November 1, 2013

Another really bad idea -- The Potty Trainer

While not a shock device, this is just another example of how the power of electronics has been harnessed to virtually guarantee your dog will grow up to be emotionally damaged. Here's a clip from the product description: "Advanced technology makes housebreaking your dog easy, while preventing puddles in the process! Just clip the highly sensitive, wireless moisture sensor and microprocessor inside your dog's diaper or belly band. When it senses just 1 to 2 drops of urine, it transmits a signal to the alarm, which startles your pet and causes him to immediately stop urinating. You can then correct the behavior and show your dog where you want him to eliminate."

So if Fido piddles a little, a nasty alarm will go off in his ear that will accomplish what? My experience tells me that puppies with a full bladder, when startled, tend to pee. Well, don't they?

The ad goes on to say "Safe and effective for dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes". I don't think so.

This item was offered for sale by In The Company Of Dogs online catalog, and although the item listing is still out there to view as of this writing (http://www.inthecompanyofdogs.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=D13275&ref=us), the item itself is listed as "Sorry, no longer available". Thank goodness. We don't know if this is because of backlash from people with good sense and a heart for their dogs directed towards this purveyor of otherwise innocuous if not overpriced dog-lover stuff, or possibly some trademark problem with the dozen or so other dog house-training products also named "The Potty Trainer". So if you should see this little nasty offered for sale anywhere, I would encourage you to write to the manufacturer and retailer to let them know exactly what it is they're offering. For those of you who train, let your clients know what this little gem is all about and help head your clients off from making some very bad decisions.

The good news is that if you type "the potty trainer for dogs" into your search engine, you'll find a list of dozens of safe and effective products, including turf boxes, pads, documents and other stuff that will actually help someone teach their pup good house manners.

Hug your pup!

Barbara Davis, CPDT-KA, CDBC
www.baddogsinc.com


1 comment:

  1. It was really insightful.
    Thanks for such a nice content.
    Cheers
    BTW if anyone interested more have a look petcareio.com thanks

    ReplyDelete