FAQs

Yes!  On 13 January 2022, Piddle Patch was featured on BBC Dragons’ Den and received offers from four out of five dragons, before accepting an offer from Steven Bartlett!

Piddle Patch is the UK’s original and only soil-free, real grass dog toilet.

As a small, independent business, Rebecca is excited by this new chapter in the Piddle Patch story alongside BBC Dragons’ Den investor Steven Bartlett.

Yes! Piddle Patch is 100% real, natural grass. Our grass is grown in a liquid retentive mat made from recycled textiles instead of soil. This helps to extend the lifespan of our grass and prevents your dog from tracking muddy paw prints through your home.

How frequently you change the grass depends on a number of factors, such as the size and age of your dog as well as how frequently it’s being used. Here are some guidelines on what to expect based on other customer usages. Please note that your results may vary and these are guidelines only:

New Puppies New puppies tend to use their Piddle Patch grass intensively every few hours around the clock for the first couple of weeks. For this reason, a new puppy will typically need its Piddle Patch grass changed more frequently. Owners typically refresh their puppy’s fresh grass dog toilet every 1-2 weeks for the first few weeks and reduce the frequency, or discontinue use, as their puppy grows.

It is recommended that the grass be removed from the box and placed into a non-chew tray while used with a puppy to ensure a leak-proof house-training experience.

Small dogs using Piddle Patch indoors This result is the most variable in part due to the owner’s preference. Small dog owners tend to change their indoor Piddle Patches every 1-4 weeks, with 2 and 3 week subscriptions being the most common.

Large dogs Large dogs tend to have much larger pees and often benefit from having a larger potty area. Many owners choose to use two Piddle Patches, instead of one. This allows them to rotate the grass, if one patch is used more frequently than the other, and to replace only the Piddle Patch that needs to be refreshed. 

Outside Use Piddle Patch Grass used outside on a balcony or terrace tends to last longer due to its regular access to natural light. It’s not uncommon for Piddle Patch grass used outside to last 3 weeks to several months before it needs to be replaced. Providing your grass with some shelter, so that it does not become over-saturated in the rain or overheated in the sun, will help to keep your grass healthy and strong.

Still unsure about how to proceed? A good way to get started and gauge the lifespan of your grass is to order a one-off delivery or to sign up for a subscription and adjust it as needed. It’s easy to log in to your account and change the frequency of your Piddle Patch delivery once you have a subscription. You can also contact us at info@piddlepatch.com for assistance and special requests.

Find out more about how to take care of your Piddle Patch fresh grass dog toilet.

No! Our grass is grown with dog welfare in mind. We do not use any pesticides or toxic chemicals on the grass to ensure the health and safety of your dog and household.

Each Piddle Patch box is 66 x 48 x 5 cm and weighs approximately 6 kg. The weight of each Piddle Patch can vary from shipment to shipment depending on the amount of water content in the grass and whether a non-chew metal tray has been sent with the box.

We grow our grass right here in the UK! By purchasing a Piddle Patch, you’re helping to support small business and British agriculture.

A single Piddle Patch has been designed for use by a single small to medium-sized dog.

Multiple dogs, and larger dogs, are likely to require you to use multiple Piddle Patches, or to change your grass more frequently.

Putting Boost Absorbent wooden pellets underneath the mat may help with absorbency. It’s difficult to predict exactly what your usage would be like as it will be down to a number of factors like how many dogs will be using the grass and how frequently it’s used, the breed (and size) of your puppies, and your own personal preferences.

If you have any questions, or want to discuss this before ordering, please get in touch.
 

The grass is shipped in a cardboard box that has a water-resistant coating in the base which is suitable for shipping. Piddle Patch is designed to be used in a tray. We do sell a tray for customers who do not have an existing suitable tray solution available.

While artificial grass may seem like a fuss-free solution, it can come with a lot of challenges. First, many dogs simply don’t like artificial turf and refuse to use it. Beyond that, artificial grass requires a lot of maintenance and regular cleaning using harsh chemicals to ensure it is kept in a hygienic condition. While urine may drain through the grass into a tray beneath it, you’ll need to drain and clean the tray and grass frequently to prevent odours from building up. Furthermore, as dog waste is highly toxic, you’ll need to ensure that the bacteria is treated using disinfecting chemicals. If not carefully treated and rinsed, these chemicals can pose a health risk to your dog, who will walk on the grass and may ingest them while grooming.

A Piddle Patch real grass potty pad offers a number of benefits over the grass you’ll find at your local garden centre.

Grass grown in soil, as you’ll find at the garden centre, has a short lifespan when it’s not planted into the ground and will begin to wilt and die within about 48 hours. By growing our grass in a liquid retentive mat, Piddle Patch grass has a medium from which it can continue to grow strong and healthy. It’s a living product!

The lack of dirt in our grass also means that you don’t need to worry about soil and mud making a mess in your home.

Our grass is grown with dogs and their humans in mind. We do not use any harmful chemicals or pesticides on it so you can relax in the knowledge that our natural grass dog toilet is safe for your home. 

Piddle Patch is a low-maintenance litter solution. Urine drains naturally from the surface, however solid waste must be removed and disposed of.

For best results, we recommend removing your Piddle Patch from the packaging and placing it into our non-chew metal tray. While the base of the box does have a water-resistant liner, it is not suitable for long term, regular, or outdoor use, and will eventually degrade. If this happens, it may impact the quality of your grass, cause the box to become soggy, leak, or smell.

A metal tray will provide peace of mind knowing that your floors are protected and that you’re able to water your Piddle Patch or drain it, as needed.

When you are ready to dispose of your Piddle Patch, simply remove the entire product and place it into the garden waste collection (where Councils allow) or place it into the general waste collection.

Read more about how to care for your Piddle Patch grass.

Piddle Patch is committed to producing the best possible product for your dog, your home, and the environment. Our mission is to provide a solution that dogs and their owners love while reducing the amount of non-decomposable waste being sent to landfills. When disposed of correctly, Piddle Patch is a zero-waste product!

We take every care to ensure Piddle Patch is made from the best quality components and that Piddle Patch positively benefits the environment:

• Our grass is grown in the UK using LEAF – Linking Environment and Farming principles – for sustainable agriculture.
• We divert textiles from landfills and re-purpose them as a base from which our grass grows. Not only does this give our grass a thick, healthy root structure from which it can live and grow while not planted in the ground, but it helps to reduce waste and lower the carbon impact these materials would otherwise have if they were sent to a landfill.
• We carefully select all of the components we use in our products to ensure they are either biodegradable or recyclable. The box, paper packing tape and paper materials can be recycled.
• Piddle Patch is delivered to your door via our preferred courier, DPD, which commits to comply with all current and future environmental legislation and to minimise pollution and any adverse environmental impacts their work causes.
• We partner with independent UK businesses to source our materials and products locally.

Dogs love real grass and many instinctively know what to do with a Piddle Patch!

As a natural product Piddle Patch is good for your dog and good for the environment.

Piddle Patch is 100% biodegradable and its packaging is biodegradable/recyclable. If disposed of into the garden waste collection (where Councils allow) Piddle Patch can be safely transformed into compost or converted into energy via anaerobic digestion!

In contrast, dog training pads are made from non-recyclable materials that take up to 500 years to decompose in landfill. That means it could be possible for your children’s children, children (up to 23 more times) to one day find your dog’s training pad and uncover their waste still preserved inside. Gross!

Piddle Patch grass is shipped in a box that has a water-resistant coating inside of it. This coating will help protect the box during transit.

Please remove the lid from your Piddle Patch box as soon as you are able upon delivery, and place it in the tray.

Piddle Patch works best when it is placed inside of a tray. We recommend that you purchase a metal tray with your first order if you do not have an existing tray solution.

Placing your dog’s Piddle Patch in an area with natural light, and lightly misting it with water on occasion can help to prolong the life of your Piddle Patch.

There are a lot of factors that can impact how much water your grass will need, such as the temperature outside, how much sunlight it’s getting, how much water is in the base of the mat at any given time etc.

In the colder months, your Piddle Patch will retain water for much longer and may only need to be misted on occasion using a spray bottle.

In the warmer months, it may be necessary to water your grass more frequently to prevent your grass from drying out.

To do this, try to water it lightly and consistently across the grass. You do not want to dump water onto it or give it so much water that it becomes over-saturated, but just enough that it is lightly watered across the mat.

If your dog has a diet high in protein, which can cause their urine to have a strong smell or to burn the grass, then misting the grass with water after they urinate can help to dilute the nitrogen in their urine. Please see our training guide on what to do if your dog’s urine stains the grass for more information on this. 

Some dogs do not like the feel of longer grass, in which case you may want to consider trimming your Piddle Patch or replacing it when the grass becomes too long.

Each Piddle Patch is 66 x 48 cm and weighs approximately 6 kg. The weight of each Piddle Patch can fluctuate depending on the amount of water content in the grass. 

We tested a larger size Piddle Patch but the challenge is that it becomes very heavy to lift and carry, and to remove and dispose of when it’s time to replace it with a new Piddle Patch.

What actually works best is to put two Piddle Patches together to create the extra space you’re looking for, and to swap out each Piddle Patch individually as necessary. This also allows you to rotate the grass if your dog prefers using one area in particular and to only replace Piddle Patches as needed, instead of the whole unit.

If you are looking for a smaller size, it is possible to cut your Piddle Patch to size using scissors. The best way to do this is to turn your grass over and to draw the outline of the size you need against the mat so you can make sure that you cut to the correct size. Piddle Patch is a living product, and with the right care, the second part of your Piddle Patch grass will continue to grow and thrive when not in use. 

On rare occasions, when you open your Piddle Patch box, you might find a fluffy white substance on your Piddle Patch.

It is a form of mildew, called white powdery mildew. It is not toxic to dogs, humans, or your household and can be wiped away with a damp cloth.

It can be caused by humidity and/or changes in temperature (from warm to cold, and cold to warm) and by the enclosed space and lack of air circulation while the grass is in the box during transit.

Essentially, in the right weather conditions, we can put your Piddle Patch in the box and by the next day the lack of air circulation and light, combined with the humidity and sudden change in temperature, can encourage it to grow.

After you have removed the mildew with a damp cloth, take your Piddle Patch out of the box and place it into your dog’s usual toilet area, where it will have more light and better air circulation. This will allow the issue to resolve itself without any impact on the grass lifespan, usage, or quality.

No! Piddle Patch grass is extremely durable and robust.

There is a certain amount of water content in the grass which ensures that the product that makes it to you is fresh, strong, and healthy. We ask for the courier to lay the box flat so that the risk of the water leaking out the sides and damaging the box is decreased.

Even when this happens, the grass itself is almost never impacted.

With all Piddle Patch deliveries, when you receive your grass, please take it out of the box and place it into a tray for usage.

It’s important to note that the box is for transit purposes only and is not a replacement for putting the grass into a tray.