PetSafe ScatMat Indoor Training Mat

I have two large grandddogs as well as some large boarding dogs that counter surf, so I decided to give this a try. I bought the 12 x 60" to cover a large countertop. My family members and I tested it on ourselves first. Ouch! It gives a sharp little zap with just a light touch of the pad. A small power box easily attaches to the side that can be set at various levels. The lowest level worked perfectly. It also emits a sound whenever touched which also worked as its own deterrent for these dogs without even needing to "zap" them. During this busy holiday season, I was able to set all of the food behind and around this matt without worry of it being "snatched". Four large dogs kept their distance this time. None of them even attempted to come near the counter. Hurray! Success!

These actually work better than I expected. I misread and thought I could connect an a/c adapter to it but you can’t. However, one 9 volt battery lasted us for 3 weeks or so during the Christmas season to keep the cats away from the trees. We used rechargeable batteries and they still had power when we took them up after being on continuously. We bought 4 all all worked fine.

I've had Scatmats for years. One goes outside our bedroom door (along with a kiddie gate) to keep the cats out, since it's my wife's 'clean room'. Well, a wire in that mat came out of the vinyl, broke, and stopped working. So, I ordered this one. The module which attaches to the mat does not accept an external power adapter as the older ones did. That was a real disappointment, since we tend to step on the mat from time to time and I don't see the 9v battery lasting too long. That was the case with the previous mat and module, so I used a 9v external power adapter instead of a battery. To replace the 9v battery in the new module, I have to detach the module from the mat, since the battery compartment is on the bottom. Bad design decision, IMHO. With the older one, I did not have to detach the module from the mat since access to the battery compartment was on the top (not the bottom) of the module. I tried the module from the previous failed mat on the new mat, but it seems that the electrical characteristics of the new mat are different from the old mat; not much shock even on the highest setting. So, I estimate I'll be replacing 9v batteries every 3-4 months. If it lasts 6 months as advertised, I'll edit my review (see below). Also, for my purpose, I would like to see a mat with embedded wires sturdy enough can handle light foot traffic for 3-5 years. I would pay 20% more for a more sturdy mat. After these negatives, I still stand by the Scatmat as an effective deterrent to unwanted pet behaviors. Well.... at least until one of the full-grown cats realize that they can jump over both the Scatmat and the kiddie gate. Update: It's been 6 months since installation, and the 9v battery is still going strong!

I will start by saying that I never imagined a product could be so perfectly effective for my intended purpose. Seriously! I wish I could have borrowed these from a friend. Because, I have no use for them any longer. I can't even lure my dog on the couch now with a treat! I ordered these overnight delivery and they were on my porch before I woke up the next morning. I was pissed at my dog for getting in the horrible habit of laying on the couch. I HATED it. I spot cleaned it one time because I went out of town for a few days, and there was some nasty spot on it. So I cleaned it with a spot cleaner I bought on Amazon as well. I turned my back and she had gotten on the wet spot and made it wetter. I nearly beat her ass (but I didn't). I was so mad I got online and looked for something to keep her ass off of there. I was done. I found this product and bought four of them. I only needed three. My rage likely caused a shopping frenzy. When they arrived the next day, I learned they didn't come with a needed 9V battery so I went to the store and got them. I then deep cleaned the couch soaking it with a pet cleaner and Bissel spot cleaner. I was so anxious I set these up before the couch was even dry. As I read the directions, I couldn't wait to get this thing fired up and working. It was laughable how they suggest starting with the beep only restraint. Seriously, laughable. They suggest letting them get up there and letting it beep, then guide your dog off the couch and reward them with a treat. I thought to myself, this does shock them right? I have no idea how many beep treat drills one would have to go through to train a dog not to get on the couch. As I flipped the page, it began to describe the zap settings. Low-Medium-High. Since I didn't have the time do the beep-redirect-reward method, I figured a strong jolt will work better than a weak one. So, I set it on high first try. The rewarding thing is that it beeps as it zaps and has a counter. So, if you are gone and you want to know how many trespassing violations your pet has, it keeps count. Also, if you are in another room, you can hear the beeping and know they are testing boundaries. The first time I heard it beep, I chuckled. I go in the room and don't see her on the couch. That night I heard it go off once, and that was it. The next day I lured her up there (I know I'm an a-hole), and she immediately jumped down. I did this once the next day, and that was it. She wouldn't jump up there now if I put a raw steak on it. One thing to note, when you set it up it does have a calibration setting. This takes a few minutes. It seemed faulty at first like it would misfire if the wind blew on it, but this didn't last long and I never hear it beep anymore. It is truly amazing how much of a jolt your dog, and you, can actually get from a 9V battery. I came home after a couple of margaritas one night and tested it out myself. Holy crap! I see why she hates it! Way to go ScatMat. My best product purchase on Amazon to date. Love, Love, LOVE IT!!!!

I hate being the person who buys a shock mat for my cat to stop peeing in the couch, but my vet recommended it. It’s extremely effective at keeping my cats OFF furniture when I’m not home. I bought two, and don’t even have a battery in one anymore so I can quickly move it and sit on my couch. They learned really quickly to not mess with the mats, and it’s nice to have a non-shock, just noise function as well!

I bought this one to anticipate having to replace the previous one I had. I had bought one before that an it did not last more than six to eight months. The next one (the one I bought this one to replace) also lasted about the same amount of time. Now this one has lasted a bit longer, but still less than one year. First, at some point, the things starts beeping incessantly and for no reason. You change the battery, reset the settings, and it still beeps. Eventually, it stops, but comes back intermittently. Second, it never unrolls completely. The tips and edges of the corners still stay up on the side where the controller is attached. Third, after about four to six months, the wires start to come detached from the mat, making it hard to clean, and if the wire breaks... that's it, game over for the mat, unless you can manage to make some sort of electrical repair. Fourth, at some point, the controller no longer receives signals from the mat. When stepped on, no beep, no electricity, nothing. Finally, why are all the models the same price, even though some are larger than the others. Also, $55 seems a little high in price for such an item that probably cost less than $10 (I'm being liberal here) to manufacture. You can buy electric muscle stimulator medical devices that are far more advanced for 2/3 of the price of these things and they last 10x longer (I have one from 20 years ago and it still works). Oh, and one more thing. I doesn't stay on. You have to constantly check it to make sure its still on, which is almost daily, and turn it back on because it resets itself (settings) and turns off. So my current one is at that last stage (fourth) I mentioned above. When I detach the controller, it seems to work on its own, but once I attach it to the mat, no go. I have tried to tape down some of the wires that have become detached from the mat but I fear there must be some sort of short circuit or break in the circuit. I have taken care of this produce as prescribed by the manufacturers instructions. It has been less than a year, let's see if they honor their one-year warrantee.

I have a big window in the living room that has a 4" wide sill and my loveseat sits right in front of it. All of my dogs inevitably stand on the back of the couch and put their front paws on the sill to look out the window. This is a problem because a) they dirty up the sill (the couch is covered) and b) I have a set of sheers that are always closed and they step on them getting them dirty, tearing them or sometimes pulling them down off of the curtain rod. It's very annoying and difficult to train them from doing. This product is really useful for that. Set up is easy with a 9v battery for power and then you just lay it on the area you want to protect. There are suction cups to hold the sheet in place. On the sheet are two exposed wires running its length. When something that can conduct power crosses those wires, it creates a circuit and a mild shock is delivered. You can set the level of shock and I put it to the minimum. I tested it on myself and it was a little more painful than a static discharge from a high pile carpet. The biggest issue for me was the distance between the wires. It's wide enough that a small dog is unlikely to cover both with their paw and even a larger dog like mine (70 lbs) took a few days before she completed the circuit. When she did (the display shows how many times a shock has been delivered), the result was almost instantaneous - she no longer puts her feet on the sill. It's pretty miraculous. Getting her to do anything is usually an exercise in futility but this product definitely did the trick. Too bad you can't just rent them as it doesn't seem like reinforcement is necessary, I guess it will just go into a drawer somewhere. Highly recommended with the caveat about the spacing of the wires.

Our dogs have been allowed on the couch their entire life (some are 13); however, we recently built a new home and purchased leather couches and I did not want them to get on them. I purchased these and have never looked back! The dogs have not tried to get on the couch at all! In fact, I don’t even have to turn them on anymore Just laying them across the couch is enough. Easy to set up. Easy to move quickly. Rolls up to store easily when company is over and is not an eye sore like sheets or blankets over the couch.