PICO Potty Wall Review:  The PICO Puppy Potty Training Wall

PICO Potty Wall Review  by Janice Jones |Published 09-29-2021

Pee Pads can be a great aid to housebreaking, especially if taking your dog outdoors is not a viable option. 

Pads are beneficial when bringing a new puppy home because small dog puppies tend to have small bladders and require frequent potty breaks. 

But what happens when puppies reach maturity?  For male puppies, the apparent difference is the way they urinate.  A younger male puppy might squat, an older puppy may begin lifting a leg to do his business. 

When this happens, the typical pee pad that has worked so well for so many months may not meet your needs.

Sometime between six and twelve months, the male puppy (and sometimes a female) will begin to lift their leg to urinate.  While it is more likely that non-neutered dogs will lift their legs, both fixed and unfixed males and females may adopt this practice.  

While it sounds strange to humans, dogs urinate for two primary purposes: eliminating waste and marking their territory.

Urine carries many scent messages, including the most obvious, "I was here." By lifting their legs, they can broadcast their scents more effectively.  It is remarkable how much information another dog can obtain by sniffing where another dog has been. 

The urine will provide information about the dog's size and gender, whether he's been spayed or neutered, his stress and health status, and even where he might fit on the social hierarchy. 

Small dogs may intentionally aim high to be perceived as being larger and having a higher social status.  This is a natural behavior and not one that can be altered without difficulty.

Lifting a leg is more of a human problem than that of a dog.  Most males prefer a  vertical surface when urinating.  No one worries too much about a dog urinating outdoors against a tree or the quintessential fire hydrant. 

But marking territory inside a home is an entirely different matter.  The pee pads that worked so well when the puppy was younger no longer protects surfaces from pee.  

PICO Potty Wall Review

Finding a solution for males (and females) who lift their legs to urinate in the house can be difficult.  This is especially true for males who have mastered housebreaking by using pee pads.  A way to protect walls, corners, or even furniture is needed, especially for homes with no ready access to outdoor areas.

A vertical pee pad may be the obvious answer, but how does one construct a  housebreaking aid of this kind? Luckily it's not necessary to design or build one.  

PICO Potty Wall Review

There is already one on the market that serves the purpose:  The PICO Potty Wall 

The concept is simple.  Attach two plastic panels together add pedestal feet, anchor pad clips, and a pee pad.  What you end up with is a unit that will protect any door, wall, or vertical surface where a dog might want to lift a leg.

The Pico Potty Wall, named after the designer's own small dog, is a vertical free-standing waste management solution that uses any brand or sized disposable pee pads. 

At 24"Wide by 8" Height, it can accommodate most small breed dogs such as Yorkies, Maltese, Pomeranians, Shih Tzu, and Chihuahua, to name just a few.

Who would benefit from a PICO Potty Wall System?

• Dog Owners who have multiple dogs, especially those who have not been spayed or neutered, generally rely on indoor potty systems.
• Owners who have senior dogs or those with health conditions that prevent them from going outdoors
• People who live in high-rise apartments or condo buildings without quick access to the outdoors. 
• Dog owners who have a dog that lifts a leg to urinate and has experienced housebreaking issues 
• New dog parents who have recently adopted older dogs with housebreaking problems.

Setting Up the PICO Potty Wall

This system comes with two panels, 2 starter pee pads, 3 pedestal feet for keeping the wall upright, and 2 pad clips. 

There are written instructions for set-up, but it is very easy to figure out how to assemble the pieces without any written instructions.  Set up is simple.

PICO Potty Wall Review Recommendations

Before ordering your Potty Wall, determine where your dog tends to "mark his territory." Suppose you have multiple areas of your home where your dog may mark. 

In that case, you can either order multiple potty walls or consider confining your dog to a small area or room of your house.

If this is not feasible while training your dog to use the potty wall, consider providing your male dog with belly bands to wear in the meantime.  Belly bands can be disposable, or you can purchase those that can be laundered and used repeatedly.

Until comfortable with your dog's progress, do not leave the dog and potty wall unattended.

Purchase heavy-duty, extra-large pee pads even if your dog is small.  The extra size and thickness will help protect your walls, woodwork, or wherever your dog's favorite potty area is located.

PICO POTTY Wall Review:  Problems I Encountered

My dogs love to chew.  The plastic parts could become instant chew toys if not fitted securely.

One Potty Wall may not be enough to solve your housebreaking problems, as mentioned above.

The small tab that holds the two panels together is fragile.  Handle with care, and be sure to add one of the pedestal feet to the bottom where the panels join.  The company is aware of the small clip problem and is taking action to correct that.

Some small dogs are just a bit too exuberant, unruly, and robust for their own good.  If your small dog has tendencies to knock things over or is overly destructive, this may not be the system for you.  Consider a little training before purchasing your Pico Potty Wall.

Benefits of the Pico Potty Wall Review:  Benefits 

• No more damage to wood, doors, walls.  Yes, even if cleaned up promptly, urine can be very destructive to household structures.
• Much healthier and less stressful to dogs when they don't need to "hold it" while you are away from home
• It's versatile;  Use in a corner or rotate to add additional height
• It's free-standing, so it can be put anywhere.

For more information on the Pico Potty Wall, visit Pico Potty Wall. 

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