Joo is now 9 months old and has been successively using the UgoDog since the second day. I had great hopes for the puppy litter box but she spent far more time chewing on the side of the box and even the litter than I had ever anticipated. I promptly traded the expensive litter for newspaper but had the same misfortune. I then bought pads which seemed to work but still had glitches.
The entrance to the litter box was simply too high for a 5 pound puppy to get into on her own when she was racing against time. Plus, I would then be stuck cleaning soaking wet foot pads and legs. Disgusting. I have a beautiful yard that I have no intention of turning into a giant toilet so I knew I had to do something. Enter the UgoDog.
When Mi-Joo needs to go she simply walks over to the box, circles a couple of times, does her business, waits 2 seconds while I wipe her "whats-it" and then races me to the toilet to flush the tissue. Simple, clean, easy. No more wet paws or legs. The grate is fantastic for catching urine. For poop, well, that can be a nasty little mess. But I figured out a while ago that when she poops all I need to do is place a piece of kleenex down below her rear-end. Then when she is done I fold it and flush it and we're all done. It's all good!
For clean up I spray the entire thing down with a vinegar spray and wash with hot water. If I am in a real hurry I will cheat with Dow Scrubbing bubbles spray but either way, as long as you don't let poop get directly on it, it is super easy to clean.
Cons: 1) The sides are too low for a young pup and you will have to help them aim. 2) The box is both too shallow and too narrow (in width) to successfully use newspaper - besides then you have to pick up sopping wet newspaper, eeewwww. 3) The grates can allow poop to fall in and create a nasty cleaning event. 4) The box is simply not sized to fit any of the pee pads on the market so you will have to do a little creative fitting of the pads yourself... 5) $50 (including shipping) really does seem like a high price to me. I don't see why this product could not be sold for $20-$25 instead.
Pros: 1) The grate system allows for a completely non-messy urination experience, no dripping! 2) The grates are soft and easy on a puppy's sensitive feet, thereby encouraging her to get with the program. 3) The box itself is rather tough and stands up to even vigorous chewers (like mine). 4) The whole system is fairly light weight and super easy to take and go. You can move it to different rooms, even take it when you travel. 5) The system cleans easily. 6) UgoDog prevents even newspaper from leaking onto your floors/carpets. 7) The double grate system allows for quick disposal of even diarrhea (provided you place kleenex down first). 8) Fairly unobtrusive as well, no unsightly giant box to dominate whatever room it is in. Also, the fact that it is so easy to move allows you to easily train your pet to eventually go in the room of your choosing.
Bottom line, this is a great product and although I have a couple of tweaks I would wish for I still think this is the best thing on the market. Get it, you won't be disappointed.
BTW, Yes, I still use pads (clean go puppy pads are your best bet value wise, btw) but now I use less than half the number of pads I had before. |
saved me $30/mo
|
| Review Date: December 8, 2008 |
| Reviewer: P. Nguyen, Oakland Gdns, NY |
I recently bought the ugodog from their own website and received it this Sat. We own a three year old German Shepherd mix. Obviously this is not a small dog by any means.
My first attempt failed miserably. Bee (dog's name) had no idea what to do with it. She didn't even want to step on top of it. I was really angry and thought about that review I read here (the only one star review). So, I physically picked up my dog and planted her on it. She did not like this very much. She sat on it and looked up at me like, "What do you want me to do now?" I told her, "Dai di, con." that's vnese for "Go pee pee". Still a vacant stare. She's obviously scared from me picking her up. So I tried again two hours later. I know for sure she REALLY has to pee this time. Of course she's no dummy and remembers me picking her up. She sat there in front of the bathroom and refused to go in. A little nudge (not too forceful) and raising my voice a little made her a little more obedient. Sure enough she went in and started sniffing around. I closed the door leaving a little gap to peek in and said, "Dai di, con." To my amazement, she sat down and relieved herself.
I hope my little story helps those that couldn't make this work for them. This is a godsend and has saved me $30/mo on the pads. This is DEFINITELY worth the money considering the $150 alternative that I was going to get. Please people, this is no substitute for a walk. S/he still needs the exercise. Have fun ppl.
Pros:
1. The two grates have 4 or 5 legs around the center to support heavier dogs.
2. Dog's feet will NOT get wet if s/he pees a lot. this happens often with the pads for us.
3. easy to clean. I just dump the urine in the toilet and spray some of that Simple Green product then rinse away.
4. for me, it's not too big to be an eye sore in the bathroom and not too small that the dog has difficulty planting herself.
cons:
1. $50? damn. The Chinese can probably have this made and sold for less than half this price for the exception of quality control. ;)
2. i don't see replacement grates. I might step on this by accident and break the grates.
3. Since it's a small company, the advertisement isn't ubiquitous. :) I wish I found this three years ago. |
Best indoor elimination solution available!!!
|
| Review Date: March 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Knowledge Forest, Washington, DC United States |
Background
My lady and I work long hours so we needed an indoor elimination solution for our dog. We tried disposable pads, the reusable pooch pads, and the ugodog. The ugodog seems to be the best solution of all of them.
Things I like:
- Works as advertised. The trays are well constructed and durable. Once cleaned, the trays don't stain or smell.
- Cleaning the trays isn't that bad once you create a process for doing it.
- If you are currently using disposable pads, these trays will pay for themselves in a couple months.
- Another benefit over pads is that your dog doesn't have to step on an already wet pad and track pee all over the place.
Things I don't like:
- They don't come in larger sizes. We found that when our dog would poop on the tray and go to use the tray again, he would eliminate next to the tray. We fixed this by making a second tray always available to give the dog more poop real estate.
- Cleaning may be a nasty chore for some. I utilize a utility sink, dedicated gloves, dedicated handled scrub brush, and a jet spray to clean the trays. Just be sure not to get pee and poop juice on you. Also, you must use newspaper to control the pee smell.
- Expensive, although I did manage to find 2 online for $79.99. $30 for a clean backup seemed like a good idea at the time. Now we have both trays down at the same time. I honestly think these things would sell like hot cakes if they were cheaper. Maybe they are selling like hotcakes anyway!??!!?
- The tray may slide around on some surfaces.
Bottom Line
If you can stomach the high cost and the clean up, this is the indoor elimination solution to get. I doubt this would work well for a large dog but for apartment dogs, this thing is great.
Ugodog vs. Pooch Pads
We also tried the Pooch Pads.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00061MNYE?ie=UTF8&tag=cat-home-garden-20
We thought the pooch pads were a better solution than the disposable pads. The main issue with the pooch pads was cleaning them. We found there was no way to avoid getting pee and poop juice on you while you clean them manually. They do hold up extremely well when you machine wash them, even with bleach. However, we simply didn't want to put pee and poop in the washing machine. Also, the pooch pads get wet just like the other pads. Thus, your dog my not use a wet pad or might track pee around your house.
|
No more torn training pads!
|
| Review Date: February 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Liza, San Diego, CA |
| I have a rambunctious French Bulldog who would make a mess and tear up his training pads that he had already soiled. SO GROSS. I did research and bought UGODOG. At first he didn't understand what it was. He wasn't interested in using it, even when I gave him the command to "go pee pee". So I placed a soiled training pad inside the tray. After that, he understood and continues to use his UGODOG. I am glad to come home now to a clean home and a clean puppy. |
Simple idea that makes life easier for you and your dog!
|
| Review Date: July 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Rad Mom, Florida |
My very tiny 1.8 pound, 9 week old havanese puppy uses the Ugodog with no problem. What a smart, simple idea. I don't want to use piddle pads, which are expensive and environmentally ugly. Plain old newspaper is cheap, abundant, and works just fine. The Ugodog isn't exactly the same dimensions as the newspaper, but seriously-how much effort does it take to fold it to fit ? No more worrying about wet or soiled unsanitary newspaper on the floor (yuck), nothing shredded to pieces. Cleans up with very little effort. Well worth paying what they ask for the convenience and ease of use, and it pays for itself in a short time with the money saved on piddle pads.
4-23-10 Update-my little dog is almost two, and uses her UGD with ease. I've trained her to know that going outside is also fine, in fact it's in their nature to do so, so confusion has never been a problem. I actually have a system to clean the pottys-(a runny poo can be tough to completely clean). I purchased another,and rotate them when more than a daily cleaning is neccessary. I just put it in a large plastic bin with some hot water, dish soap and a little bleach, soak and rinse. It comes out immaculate and sanitary. The cost to buy another is well worth it. I love this product. |
|
Leave a Reply