Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This and other products I've purchased lately (see my reviews) have been a real lifesaver for me and a new puppy. I just moved to a 2nd floor condo and have a 12 week old Basset hound pup I'm trying to housetrain, but I live alone and cannot always be home. It was an absolute nightmare climbing up and down the stairs at 2 and 3AM to let the dog out, and it used to bark a lot all night, have accidents all day... it was exhausting. I needed a better system for sure, especially once I went back to work. What I ended up doing was installing a balcony pet door (Ideal Pet Products) and ordering these hydroponic grass products (Well, originally, I had him fenced in in the kitchen with a box, and he would still miss the box sometimes; now, he is very clear that the balcony is the place to go because there is a distinct boundary). It took him a while to fully "get it", and to this day, he still prefers to do his business out front on leash, but I do not worry about him when I go out or when I'm away at work anymore. I watch him on my iPhone (Cloud baby monitor app), and he is doing what he's supposed to be now. I have a setup where his bedding area is enclosed by a Regalo playyard fence/baby gate in an arc shape around the pet door, and he can have 24 hr access to his grass, too, whenever he needs to go. I have now tried both Fresh Patch and DoggieLawn, and can compare them side by side. In the photos, FreshPatch is the slightly smaller box in the front, and DoggieLawn is in the back (keep in mind, I stagger when I order them, so that FreshPatch is a week older). (EDIT: Not sure if Prime is available anymore on either, so taking this out of the review). The DoggieLawn wasn't bad on shipping either, considering it is a live product, but it is not for those who need something right away... took just over a week (earlier than its estimate). The quality of both appears to be comparable; the grass I got with DL appears to be a different variety (slightly coarser, still robust; the dog seems to have no preference aside from whatever is fresher), but both seem to last about the same amt of time (roughly 2 weeks, depending on use). I highly recommend that you spritz your pieces down with water at least once a day, to keep them live longer. The hydroponic mats they grow the grass on appear identical; both are clean and soil-free, similar to that Cocotek mat type of substrate. The main difference is that the DL is *slightly* larger, dimension-wise; they claim 33% (see description). For those who complain that the price is so much higher than lawn sod you can buy at a landscaping store or Home Depot, well, this is NOT sod. It is bug-free, soil-free, cleaner and (EDIT: Now that I've had the experience, the hydroponics do NOT last longer than garden sod, so long as the dirt is packed tightly and the sod is watered daily). I made a summary chart, attaching as a picture. EDIT: Now that I've had more experience with many options, I've updated the chart and will write mroe on my experiences. As stated above, I was incorrect to presume that garden sod lasted less time than hydroponic grasses (something I had heard from others). From my experience, if the sod is fresh and packed in tight soil and watered immediately (and daily afterwards), it can outlast the hydroponics. Obviously, the fresher the sod, the better, so a lawn & garden store might be best; for me, Home Depot is still the most convenient, and their sod is fresher than Lowes in our area (the dirt on the Lowes grass was ridiculously dry and loose, plus, the sod is more expensive by almost double). I have gotten this sod to last almost a month on my balcony, when watered frequently (but not drowned in a tray). That is good, because replacing a whole strip of lawn sod on the 2nd floor is a huge, dirty chore--I have to carry it from the car, up stairs, then through a carpeted living room to the balcony, and it is quite heavy. It's all worth it to have the do use it for this long and not have to take him downstairs constantly to do his business, but it's still not something to look forward to. If you are not able to lift this stuff or don't want to deal with the dirtiness, I still highly recommend hydroponic grass--DL or FP. However, I have to take one star away because neither offer Prime, and with the convenience of fresh sod in the summer, I have to go with HD or Lowes (plus, the realization that hydroponics can't outlast sod; I think this is mostly due to the fact that sod soil retains moisture better and just is larger, so it spreads out the urine better). In the winter, I will likely go back to hydroponic delivery or artificial turf. The fake grass isn't a terrible option when it's cooler, because it doesn't stink as much as in the heat. In the summer, you just smell it too much, no matter how much you spray it down. What I do for artificial turf on the balcony is lay a tarp down underneath first, then layer rubber mulch on top in a slant for drainage, then spray Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer liberally, then lay the fake grass with drainage holes over it. The dog still prefers fresh live grass, obviously, especially if the turf gets too old with urine smells. You really have to spray it down frequently to minimize this, so I have to go with live grass products in the summer. Tips on getting your dog to use grass: Reward and praise every time you see your dog go inside the box--I use his favorite salmon treats Don't move the box too much, it's confusing to puppies Take him/her to the box on leash right after a nap and give the verbal command you use outside for elimination; be patient if he doesn't go Spray with pheromone products; I've never tried it, but some say it works--I just catch some of his pee in a poop bag when he goes outside and use as a "reminder" when he hasn't used the box in a while *Gently* ease the poop off the grass once it's hardened somewhat, to avoid mashing it into the grass; makes it last clean longer After removing poop in the mornings, spray or mist it down with a spray bottle liberally; this also helps clean off the urine If your puppy frequently goes near the box but just outside it, limit his fenced in area more (had this problem when I started in the kitchen) For accidents outside box, use Nature's Miracle to clean up the scent so that he isn't tempted to start a habit