If you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms like I do, you may find yourself in a situation where it may be too dangerous to bring your dog outside to “go potty”. Safety should be your top priority during any inclement weather. If it is unsafe to walk your dog outside to go to the bathroom during a hurricane, tropical storm, flooding, thunderstorm, windy weather, or any other reason, below are a few ideas for you.
If your dog needs to go to the bathroom inside during a hurricane, some possible locations for a dog bathroom are: Kiddie Pool/Play Pen, Dog Crate, Garage, Bath Tub, Kitchen/Bathroom Floor, and a Portable Dog Bathroom. Some materials that you can use for the bathroom are: Sod (a patch of grass), newspaper, dog pads, and artificial grass.
How to “walk your dog” during a Hurricane
Bringing your dog outside during inclement weather may not be safe. If you have a dog that is well potty trained, it might be difficult for you to get your dog to go to the bathroom inside. I recommend using the same routine that you usually use when you let your dog out to use the bathroom.
For example, if you usually walk your dog on a leash when you bring them outside to use the bathroom, put them on a leash when you are trying to get them to use the bathroom inside. Use the same words of encouragement to get them to go, like “go potty”, or whatever it is that you use.
You may find this task very difficult. Many dogs will be reluctant to the bathroom inside. As time goes on, they will have a harder time holding it, and they will be more likely to go to the bathroom inside in their temporary dog bathroom.
If you do live in an area that gets hit my hurricanes, tropical storms, and frequent inclement weather, you should consider training your dog to use an inside bathroom before a storm hits. My wife and I recently trained our dogs how to use a portable dog bathroom on our patio (for emergencies while we are at work), and this process took awhile and a lot of patience. If you train your dog to use a temporary dog potty before a storm hits (even if you train your dog to use it when it’s outside), you will have an easier time getting them to use the potty when it is inside.
Dog Bathroom during a Storm: Good Locations and Materials
Sod will likely be the best material that you can use when trying to convince your dog to go to the bathroom inside. Sod is real grass, and is relatively cheap at Home Depot or Lowes (it was a few bucks for one piece when I purchased it, and one piece covered my portable dog bathroom). You can also purchase Sod online, but it will likely be more expensive.
Sod may not always be available to purchase (seasonal) in your location (you may be able to purchase it online if it is not available where you live). Consider using Newspaper, Dog Pads, Printer Paper, Cardboard Boxes, Paper Towels, old sheets/towels, or other materials for your dog bathroom if needed.
If you do find yourself needing to let your dog use an indoor bathroom, you will want to find a good location. You will want to find a location where your dog’s mess is easy to clean up. A Kiddie Pool, Dog Crate, and Portable Dog Potty are good options. You can also use an old kiddie play pen if you have one laying around. You can use SOD, newspaper, dog pads, or artificial grass in your pool, crate, or dog potty; I recommend Sod (grass) if you have it.
If you are putting material on your floor for you dog to go on (newspaper, dog pads, etc…), hopefully you have a laminate, vinyl, concrete, wood, or other non-porous floor that you can put it on. If you only have carpet flooring and no other location for a dog bathroom, you may want to put some newspapers down in your bathtub, and see if you can get your dog to go potty in there.
Kiddie Pool/Play Pen
A kiddie pool or play pen may be a good option for you for a temporary dog bathroom. I used a play pen when I was raising puppies, and it worked great, but you will probably need to pick up your dog and put them in the pen when it’s time to go potty. Most play pens fold up, and are easy to store.
A pool may be used, and will provide easier access for your dogs to get into and out of, but may be more difficult to store than a play pen. A kiddie pool with Sod inside, and in the Garage, Laundry Room, or bathroom is a great option for a dog bathroom.
Dog Crate
You can use a dog crate as a temporary dog bathroom during a storm. It may be difficult to get your dog to go to the bathroom inside of a dog crate if they sleep in that same crate at night. If they do sleep in a dog crate at night, you might have to get a separate crate for them to go to the bathroom in during a storm. According to the information that I have read, dogs do not like to go to the bathroom where they eat and/or sleep.
Portable Dog Bathroom
Portable dog bathrooms are small and affordable, and may be a good option for a temporary dog bathroom during a storm. Most dog bathrooms come with artificial grass, and either disposable dog pads to place underneath the artificial grass, or a pull-out tray that you can empty. Make sure you buy a size that is big enough for your dog. A male dog will need a bigger bathroom than a female dog, if your male is as bad of an aim as mine is.
There are also nicer, much more expensive portable dog bathrooms available for purchase; some of these bathrooms can hook-up to a garden hose and clean themselves, and also drain through a hose (you can run the drain hose to a rain gutter or other drain). My wife and I considered purchasing one of these when we thought that we were going to live in an upstairs apartment. I would recommend one of these nicer bathrooms only if you are going to use it for more than just a bathroom during a storm.
If you do purchase one of these portable bathrooms, you should consider replacing the artificial grass that the bathroom comes with, with Sod (real grass) until your dog gets used to using the bathroom. When you successfully get your dog to go onto the real grass over your portable bathroom, replace it with the artificial grass, and see if they will go on that.
You can also purchase a spray that supposedly attracts your dog to go to the bathroom in that area. My wife and I purchased some of this spray, and it did not work for us, but may work for other dogs.
Dog Pads, Artificial Grass, and Other Materials
You can consider training your dogs to use dog pads, artificial grass, newspaper, or other materials. Some of the dog pads that are available for purchase are relatively expensive. Some of the portable dog bathrooms come with pads that you need to replace. I have also seen dog pads for sale at the dollar store, but I don’t know enough about these products to offer you a comparison to more expensive pads. Some of them claim to eliminate odors, so that may be worth the cost for some people if they actually work.
Artificial grass is reusable, and easy to spray down and clean if it is near a hose. If you don’t have a hose, or a way to spray off and clean up the artificial grass, you will need to figure out another option for cleanup. Also, artificial grass is not very expensive; if you have a large dog, you can buy a large piece of artificial grass for them to go on (many of the dog bathrooms that use artificial grass are too small for larger dogs). If you want something that you can use over and over, you can consider artificial grass.
Another option that you can consider for a dog bathroom during a storm is a dog diaper. For me personally, this would be the last option that I would use for my dog, but for some people this may be a feasible option. I have known people that have had diapers on their elderly dogs due problems with their dogs going to the bathroom inside regularly.
Conclusion
If you are caught in a location with severe weather coming through, safety should be your first priority. Stay in the safest location in your home if needed. Try to have a plan in place for your dog to use the bathroom in inclement weather, and have your supplies before the storm hits.