Maintenance & Care

PuPP-PP Pet Pee Pad Care Guide

This care guide is designed to maximise best results, and to guide expectations. Simply put, the grass in your pad will die. Grass change out should occur every 4 weeks max, to keep things fresh and sanitary for your precious pooch.

This guide will help manage the life of the grass, outline easy maintenance, and provide an estimated time between grass change outs based on the size of your best friend.

We supply soil based grass. Think of it as a big sponge. The soil in the grass does most of the work. The grass and grass roots are there to hold the soil together. Grass is a familiar, natural place for your dog to wee and poo.

Just like a sponge, soil based grass can only hold so much liquid before becoming waterlogged. A saturated sponge cannot hold more liquid.

Here's the secret for 90% of dogs up to 20kg: A watering can, sprinkle 500ml twice a week - no more - AND use SeaSence, a natural ocean plant based feeder that boosts the microbes in the soil and works directly on the ammonia in urine.
1-2 caps is sufficient

Remove any poos daily.

Change out grass regularly, every 2-4weeks.

Below is a comprehensive guide for the purpose of transparency.

We provide this comprehensive guide to cover all circumstances.

As an example, for my 5kg dog with fortnightly fresh dog grass, I wipe any wet patch with a paper towel, spray with 5% acetate vinegar and allow to dry, and without rainfall impacting the dog toilet, flush every 3 months and allow to dry. Feel free to contact us so we can simplify requirements to your specific needs.

SIMPLE MAINTENANCE

IMPORTANT: Whilst some watering is a must, dog grass needs to be kept moist, but not waterlogged - excess watering leads to waterlogging. Think of your dog grass as a big sponge.
Methods:

Watering Can: Varies - water every 3-5 days depending on weather and sun position - No more than 300-500ml per watering - OR
Misting by Spray Bottle - Daily, best to do of an evening

Mix in Sea-Sense with all applications

Daily - Pick up any poo
When grass is ready to change, follow change out instructions

What You will Need

Small Watering Can OR Spray Bottle
PuPPa-PP Sea-Sense (Your secret weapon - Plant Based - Breaks down urine fast - gives the microbes in the soil a boost)
Big garbage bag or cardboard (for old grass)*
Antimicrobial Solution (vinegar/bleach etc)

*Subscription Fresh Dog Grass Delivery

Fresh dog grass is delivered fortnightly or monthly
Delivered conveniently wrapped with underlay, secured in a strong cardboard roll (like a burrito)
Simply break the packing tape and remove the fresh grass and underlay roll from the cardboard packaging
Roll up the used grass with the underlay from the tray
Place the used grass in the cardboard then secure using some tape - any tape will do.
Disinfect the tray (spray vinegar - 5% acetate, all internal surfaces) and allow to dry (make sure the tray surface is dry before installing new grass)
Dispose the old grass
Place the new grass in the tray
If there is no moisture on the tray surface, you can skip all steps relating to vinegar spray etc. This is usually the case in summer for one dog under 10kg, 2 week grass change out, no rain, and 500ml of watering twice per week.

This process should take no longer than 2 minutes in most instances, excluding drying time and disposal of used grass. Please refer to "Product Care" as there are a number of variables depending on dog size.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Dog Size & Estimated Grass Change Out Duration

Up to 10kg: Up to 4 weeks
10-20kg: Up to 3 weeks
20- 30kg: Up to 2 weeks
>30kg: Up to 1 week

These estimates are based on the following:

For every 1kg of dog, expect approx 30ml (1 x shotglass) of urine per day
E.G: For a 12kg dog (12kg x 30ml) equals approx 360ml per day of urine

It is assumed daily walks are part of your routine: in instances where daily outside exercise is limited, reduce the above Estimated Grass Change Out times by 30-50%

PRODUCT CARE

Constructed to ensure longevity given proper care.

All finished PuPPa-PP Real Grass Pet Pee Pads feature an applied non-permeable hydrophobic coating (not paint), ensuring longevity and preventing urine from penetrating the timber. We are the only manufacturer to do so.
Between change outs of turf, spray and wipe or hose down all surfaces and disinfectant with an antimicrobial such as vinegar (5% acetate) and allow to dry.
Periodically flush - splash disinfectant solution, scrub with a soft banister/dust brush and hose/shower off.

Flush guide with fortnightly grass change out:

Up to 60kg - Every grass change out
Up to 30kg - Every grass change out
Up to 20kg - Monthly
Up to 15kg - Monthly
Up to 10kg - 2 months

Flush Guide with monthly grass change out:

Up to 60kg - Every grass change out
Up to 30kg - Every grass change out
Up to 20kg - Every grass change out
Up to 15kg - Every grass change out
Up to 10kg - As needed or at 2months
Up to 5kg - As needed or at 2-3 months

After disinfection (whether vinegar spray of disinfection flush), it is imperative to let your tray dry out. Just pop it in the sun or hit it with a hair dryer. Failure to do so will not impact the integrity of your PuPPa-PP tray. It just means that excess moisture between the underlay and tray will mean more clean up for next time.
The above guide is a guide. Inclement weather such as exposed to rainfall will mean adjustments. The key point: WHEN YOU CHANGE OUT THE GRASS AND THERE IS >SOME< MOISTURE IN THE TRAY, get some 5% acetate vinegar on it (Coles Double Strength) and get it dry. If the tray has >A LOT< of moisture in it, FLUSH IT.

Exterior Coating - Weathering

Exterior coating is an oil based stain selected for its barrier protection against moisture. Given exposure to sunlight and the elements, over time it will begin to look weathered. This is a natural process: a good example is outdoor timber furniture. A re-application of stain will refresh the look.

Tannins

Merbau timber is a high oil content timber (hence its durability) and you may notice some leaching in its first 3-6 months of exposure to the elements. If you notice some discolouration on tiles etc, simply mix up a solution of Nappy-San, apply to the area with a scrubbing brush, and rinse. Tannins will not penetrate tiles, sealed grout, painted or varnished surfaces and can be extracted from all oiled and timber surfaces.

CHANGE OUT INSTRUCTIONS (DIY - You Supply Turf)

Installing/Replacing Your Turf - Always lay a plastic sheet on the base prior to laying new turf - helps with change out

Using a serrated knife (old bread knife works well) cut the old turf into small manageable pieces and dispose accordingly (General Waste - Landfill)
The used protective layer on the base can be folded up to contain old turf remnants and disposed
Remove any excess soil from the base and sides
Hose, wipe or rinse PuPPa Pee Pad base and sides, spray with an antimicrobial - vinegar (5% acetate) is highly recommended as it neutralises ammonia
Allow to dry
Lay protective layer in PuPPa Pee Pad then lay new turf
Lightly water (less than) 500ml with PuPPa-PP Sea-Sense mixed in
Then water every 3-5 days OR mist daily with Spray Bottle

THE BASICS - UNDERSTANDING GRASS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

Just like kitty litter, the grass will need to be changed out once it reaches a certain saturation point or age
It is important to keep the grass moist, but not waterlogged
This is a hostile environment for grass. There is no ground soil for the grass to establish root, and the grass is being consistently subject to high levels of ammonia.
Expect browning of the grass to occur
Use PuPPa-PP Sea-Sense to feed the microbes that break down ammonia

WATERING

It is important to not saturate the grass with overwatering - light surface watering only - no more than 500ml every 3-5 days
Minimal watering works best - adding PuPPa-PP Sea-Sense to watering feeds microbes that help break down ammonia - this is highly recommended, your secret weapon
Do not over-water, otherwise it will get very heavy and waterlogged. You want the grass and soil to absorb urine
Wind (airflow) can help with evaporation of moisture, however if the grass is waterlogged, airflow alone will not remove moisture from the base of the turf.

Keeping it Fresh & Sanitary

We do not, and will never recommend putting dirt under the turf. Here's why;

The urine will absorb into the dirt, you will need to change it out eventually anyway, and you'll have a much bigger, messier, stinky job on your hands. Yuk. Unhygienic

We do not, and will never suggest your grass can be left in place for months

Just like human sanitation, dog sanitation is important as well. All toilets need regular cleaning.

PuPPa-PP is not designed to replace regular wee walks and exercise.