Who is behind PIPPI

Behind PIPPI is a person who loves dogs and has six of them. PIPPI grew out of a need shared by people who live with a male dog: he looks for something vertical to lift his leg against. Before it was a product, it was the answer its maker wanted for their own home and for anyone with the same need.

To get there we studied many details, starting with the material. It had to be safe for the dog. It should not turn porous or wear out over time: it had to last. Perhaps that is not a very commercial choice, now that so many things are made to be replaced. Finding the right mix was not easy.

Then the shape. You could say the dogs chose it. Over many trials we watched them: how they lift their leg, how they find their balance, how they approach a vertical surface, how they circle the spot they have picked to pee on. That is how the cone shape was born.

The cone helps the dog keep his balance while he lifts his leg. He walks round it, sometimes more than once, and PIPPI takes up little room at home. For him it is like covering a lot of ground while staying in one spot. On the smooth surface of the cone, splashes run down into the tray.

The tray was studied too. It had to sit at the right distance, so the dog can get close to the side of the cone. And it had to hold a whole day’s pee, or even more: that also depends on how many dogs live in the house.

Then the colour. Today PIPPI comes in several colours. At first it is not the colour that guides the dog, but over time it can become a landmark for him. We also studied the scents that draw him: how much and in what way they can help him find his way.

Last came the PIPPI Method, perhaps the most important part. We owe it partly to everyone who has bought PIPPI over the years: their experiences and trials led us to the Method as it is today.

A dog chooses where to pee by criteria of his own, and has his own way of organising the home he lives in. Every home is different: the principle stays the same, and the rules adapt to that home and that dog.

You can teach dogs many things, like giving a paw. With PIPPI you also use their instinct. You do not need to be an expert trainer: you are not teaching the dog something artificial, you are going along with something he already does by nature.