Puppy Pee Pads – Yes or No?
So you’ve gotten a puppy, and are starting to work on house training/potty training? That’s great! Training your puppy to pee and poop outside is a 24-hour job until they fully understand the concept and are reliable to do this on their own. With that said, pee pads sound like a no brainer right? WRONG! Although pee pads can seem super convenient, they are actually very confusing for dogs and will end up teaching your puppy that it’s ok to pee inside rather than outside. If you were a puppy and you had the option of going potty in the comfort and warmth of your house, you would choose to do so right?
One of the most common reasons clients use pee pads is that they live in an apartment. Another reason is that their puppies are not fully vaccinated yet and they are afraid to take them out onto the communal grass areas. These are both valid arguments, and I agree that safety is a priority, however there are other options that set both your puppy and yourself up for success in the long run.
When potty training, its inevitable that there will be accidents, whether you use puppy pads or not. One thing to note is puppies don’t aim when they go to the bathroom, they will go wherever they are when they have the urge. This is why outside is best. If you follow a few guidelines, it is completely safe for your puppy to go outside before it is vaccinated. Below are some rules for apartment people, however if you live in a house and have a back yard, you’ve hit the jackpot!
1. No interaction with other dogs (especially unknown dogs)
2. Avoid your puppy eating any sort of poop (rabbit and goose are favourites)
3. Do your best to avoid high frequency spots if you have a lot of dogs in your building
How to Potty Train Your Puppy the Right Way
As mentioned above, taking your puppy outside to potty is really the best and most reliable way to have them generalize the idea of where to go, however what I have suggested in the past, is a patch of real grass. There are many companies that sell this type of product, one being called Pooch Patch. This has the benefits of teaching your dog to potty on grass, which will make the transfer to going potty outside easier for both of you.
It’s very important to have a routine with puppies, especially with how often puppies should actually be taken out to go potty. I always suggest they should be going outside, every hour, after each of their meals, and of course after naps. Where I see a lot of accidents is people having play sessions with their puppy and then the puppy has an accident because they are having so much fun and don’t think about having to go until it’s already happening on the floor. If/when they have an accident, it’s extremely important that you are cleaning the mess up ASAP, as well as that you are using an enzymatic cleaner. This will help to break down the pee and poop so that it cannot seep into the floor, meaning there is no smell or stain left behind. Dogs can sense pheromones from a previous accident and will be inclined to go to that spot again.
It’s important to remember that timing is very important when potty training. You want to mark your dogs behaviour (say yes or use a clicker) as they are finishing up going to the bathroom. You also want to make sure that you are providing business trips only, which means we are going to our potty spot and not sniffing around the yard or playing with a toy or rolling in the grass etc. Until the puppy has a solid idea of what going potty looks like, I would highly recommend that they are always on leash for potty times.
IF we catch them in the act:
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Make a loud sound (i.e. clapping hands) to startle them a little bit – just enough to (in theory!) clamp everything up
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Pick them up and take them out to their designated space
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Make sure to reward if/when they do finish up outside
IF we miss it:
Too bad! We will do better next time! “If you really feel you must make use of that rolled up newspaper, smack yourself in the head three times while repeating, “I will supervise the puppy more closely, I will supervise the puppy more closely, I will supervise the puppy more closely.” (Pat Miller). It is extremely Important that you don’t yell or scold as your puppy will still go inside but make sure to hide it from you.
Extra Tips for Speeding Things Up!
Use a specific special treat forgoing potty outside, such as fish or, hotdog but it is a treat that ONLY comes out when puppy goes outside.
JACKPOT!
This is something that can be used in any training, and not just potty training, but to really help the puppy, you canjackpot going potty outside! Multiple treats (Usually do three treats), one after the other when they go outside, will really start to encourage them to hold their bladder! (This doesn’t need to be forever, once they begin to get the hang of it and are consistent, you can drop down to less treats, and eventually sporadic treats.
Keep to a Schedule
If we know that every morning at 10 our puppy has to potty, then we MUST adhere to that schedule. Writing down your puppy’s routine for the first week or two will really help you figure out a schedule that fits both thier needs as well as your own busy life.
Crate Training
Using a crate effectively can be one of the most useful tools to help with potty training. The idea is that puppies don’t like to eliminate where they sleep/eat, so if used correctly we can use this as a space to encourage them to really hold their bladders. It’s important to note with crate training, we should be training our puppies to love being in their crate at the same time as potty training, so it should not be used as a punishment, or as a way to avoid taking them outside. Some puppies will take to their crates very easily, while others may need some encouragement to help them see that crate as their bedroom and favourite place to hang out.