Little tray... you mean a playbox full of "sand" to dig in??Sounds like a recipe for a big mess to me.
You could get one of those indoor doggie lawns, if you have money and space to put one. Actually... some of them aren't too expensive anymore: Spotty Indoor Dog Potty : Target
Denna needed out at least every hour or two. When she was 3 months old, I left her in her crate for 2 hours... and that was too long. That was the only time she ever pee'd in her crate.
There are lots of options for dealing with SMART mastiffs. They are definitely of a different mind from border collies, but I wouldn't say they're dumb, at all! They just have a different drive and aren't all in it just to see you smile. They're in it to keep you SAFE. Sometimes, they think that means saving you from yourself.
These are independently minded dogs... so you do better when you convince them they WANT to do what you ask, versus expecting them to do it just because you SAID so.
Haha, that is a very good point.
OK, maybe I could build something with astro-turf, that, or make friendly with one of the retirees in our court who could help out.
Yeh I am very much sold on the whole crate thing, having a border collie - this was never proposed to us, it was basically let her be free, and give her things to chase all the time. But I can see how having a crate trained puppy would be a massive help.
I really love their independent minds, even though it may result in a few power struggles, it just adds to their personalities!
Thanks for your advice.
I am very excited, and hopefully will have a puppy at some stage next year!!