Yep, exactly what the other person said. I got started using them b/c my adopted male Madison is an adult (2 yrs old) and not neutered. I have a male already who was neutered when he was a puppy and he's never marked. When Madison got here, he marked EVERYWHERE (and still will if I"m not looking), and my dh was ready to shoot us both.
They're really great IF you need them. If your dog doesn't mark, like Max, you don't really need them. Although, I think that they will come in handy when we go to any friends homes who have dogs there too.....before I got Madison, we took Max to a friend's house for a SuperBowl party and he had some other friends who had brought their little unneutered male Yorkie....as soon as I put Max down, their little guy immediately ran over and lifted his leg on my friend's upholstered club chair and white carpet
!
And later on, I saw a puddle in FRONT of the chair....I didn't SEE who did it, but for some reason, I thought Max may have done it, so I can see where it would be a good thing to have for both my dogs if we're in that same situation again. It's just a territorial thing with them, and I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Madison will be neutered on Tuesday and I'm PRAYING I won't need them as much as I do now, but if you need to use them, I have been using Poise pantiliners with them b/c they tend to pull the wetness away from their skin, and since I'm home all day, I check it frequently and change when needed.
Oh..and it's NOT a dumb question; I had NO idea what they were or what they were for til I had Madison. Necessity is the mother of invention.