Indoor Dog Potty: WizDog vs. UGODog

First it was WizDog and then came UGODog. Now you’re not sure which indoor dog potty system is best suited for your dog’s toileting needs. Unlike my previous indoor dog potty review on Wizdog and ScoopFree (which I compared a potty pan to a automatic litter box), UGODog and WizDog are very much similar as they are both designed to serve the same purpose—all liquid waste is channeled through the grate to the bottom of the tray and absorbed by newspaper or pee pad (optional), preventing paws from coming in contact with the urine, leaving your dog’s paws clean and dry.

Although functionality is practically the same, however, in terms of size, made, price, and color they aren’t so similar. Being in the market for almost two years, will UGODog give veteran WizDog a run for their money? Is newer (and “improved”) always better? Having own WizDog and UGODog, here’s my review:

Note: Words in square brackets are correction requested by one of UGODog’s staff after reading my review. Italic are their exact words. Curly brackets are mine—additional info.

WizDog vs. UGODog

	WizDog	UGODog
Price	$39.95 – One time investment	$49.95 – One time investment
Structure	Plastic tray and grate	Plastic tray and two smaller grates
Color	Tray – Electric Blue Grate – White	Tray – Neutral Grates – Neutral
Specifications	Exterior – 28″ (L) x 21″ (W) x 1″ (H) Elimination space – 23.5″ x 15.5″	Exterior – 26.4″ (L) x 19.1″ (W) x 0.98″ (H) Elimination space – 25.5″ x 16.5″
Weighs	Approx. 3lbs.	Approx. 4lbs.
Grate	Beams of the grid is thin and level which may be uncomfortable for delicate paws, however, there’s a fix to it. *see below	Beams of the grid is thick and convex in shape which is much comfortable to the paw pads.
Cost of Grate(s)—sold separately	$9.95 exclude shipping cost	$15 per pair. Shipping cost $10
Grid Cell	Approx. 0.625″ square and 0.375″ deep	Approx. 0.4″ square and 0.6″ deep
Suitable Breeds	Small- to medium-sized dogs. However if you’ve a large dog, you’ll need to get another Wizdog and place them side by side with newspapers draped over the center and secured under the grates, making it a bigger potty pan. Wizdog, however, can sustain dogs weighing up to 200 lbs.	Teacup to large-sized dog (in terms of the supporting weight of a larger dog, not the size of the pan). I suppose for larger dogs, you could do what Wizdog suggested by placing two trays side by side for larger elimination space.
How Should It Be Used	It is designed for one dog to use at a time. Since my dogs don’t know how to take a queue number, I combine two pans for their easy access. For solid wastes, I flip the grate over the toilet bowl and flush them.	Similar to Wizdog, it is designed to be used one dog at a time. Discarding feces, same.
Cleaning and Care	Cleaning is a breeze. The tray has a smooth glossy finish making it easy to clean and a better sanitation too. Occasionally, the poop may be stuck in the grid, so it’s a bit of a hassle to clean if it goes into the grate, so keep a toilet brush handy. For maintenance, I soak the pan and grate once a week for an hour with bleach and warm water—this is to kill the mild acidic smell.	Similarly, it’s easy to clean. Since UGODog uses two smaller grates instead of one big grate, it claims it makes cleanup of the grates easier and more convenient. This isn’t the case for me; it’s slightly cumbersome. At the end of the day I still have to remove the grate to clean; so why is lifting two grates easier than one? Also, when poop lands in the middle of the two grates, lifting both grates requires steady hands or you pick the poop up and throw it! So how’s that convenient? Although the grid is much smaller, it doesn’t mean the poop (comes in all shapes, sizes, textures, and smells) won’t get struck or leave stubborn poop stain. You’ll still need to brush or soak the grid if needed to. [Smaller grids can be washed in most bathroom sinks. WizDog’s grid would be difficult to wash in any sink. That’s why the smaller grids are more convenient.] {Most bathroom sinks are small and oval in shape, and water faucets are set low so they still won’t fit in let alone wash them…kitchen sinks most probably. I suggest washing the grids in either a bathtub or shower area and I still have to remove two instead of one. } The company suggests using a wet paper towel for daily wipe off and mild detergent once a week or wiping it down with fragrant-free baby wipes for maintenance. We are talking about urine and poop, so a thorough sterilization is much preferred to rid the smell and stain and for prolong use.
Best Placed at	Can be placed anywhere you choose to train your dog to do his toileting. Because of its smooth surface underneath, it is best placed it over a nonslip mat or on rough tiles. So when your dog makes a run to the pan, it will not slip away.	Weighing just a little over a pound heavier than WizDog and its base is less smooth hence UGODog is less slippery if placed on “smoother” surface should your dog make a run for it.
Durability	WizDog is made of industrial grade polyethylene plastic tray, you can be certain it is here to stay for years. My dogs have been using WizDog since Oct 2004, and they still look as good as new maybe a little less electric blue in color…probably due to weekly bleaching!	UGODOG is made using an injection molding process, so it is a stronger and sturdier construction. This may be true. While I have UGODog for 3 months now so only time will tell how sturdy it can get. Having said, it won’t be fair to make comparison given the fact that my dogs use both potty systems simultaneously. Whereas for 5 years, there’s only one potty system in my house and it’s fully utilized throughout.
Guarantee	30 days	30 days
Shipping Cost	Shipping cost is not made available prior to, but you will have the detail just before you check out.	No shipping charges if ship within US but limited time only. [When you factor in shipping, UGODog and WizDog are virtually the same price to the consumer. In fact, often times WizDog is more, because shipping to many places in the U.S. can be more than $10.]
Service and Support	Prompt and friendly reply. Even though I get a further discount price (a privilege given to affiliates), the service and support given to me aren’t anywhere substandard. I was treated like any other customer—fair and just.	Not as prompt as I wanted it to but replied within 48 hours. Sadly, I don’t get additional discount being their affiliates. Just the regular 10% off coupon code. (See Pet coupon code.) [UGODog take breaks on Saturday and Sunday {I assume public holidays too} so no reply until the following business day. FYI, mine wasn't on the weekends or public holiday!] [We offer wholesale pricing for our affiliates. We want them to not only believe in the product but also use it.] {I wish they were more forthcoming when signed up their affiliate program. UGODog didn’t disclose in the email the percentage or price discount. I would have to ask them before my next UGODog purchase. In any case, I’m quite happy about the 10% discount (unless they tell me the wholesale price is 50% off) I got as this isn’t a product that requires replenishment on a regular basis}
Pros / Cons	Pro: Light weight. Pro: Free dog training ebook with purchase. Pro: Cheap. Con: Color can be very tacky for some especially electric blue isn’t your color, then Wizdog can be an eye sore in your living room. Honestly, who puts a potty pan in the living room? Wouldn’t it better to place it in the toilet or laundry area where traffic is light? And also hygiene, people. Con: Because of its color, it does look less chic and cheap (inferior quality).	Pro: Chic looking. Pro: Color blends in with décor only if yours is in neutral, gray, and white tone. Pro: Free Shipping within US. Pro: 10% discount, valid til 31 Dec 09 Pro: Sturdier and convex grid. Con: $10 more than Wizdog without coupon code. Special Note: When you factor in the 10% off and free shipping, it’s totally a different story…UGODog costs only $44.96 nett! Con: No replacement grid sold. So if your grid is damaged, you’ll have to buy the whole potty system.

Additional Information: UGODog’s Comparison
In addition to the above comparison, here are some texts extracted from UGODog’s website on comparing their own and rival product. Words in italic are theirs.

For their grids, WIZDOG uses lighting louvers cut to fit their base plate. The lighting louvers are not perfectly matched to the base plate, and therefore, there is some play between their grid and their base plate. Unlike WIZDOG, there is absolutely no play between the UGODOG grids and the UGODOG base plate, because the two were designed in tandem to match each other perfectly.

I can’t say for all, but for my WizDog there’s no play between the grid and base plate or much to be concerned about. If any, it isn’t much of an issue unless your dog keeps flipping the grid out of the base plate. Most dogs rarely like to play with their potty system unless they’re dead bored or ran out of things to play with. Furthermore, most domesticated dogs are clean creatures they don’t like to be around their toilet unless it’s their nature call. Should your dog choose to flip the grate, just place a rock over it!

WIZDOG grids, because they are lighting louvers, were never designed to support dogs or accommodate their delicate paws. They are designed to diffuse light. The UGODOG grids were specifically designed for the UGODOG and are not used in any other product of any kind. The UGODOG grids are specifically designed and engineered to support dogs and accommodate their delicate paws. Unlike the WIZDOG grids, the beams of the UGODOG grids are thick and convex in shape to cushion dogs’ paws. The square holes that make up the grids are sized small enough so that they do not trap the smallest paw pads of the smallest dog breeds.

While it is true that WizDog’s square holes are slightly bigger and may be less gentle on paw pads as compare to UGODog, this can be easily and cheaply fixed if you’re concerned that your teacup Yorkie’s paw pad might trap in-between the grid.

What you will need is either a planting net/mesh (preventing soil from leaking out of the pot) or mosquitoes netting or fishing net. (planting net is the better option as it’s thicker and harder). You can either cut exactly to the size of the grate or leave about 2 inches around the edges. Place it over the grip and tuck the remaining underneath it. And if there’s some play between the base plate and the grid, there won’t be any after you place the net! Voila!!!

[We’re surprised that you would recommend people have their dogs standing atop thin and sharp lighting louvers vs. the thick convex grids of UGODOG. I would assume that foremost among the concerns of your readers would be the safety and comfort of their pets.]

Of course, safety and comfort are the foremost concerns of any dog owners. I was merely making an easy-fix suggestion should they decide to get WizDog instead or give WizDog a second “life” rather than to condemn and discard it—for GAIA’s sake.

At the end of day is readers’ prerogative to make their own wise decision regardless of what I recommend or suggest.

Conclusion: I honestly think both WizDog and UGODog are equally good products that serve their purposes but at the end of the day I’ll have to go with WizDog being economical, its durability, and ease of removing one grate instead two. If UGODog is more your liking, remember to use my coupon code to justify the cost.

However, I have to give UGODog extra credit for being responsive on reviews of their product. This goes to show they do care and listen to their consumers’ feedback. With this, I will have to change my rating from 4.0 to 4.7. Maybe I was rash to critic on their support service, and maybe my email hovered around the cyberspace a couple days before deciding to land in their inbox.

Ratings:
WizDog Indoor Dog Potty – 4.5 pee/poop out of 5
UGODog Indoor Dog Potty – 4.7 pee/poop out of 5