If you ask any dog owner what their least favourite time of year to walk in is. We bet you’ll hear one answer again and again – winter! While we love our canine companions, walking when it’s dark, cold and miserable doesn’t exactly fill us with excitement. Not only is winter tough for us, but some of our pooches aren’t exactly ecstatic about the weather either! Puppies, small breeds and older dogs can be particularly affected by a cold snap. Using a Piddle Patch in winter is a great way to help the more tropically inclined pooch go about their business.
Dog owners know how important it is to stick to a routine. Using a Piddle Patch ensures dogs are exercised, get enough opportunities to go toilet, and are content – whatever the weather.
Are you struggling with training your new puppy? You’re not alone! It can be a difficult period training a pup, especially for the first time. Take a look at our Training Tips Hub. Here you’ll find our expert guides on looking after a puppy for the first time.
Why Piddle Patch is great for winter
While most dogs will tolerate a walk in the rain or snow, it can be uncomfortable for very small breeds or those without extra cold protection. If your pet is used to going to the toilet on grass and doesn’t want to go outside, they might be tempted to hold their bladder, which can lead to discomfort and accidents. Piddle Patch is a fresh grass dog toilet that can tide them over until they’re ready to get back into the great outdoors.
Ideal for those cold, dark mornings and evenings, and for those without a green space of their own, Piddle Patch can be your dog’s natural place of solitude for potty breaks, especially if you live in a flat with a balcony or don’t have a lawn in your garden.
Similarly, if a new dog has just joined your family, and you’re undertaking puppy toilet training, Piddle Patch can be a helpful, eco-friendly puppy pad during the winter months to help you out with those nighttime toilet trips.
Whether you use your Piddle Patch as an indoor puppy toilet training pad, a balcony dog toilet or to protect your lawn, you will need to spend a little extra time taking care of it in winter. Just as gardeners will move certain plants into greenhouses, dig out the garden fleece and cut back perennials, there are a few things you should do to look after your Piddle Patch fresh grass dog toilet during the winter months.
A Piddle Patch isn’t for Christmas, it’s for life! Take a look at our Expert Guide on Caring for Your Piddle Patch. It contains all the tips & tricks you’ll need to increase the longevity of your patch all year round.
Place the Piddle Patch in a non-chew metal tray
Piddle Patch is shipped in a cardboard box with a water-resistant coating, but it isn’t suitable for prolonged periods of use outside. Adding on a Non-Chew Metal Tray to your order will help to ensure a leak-proof toileting experience, and will keep your Piddle Patch dog toilet somewhat protected from the elements. It’s easy to drain and clean between uses, or after a heavy downpour.
Looking to get started with your sustainable puppy toilet training journey? Take a look at our Piddle Patch Starter Pack, here you’ll find everything you’ll need for you and your pooch.
Minimise exposure to water
When your Piddle Patch is left outside without protection, it can become oversaturated and the grass will start to die. If possible, keep your Piddle Patch close to the door and away from the far side of a balcony or wide-open space in your garden; both for the comfort of your dog, and to offer the Piddle Patch some level of protection.
If your grass puppy pad does become sodden, remember to drain the excess fluid from the tray. By doing so, you allow the Piddle Patch to remain dry enough to be affective.
Piddle Patch shelter ideas
During the winter, it will take much longer for rainwater and moisture to evaporate from your patch. To combat this, we’d highly recommend sheltering your Piddle Patch. This is also a great way to protect your pooch from the elements. Giving your pooch some shelter will help them keep their piddling routine, come rain or shine!
You don’t have to break the bank to find an effective shelter for your Piddle Patch. An umbrella, patio table or pop-up greenhouse cover can be an affordable and effective way to protect your Piddle Patch. Whatever your budget, time-frame or space situation is, there will be a shelter for you. Take a look at some of the great examples sent in by our Piddle Patch community.
Credit: @rachwelham / @billie_bow_boston
If you’re a particularly handy person, you could even build your own wooden structure! Just take a look at this incredible, bespoke Piddle shelter that’s fit for a king!
Credit: @dachshund.london
If in doubt, bring it inside
As is often the case in this country, bad weather can come at any time, and stay for days! If this is the case, it would be worthwhile bringing your Piddle Patch inside your home until it subsides. Place it in an area with natural light, occasionally misting it with a spray bottle.
Discovered a great way to shelter your Piddle Patch during the winter? Don’t forget to tag us in your photos on social media! If you have any suggestions on things we could do better, or changes you’d like to see. Please contact us here! We’d love to hear your thoughts, and will do our best to make your requests a reality!