The Story of the Pee Post and the Poo Parcet...eh...Carpet

So much needs preparing and the devil is in the details. We will not only cross the Atlantic in November, but also the Bay of Biscay in April. Now, what about our dog, Chester, who has neither been trained to use a litter box, nor a toilet, and who will not be able to do his business on shore during those crossings?! Well, the solution lies in... 

...tada...

...the Pee Post and the Poo Carpet!

Chester's Pee Post and the Poo Carpet

Well, and the devil is in the detail: how do you tell your dog that he is supposed to pee against that weird yellow pole that grew out of the lawn one day and to target-poo on the 3 feet x 3 feet (1sqm) square artificial lawn carpet? Yes, it's green and it looks remotely like grass, but a substitute for lawn...? You must be kidding!!! 


So far, he has been free to roam our fruit tree area; that freedom has found a sudden end today. His potential business area has been reduced by temporary fences to about 1/3 of its former glory. Now, I just need to make myself walk outside with him, rain or shine - lately mostly rain -, point him to the PP (pee post) and the PC (poo carpet - could be applied to non-apple products too, though), ignore his questioning look, find somewhere inside of me a lot of patience and hope he gets the idea, waiting with a ton of treats for the moment he maybe - even if only marginally - either hit the post or the carpet, or both - in my best case scenario. 


I have 4 more weeks to create a miracle, and then I have to fly with the - hopefully - peed-on-post and the - hopefully - pooed-on-carpet to Europe. Has anyone ever travelled with weirder luggage???!!! Germany is where I will continue the training on my sister's balcony - I already have her approval (whatever made her say yes?!). Once we get on the boat, the hope is that Chester will be well adjusted to the "target-business" business and will be able to relieve himself without much of a fuss. 


And the best of it? I actually claim to not have lost my marbles (yet anyway)...so, wish me luck, I need it!