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Originally Posted by KazzyK810  Really? What about the convenience?
I don't know that I'd ever have the lifestyle to outdoor train only. That would mean always, every single day of their life, being there to let them out, or getting someone else to. There are too many times where life happens, and what I intend to do and what I am able to do differ. I have to work late unexpectedly, or my car breaks down/flat tire, or like last week, I intended to run home at lunch and an east/west train broke down on the tracks, and there was no way to get south of town, without driving miles out of the way, which I didn 't have time for due to my short lunch break.
Knowing that if I'm running late, or something happens out of my control, that ZoE can go potty, drink, eat, is such a relief to me. I don't think I could ever give that up. |
I do like that my boys can go anytime no matter what, but I would love, and my boys would love outdoor only. So many factors to consider.
There is almost always someone at home here, so that it isn't an issue for us. The boys have never spent more than 2 hours alone.
If we had a safe egress from our house to the yard (no icy stairs), adequate lighting in a safe yard, I would probably do it. Teddy was 100% outdoor trained when he came home to us. I felt bad every time he went to the back door to get out and I re-directed him to the pad. For the first 2 weeks he was home, I relented and took him out in the snow and cold.
Middle of the night -- I like that they can pee whenever and I don't have to get out of bed. Poops, I have to wake up and take care of right away anyway, so going outdoors wouldn't be so bad -- but we usually are not nearly as cold as you are. This week is unusual. We might go down below zero. Brrr. We'll stick to pads.
