Pee Pads: How To Train Your Dog To Use Them

Plan on getting a new puppy? One important lesson for them to learn is using a pee pad, especially when they first come home. We all love living in cleanliness and comfort, and we don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning up. In today's article, we will tell you how to minimize your efforts and efficiently train your puppy to use a pee pad.

Things You Need to Know First

If you decide to buy a puppy, you should choose a reputable breeder. You can learn everything about your puppy and its breed from the breeder. They can provide great insight into whether the breed will be a good fit for you and your lifestyle. Additionally, you should plan and prepare for many things beforehand. Your puppy will need certain equipment and accessories to eat healthy, have a way to exercise regularly, and especially have a place for their natural needs. That is where pee pads come in. If your future puppy has never used a pee pad, you should be ready to provide lessons yourself. 

Generally, you will be able to choose between one of the two available pee pads that exist today in the market - reusable and disposable. If the breeder has used one of them, you should buy the same type to help a puppy adapt once they get to their new home. You can get several washable ones and store them for better convenience. Unlike old-school newspapers, pee pads are soft and better absorb the pet’s urine and scent. When choosing a male option with a stand, you should not, however, encourage your dog to pee inside. These stands are merely for teaching or for cases when a dog needs to stay inside because of unfavorable weather or other reasons. The best thing to do is to buy several pee pads and wash them with a hypoallergenic or dog’s shampoo with your hands or in a washing machine. It takes them time to get dry, so extra pads are a must.

If you have a miniature dog breed, manufacturers have also created specific trays that can help with training. There are many options you can go with, such as plastic, galvanized, with a pad holder, without a pad holder, big or small, or specifically for male or female dogs. 

Later, you can consider other options like gel or gauze as needed, etc., but know that your puppy is never too small or young to start training to go outside. Pee pads are good for the early days when dogs do not understand that outside is the preferred place for their bathroom needs and are not yet taught how to ask for walks when they need them. Just make sure that puppies are vaccinated first before going beyond your own backyard to more public places like parks. When they are up to date on their vaccinations, going out into the world will help them with socialization and help them adapt to the world better, feel safer, and be less likely to adopt undesired behavioral and health disorders. 

Quicken the Process

In addition to pee pads, you can spray an area where the dog must go to the bathroom. You can get sprays at special stores or vet drugstores. Try different reputable brands to avoid any allergic reactions or harsh chemicals, and choose the one that works best for you and your dog.  

Sprays are easy to use. Spray a bit on a pee pad and let your puppy sniff it that way they begin to better understand where they are supposed to go. Repeat the process twice a day. This can also be used later to help your pet adapt to going outside for their bathroom needs. Such repeated actions will develop a habit, and a puppy will understand.

Knowing how many times your dog may need to go to the bathroom can help you prepare and work better with your puppy to develop a routine. Depending on a dog’s age, its bladder requires different time frames to get full, according to PetMD.

Important note: If you see your dog peeing more often than required at their age (usually every 30-40 minutes), you should consult a vet. It might be connected with cystitis or disorders of the urinary system.

Training Tips for a One-Month-Old Puppy to Use the Pad

You should prepare your home thoroughly for the beginning stages. Here are a few things you can do:

• Put all shoes on shelves; do not leave them on the floor (and other items, too)
• Store rugs/carpets somewhere while your puppy learns to use a pad
• Cover the floor with the anti-slippery, easy-washable carpet if your covering can lead to the pet’s falling and self-harming
• Put the purchased pad in the area where a dog should be staying

At first, your puppy may pee everywhere because it is unable to control its bladder. So, you should be patient while training it to use pee pads. Sometimes, dogs will show you the best places to place their pee pads. A lot of times, these places are corners and near balconies or doors. Soft places can be their favorites, too, so be aware!

Training Tips for a Two-Month-Old Puppy to Use the Pad

At this age, you can start to slowly remove a few pee pads, leaving only those that you consider to be the most necessary ones. You should observe your puppy. The 10-10-10 observation will let you notice such things as when nature calls 15-20 minutes after playing, sleeping, or eating. However, you will still be unable to control the process 100%, and there still might be puddles all over the place. Yet, if you want your puppy to stop peeing in a certain place, you should put its bowl with food there and use cleaning tools to remove bad scents. As a rule, dogs never go to the bathroom where they eat. 

Training Tips for a Three-Month-Puppy to Use the Pad 

Most vets recommend getting a puppy from a breeder when it is 7-9 weeks old. Leaving puppies with their mother/litter/breeder for longer than that can result in the litter forming a hierarchy and solidifying undesirable temperaments, such as dominant bullies and fearful/shy/submissive whipping boys. In addition, most breeders do not socialize their puppies as well as maybe they should, and the window for socialization closes at 14 weeks, so they miss out on a huge opportunity if kept in the breeder's home too long.

At this stage, puppies get better control over their bladder, yet accidents can still occur. So, you should continue using pee pads and sprays to continue to encourage better adaptation and habitual bathroom routines. Do not punish your dog for going to the wrong places. A lot of times, owners will not catch their puppy in the act to be able to teach them that they are wrong when the accident happens; therefore, the puppy will not understand what they did wrong if they get delayed discipline. This could also scare them and have the opposite result that you are hoping for. Stay patient and keep using pads and sprays where and when needed. Get into the habit of taking short walks after play sessions. This will help them get used to going to the bathroom outside and help them adjust to a leash and collar for when they will be able to go on longer walks. 

If you need to leave your home, there should be a spacious cage for your puppy with a place for a pad and bowls with food and water. 

Training Tips for a Four-Month-Puppy to Use the Pad 

At this age, accidents should be getting less frequent. Puppies can control their bladder more, so you may need only one or two pads. Praise your cuddly friend each time when it goes to the right place. Rewards can be something tasty or just touches like a belly massage or active petting.

If your dog uses the wrong place, it is still not wise to overly discipline your puppy. Just take them to where they are supposed to go. At this age, dogs are getting emotionally smarter and can understand the feelings of their masters. So, they will try to avoid such an upset. Besides, you should practice more outside walking. Dogs like spending time outdoors, where they feel more free concerning their natural needs. 

When your dog is older than 4 months, it will be able to better control itself, especially if it has gotten into a better routine of going outside for its bathroom needs. But keep a pad (with or without a tray, as preferred) to mark the right place for peeing indoors when needed or as a reminder. If you prefer tiny breeds, you can take a tray, fill it with special artificial grass, put a soft pee pad there, and spray it. Such options can be used permanently for cases where owners don’t want to walk their dogs in bad weather or at night.   

Problems You Might Have While Training Your Puppy to Use a Pee Pad and Their Solutions

Sometimes, dogs show a regression in getting used to pee pads. They begin to pee everywhere, ignoring trays and pads. What should you do?

1. The size and texture of your pads can change over time. Constant washing and drying make them bigger or smaller. Besides, the material might become worn  so your puppy can be reluctant to use them. You should consider replacing them with new ones to see if that was the reason. 
2. When a puppy starts peeing outside a pad, interrupt it gently and say a command, “Pee pad!” Bring them to the correct place and let them finish. Reward the dog if it is obedient to encourage its desire to pee in the right place. 
3. Sometimes, the sprays stop working or the brand is a bad one. So, buy a new one and use it on the pad to help the dog find the right place. 
4. Another problem that dog owners face is the natural instincts of their pets. It is not a secret that dogs can bite and tear everything while playing, especially young puppies. So, your job is to do everything possible to break that habit in relation to the pad. You should put a dog’s biting toy and spray the pad with a spray that will not evoke the desire to bite it. Perhaps you should choose a pad that will be hard to play with, meaning you need a different size, texture, or shape. 
5. If you see the puddle in the wrong place, wash the floor with the enzymatic cleaner to get rid of the smell that evokes the urinating association in your pet.

Now It is Time to Pee Outside Without a Pad

Puppies should be learning to go outside of the home for their bathroom needs as much as possible, especially once they are vaccinated and are ready to head out into the world with you. First, you will need to arrange brief walks to guarantee the best accommodation without stress. A puppy needs time to get acquainted with the noise and smells and adjust to peeing outside. A six-month-old puppy demands regular toilet training. Here are some useful tips:

• All animals require a routine to develop a healthy habit. Feed your puppy at the same time and wait the required period to let it out for a walk. 
• You should walk your pet before and after meals.
• Begin to use the command “Toilet” regularly. After playing or meals, bring your puppy to the pee pad and say the command. If you want to stop using pads, get used to walking out after playing or before bedtime. Say the command “Toilet” outside. Sprays will also be helpful in getting rid of in-home peeing.
• The first command to be taught outside is “Toilet.” Other commands should be told later or at different periods (not when the purpose of the walk is to bathroom-train). 
• Praise your puppy each time it goes to the bathroom outside. 
• Do not punish the dog if it does not go outside. However, if your dog doesn’t go at all, it might be a health problem. In this case, consult a vet.

Conclusion

Overall, be patient while training a puppy - for all of their training needs, not just with going to the bathroom. The teaching period can take as much as one year, so you should start training as early as possible and not get rid of all pads until your puppy shows that they can reliably go outside every time. Even though this process can take time and effort, you should not give up and don’t forget to praise your puppy when they do good. They need time to understand the rules and adapt to them. Our recommendations and using pee pads can make this process less stressful for both you and your puppy.