I can't imagine living in an apt. and having to deal with this issue. My dogs have always gone potty outside in the grass but I know tons of people use pee pads. I really like the idea of having a balcony they can go out on. Since they are used to going "out" to potty, they could let you know they need to go out on the balcony. Then you would have the pee pads out there. As for safety issues, a piece of plexiglass on the inside part of the railings would not be noticeable and would protect them from going through the rails or getting stuck.
Good luck!! I tried pee pads the first week of so with Tatum just because I read about them on here but ultimately decided to go with the outside thing. My sister had a dog in an apt. where she was on the third floor. This was in Dallas and I hated the idea of her taking that pooch out during the night or early morning by herself. She says she got lots of exercise doing the stairs and carried pepper spray with her when she went out. I think the balcony idea is better if you don't have luck inside the apartment.
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~ Angie |