# Iris FT-500 or FT-650 pad holder?



## mct (May 9, 2012)

I think I have narrowed down our decision to these 2 pee pad holders:

Iris FT-500
http://www.irisusainc.com/p-475-ft-500.aspx

Iris FT-650
http://www.irisusainc.com/p-476-ft-650.aspx

My gut is to go with the FT-500 which is 19.3 x 16.5 x 1.2.

Is that a good size for a Havanese puppy?


----------



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I think the bigger the better!
My too like more room and do a dance to poo. I salved the problem by using a out door rug from home depot that has rubber on the bottom. I flip it to the rubber side . It really works good because I can clean it and the black color with the white pad really attracts them to their potty area. I found as they got older that the pads leak so it also helps. I don't have a hard surface area right now so all this is on carpet. If they miss the pad its no big deal!


----------



## AckTivity (Mar 28, 2012)

My puppy doesn't come home until Friday but I bought the bigger one. Right now they have a pretty large area for paper training so I figured bigger was better. Plus it would be great if I didn't have to upsize when she got bigger.


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Neither! Seriously. I bought two of those for Trooper and they lasted 3 days and now they reside in the garage. They help define their pee area for boundaries but they can still pull the paper out and shred it. 

After I chucked those into the garage I ordered ugodog, and use pee pads in that. We haven't looked back since...it was the best thing we've bought for him yet. 

I know I sound like a ugodog infomercial on the forums lately, but really I don't want others to have to go thru changing potty setups three times to get it right, like we did. Switching it up like that delayed his training a little bit, but now we're pretty darn golden. Of course, Trooper much prefers to go outside, but it's nice that his indoor option stays available as an option and doesn't end up as a shred toy. Face it, it's in our dogs' genes, why not get a product that works for us and not against us.


----------



## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

*both sizes okay but what for?*

We got them in both sizes but they are both tucked away in the garage. Lucky is okay leaving the pee pads alone on the floor, but the holders made them buckle in a way that helped him realize the pads were paper and shreddable. It's an extra step, fastening them in to the plastic frame, and the pee pads we get from Dr.s Foster & Smith (the ones with the blue edge) are entirely absorbent, have a scent that reminds the dog where to go, and are easy to dispose of and replace. It's a lot messier when a puppy misses the edge of the plastic holder than the edge of the pad on the floor. Maybe it will work better for you. Good luck. p.s. we have hard wood floors, maybe it's different over carpetting


----------



## mct (May 9, 2012)

I spoke to a dog trainer last night who also recommended not using pee pads at all and to instead get a piece of sod once a week and just use that until the dog learns to go outside... thoughts?

lots to think about... good thing we have a month before our puppy comes home so we can get our stuff figured out lol


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mct said:


> I spoke to a dog trainer last night who also recommended not using pee pads at all and to instead get a piece of sod once a week and just use that until the dog learns to go outside... thoughts?
> 
> lots to think about... good thing we have a month before our puppy comes home so we can get our stuff figured out lol


A lot of trainers, even good ones, aren't familiar with the fact that many good breeders of toy dog breeds potty train their puppies to an indoor potty option. The (very good) trainers at my facility were amazed to find out that Kodi was litter box trained, and said they wished that their little dog (an 8 year old Papillon, so maybe breeders weren't doing it as often back then) had come trained that way!

I think it's up to you whether you want to keep that option or not. If you live in a part of the country where there is bad weather for part of the year, or if you plan to travel with your dog, I would STRONGLY suggest that you keep your puppy used to using an indoor potty. They all eventually start going outdoors too, so that's not an issue. It's REALLY hard to go in the other direction!

If you are sure you ONLY want your dog to go outside, then phase out the indoor potty as quickly as possible. But I've seen MANY people on this forum with dogs who only go outside post saying they wished they still had an indoor option for those crummy winter (or pouring rain!!!) days.

As far as sod is concerned I would think it would be expensive and get stinky FAST. I'm not a fan of pee pads unless they are in a Ugodog, because so many Havanese are such paper chewers, and some actually ingest it. Pee pads have a plastic backing, so my guess is that the dangers of ingesting them is even higher than "just" paper.

Other options besides the Ugodog are a litter box with wood pellets, or the Rascal Dog system, which has a grid like the Ugodog, but can also be used with a washable fake grass mat, or with litter. I didn't like the grass mat, because I couldn't get enough of the smell out for my tastes, although other people don't seem to find it objectionable. I do really like the size and shape of the Rascal Dog boxes (and their versatility), though, so I use them as litter boxes for Kodi.


----------



## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

I too am a fan of the ugodog. I went thru all other options. Pee pads, no matter in a holder are not, are just waiting to be schredded. I tried a litter box, and puppy was more interested in chewing the litter, than using it to potty. Ugodog, was an instant hit. They cant get to the pad to chew it, and it doesnt look bad. I sure wouldnt want to have to be buying sod, good grief. I also tried the artificial grass. It works, but, it is nasty, and eventually becomes very smelly no matter how much you clean it.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody uses the Ugodog as well. I was really thankful I had chosen that route because there is no way he wouldn't shred the pads if they were left out or in a holder where he could get at them.


----------



## mct (May 9, 2012)

Does the Ugodog come in different sizes? If so which size do you recommend? I went to amazon and only saw 1 size for $50.


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Nope, one size. There's one that LOOKS bigger, but it's two trays hooked together. Not necessary if you ask me. 



I'll add that Trooper took to Ugodog right away. Something about those trays made him NEVER use the pad, and he had accidents all over the place. Dunno, still, what that was all about.


----------



## DeeDee (Sep 4, 2011)

I bought the bigger of the two and it gave Kiki more room to do her business. Despite some nibbling on the edges of the pad, she never shredded or otherwise destroyed the pads. She was trained to go inside as a puppy but was not averse to going outside. At about six months she developed a definite preference for outside (she rings poochie bells when she wants out) but I keep the pads around and she uses them on occasion.


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I trained both of mine to use a pee pad and go outside. I had to use a tray at one point for Kodi, but then he just stopped tearing the pads up. Shelby still uses the pads at least once a day, but Kodi only goes outside now.


----------



## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

Lucky shreds every paper he can find, but respects the pads and always has. His breeder used the cloth pee pads and washed them but for me,....no. Good luck with this.


----------



## mct (May 9, 2012)

Ordered the ugodog after the recommendations in this thread. Which pee pads do you use in the ugodog and what size?


----------



## mct (May 9, 2012)

Ended up picking up Absorbz Everyday Convenience Pads (100 for $17 at Costco). Reviews on Amazon were really good so we will see...


----------

