How to Potty Train a Puppy on Pads – Recall Training Steps
💦How to potty train a puppy on pads – Recall potty training steps
Today I want to mention and discuss something that I have never mentioned before.
You probably already know from the title that I am going to talk about pads, but before we discuss that, let’s recall the most important highlights of potty training. Why? Because a lot of it will still apply when you potty train your dog to use pads.
❤️ Positive Reinforcement
First things first, let us recall positive reinforcement. Yes, you’ll still need to use this technique. No, you can’t escape the “ turn a blind eye to mistakes” part.
In case your new to the world of puppy potty training or simply forgot what that is, I am going to redefine positive reinforcement for you as it is where most people lack in effort or go wrong.
Positive reinforcement is the process of modifying your puppy’s behavior by acknowledging and rewarding their good behavior, but ignoring and overlooking their unwanted behavior.
It is important to always be in a mindful state of mind because if you don’t, you’ll easily lose patience. If you lose patience, you won’t be able to overlook the undesired behaviors and might end up scolding or punishing your puppy. We don’t want that to happen, so try to incorporate some yoga for mindfulness into your daily routine.
Let’s go back to the first half of the definition. How exactly does one reward a puppy for their good behavior? When the puppy pees in the designated area, pat them and praise them. Offering them treats after petting them builds a stronger reward system.
If you catch the puppy going to the bathroom in an area that is not the designated one, carry them to their bathroom spot, use a command phrase like “ Go potty”, then reward them when they finish.
⏰The Frequency of The Bathroom Breaks
You should take your puppy to where they are allowed to go to the bathroom frequently. This frequency is simply how old your puppy is in months, so if they’re three months old, then you should carry them to their bathroom spot every 3 hours.
Don’t forget to use a command phrase (and stick with the one phrase & tonality using more than one will just confuse your poor furbaby) and reward them after they finish doing their thing.
🐾💩How to potty train a puppy on pads while acknowledging that some tactics are not always practical
Now, I will admit that taking your puppy to their bathroom spot every two, three, four, or even five hours isn’t convenient.
If your puppy is two months old, that means you’ll have to take them to the bathroom every two hours. This basically means that you’ll have to sacrifice a good night’s sleep or stay home from work, even when Dan Andrews let’s us out to play ourselves!
Also, taking your puppy to their bathroom spot every two hours as well as after every time they play, eat, or sleep is so counterproductive. You probably won’t be able to get anything done.
Even if other family members help, it could be a bit overwhelming. I am not saying that it is impossible, I am just hinting at a more convenient solution that I will mention later in this post.
Perhaps you live alone and you don’t work from home. You’ll come back to find your house in an absolute stinking mess. What are you going to do during the first few months of your puppy’s life? Don’t worry about having a funny-smelling house because I have a solution for you.
🐾💦💩 How to potty train a puppy on pads – Introducing the solution; aka, PADS!
Let me introduce you to the solution that will vanish your distress away, the pads!
Pads are like diapers, but for the floor. These are super convenient when you can’t be around a puppy for a period that is longer than a couple of hours.
If you’re wondering how you are going to potty train your puppy to only go to the bathroom on these pads, the answer is quite simple. You’re mostly going to use the strategies I mentioned earlier in this post.
But how do you get the puppy to use it? Apply the same rules and tactics used to potty train a puppy outside the house. Using pads might even make the potty training process a bit easier because the pad seems to look a bit unique when it is laid on the floor. Follow these steps
1. Stick to carrying your puppy whenever it is time for them to go to the bathroom and placing them on the pad.
2. Say the command phrase, such as Go Potty, while pointing at the pad the puppy is standing on.
3. If the puppy plays with the pad or walks away, you might need to use a harness to guide your dog to stay on the pad.
4. After they poop, praise them and give them some treats so make sure you keep some handily in your pocket at all times.
But what if you’re still training your puppy to use the pads, and you don’t have time to carry them every single time they need to pee? Then, all you need to do is create an indoors playpen for your puppy.
In the play-pen, you can place their crate that has a comfortable mat inside it, one of their toys, some water if you’re going to leave them in there for a couple of hours, and of course, cover the entire floor with pads.
🐾🌳How to potty train a puppy on pads – Use pads that are eco-friendly
Disposable pads are convenient; however, they’re not eco-friendly. After a puppy pees on them, they will get thrown away immediately. This increases your plastic waste very drastically.
You will use and throw multiple pads per day. It is true that we now have disposable pads that are highly absorbing that they could last all day. However, throwing even one disposable pad every day will have a very negative impact on the environment.
Plastic waste is negatively impacting our environment, so why not try reducing the amount of plastic we use? We can’t boycott all products that contain plastic. However, we could significantly reduce our use of plastic by eliminating one-use disposable items.
If you’re now in a dilemma and unsure of which cause is worth fighting for- the environment or a stink-free house, then I have the perfect solution for you. Why not use a reusable pad?
Yes, these do exist. Now you can do your part in saving the environment, enjoy a clean house, and cherish your moments with your puppy.
The only con they have is that they must get washed daily, but that is a small price to pay for such an innovative spin on pads. Speaking of prices, you will save a lot of money using a reusable pad.
A pack of disposable ones almost cost the same a single reusable one. However, you’ll go through and purchase multiple packs, while still using the reusable on. So in the long run, you’ll be saving a lot of money by getting a reusable pad.
If you’re wondering about the efficiency of these pads, it is almost the same in both types. So we can say that they tie in this area. Let’s summarize and compare disposable and reusable pads.
💩💦 How to potty train a puppy on pads – Disposable vs reusable pads.
1. Convenience: The disposable pad wins this round since you simply throw them away after they’re used. You have to wash the reusable pads daily.
2 Price: On the long run, reusable pads easily wins this round.
3. Eco-Friendliness: Reusable pads win again. By reusing the pad over and over again, you’re going to reduce your plastic waste significantly.
4. Efficiency: It is a tie.
Disposable puppy training pads are generally safe for dogs to use, but they’re not indestructible. If you don’t provide your puppy with enough toys as well as spending time playing with your puppy, there’s a risk of your dog becoming bored and using the Puppy Pads as a toy.
Shredded Pee Pads are no fun to clean up, so make sure you provide your puppy with enough opportunities for socialisation, play time, training and mental stimulation (don’t over-do it though, rest time is important too!).
If your dog is shredding the Puppy Pads, there’s also a risk of them eating their Puppy Pads.
⚠️⛔️Is It Dangerous For Dogs To Eat Puppy Pads?
Yes, it can be dangerous for your dog to eat Puppy Pads. If it looks like your puppy ate a significant amount of their Puppy Pad, it’s best to call your vet.
💩⛔️What Happens If A Dog Eats A Puppy Pad?
Well, think about it this way: Puppy Pads have been designed to be absorbent. If they land in your puppy’s belly, they could absorb fluids from the gastrointestinal tract and grow in size. If they grow bigger, they might get stuck in your puppy’s body on the way out, and that’s not good.
♻️Why go re-useable?
With disposable pee pads, the materials are thin, paper like materials that are easily torn or shredded. As you know, dogs do enjoy tearing up certain materials like this, and unfortunately, they tend to tear up the disposable pads and make a mess with urine soaked material!
Dry Paws Washable pee pads offer up to 4 layers of commercial grade textile that hold up under chewing, nails & dragging around.
🐶🐶🐶What signs should you look for to see if your puppy is getting it!!
If you ever find your dog looking through the window or at your door, then they turn and glance at you before returning their eyes towards the window or door, then they need to go to the bathroom.
Also, if they start whining out of nowhere, then they might need to go out to poop. If your puppy starts giving you these signs, then you could give yourself a pat on the back and your dog some treats because they’re finally potty trained. Congratulations on surviving this hard phase of puppyhood!
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As part of joining our Pups With Benefits program by purchasing from us, we offer a 25% discount on all products in store for our pup family.
Just use PUPSWITHBENEFITS at checkout to claim
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If you have any potty training questions, feel free to leave them in the comments in our secret puppy training facebook group and we will try to get back to you with helpful advice!!
