Should I use puppy pee pads?…

Congratulations on your new addition! You’ve brought home a brand new puppy, you and your family are overwhelmed with excitement.

With all the cuteness, entertainment, and joy comes potty training and housebreaking. Potty training a new puppy is usually new owners first concern. How to find the correct way to go about potty training can be a concern. Are you using modern methods or old out of date techniques?

Here comes one of the first question; Should I be using puppy pee pads?

Puppy pee pads are disposable pads, meant to assist in housebreaking. The are well advertised, inexpensive and “convenient.” However, think of it from this point of view. Are you teaching the puppy to go pee on the pads or inside in general?

Dog understand in yes or no; black or white. Dogs struggle with the in between – the grey zone. 

Why Puppy Pee Pads can be a mistake

Teaches the dog its okay to go potty inside (at least some of the time). Encouraging your new puppy to eliminate on the pee pads, you are in turn encouraging them to go potty inside your home. If your end goal is to teach your dog to go to the bathroom outside, every time for the next 15 years. Do you truly want to teach them to go potty inside in the first place?

It becomes a toy. We all know puppy like to get into things, and tear things up. If left alone with the pee pad, whether it be inside the crate or play pen, the pee pad is now something they will love to destroy! Instead of its intended use, you will now be cleaning up a destroyed pad. 

 

Extends the process! I’ll admit many people who use pee pads ultimately have 100% housebroken dogs. However, the use of pee pads tends to extend the puppies learning curve. Meaning more accidents over a longer period of time.

So, what should you use instead?

If you shouldn’t be using puppy pee pad, what is the suggested method?

We encourage crate training. Crate training goes hand in hand with house breaking. 

One hundred percent supervision. When your new puppy is outside of the crate, it requires constant supervision. 

Lack of supervision is the most common mistakes owners make. I get it, life is busy, dinners to be made, children’s homework to help with. When you are unable to focus on the puppy, the crate is not only the safest place, but also the best place to assist with housebreaking. Another alternative to crating while you are home, is tethering. This mean place a leash on your puppy attaching the other end to you. Where you go the puppy goes. This makes it easier to keep a close on the puppy, allowing you to be able to pay closer attention, and be on the lookout of the signs or signals that your puppy needs to go potty. 

Going to the bathroom outside becomes a habit. Just as easily as going to the bathroom inside, on the pee pads, becomes a habit. The constant supervision and regular potty break schedule will allow your new puppy to crate the habit of going outside. 

Other common mistakes;

Dont rub your dog’s nose in its accidents. This is an old and out of date technique.

Dont reprimand your puppy for soiling inside. Your puppy will not understand why they are getting in trouble.

Commonly housebreaking is thought to be for new puppy 8 weeks old to 3 months old. However the same approach and concepts works for a dog of any age! Remember old dogs can learn new “tricks” 

What Off Leash K9 Training Charlotte offers.

Want more information? Still need help troubleshooting? Every puppy is different and may need a creative approach.

We are proudly off services to the Charlotte, North Carolina and the surrounding areas. We offer SEVERAL puppy training options. Including a one time information sessions, weekly puppy clicker course, and an intensive online virtual puppy course. All of these options will focus on house breaking. But also other important puppy concepts. Including crate training (remember they go hand and hand), troubleshooting, command concepts (come, sit, place, down), unwanted behaviors such as chewing and mouthing. These are all very important in raising the perfect puppy, but the MOST IMPORTANT focus is socializing, desensitizing and teaching your puppy impulse control and self control, especially around new distractions!