Pee Pad Training

Pee pad training is especially useful for dogs that spend most of their time indoors or do not have access to a yard. There isn’t much difference between housetraining and pee pad training. The difficulty with training a puppy or a dog to use pads is that it is hard to get our pups to go to the bathroom on it so we can praise them. Despite any small challenges, there are a lot of benefits to the use of pads, especially with smaller dogs. It just requires a little more effort on our part, even though it is easy to do.

The Basics to Pee Pad Training

Make sure puppy is on the pad when they need to go pee (see our tips below to get them on the pad when they need to go)
When puppy pees on the pad, shower them with lots of praise
Correct accidents with a stern “no” but do not get angry, as this can cause your dog to become fearful to go around you.

The biggest challenge is getting the opportunity to begin with, to positively praise your pup. The most effective tool is being able to praise while they go where they are suppose to. If you use a few tricks, you will have the opportunity to offer that praise and develop the habit you’re looking for.

Tips to Get Them on the Pad

Choose a specific area that the pad will always be in, so you are not just training them to use the pad, but also to go in that specific spot.
Try placing the pad in an enclosed area that you can stick your puppy in when you know he is going to go to the bathroom and wait for him to go (first thing in the morning/after a nap or approximately 30 minutes after meals).
Make the enclosed area accessible when you are not waiting for him to pee, or keep a pad on the outside for when pup tries to go without you noticing.
Immediately let your dog out of the pad area if you have enclosed them, so they do not have fear of being stuck and refuse to go in on their own.
The biggest challenge is getting the opportunity to begin with, to positively praise your pup. The most effective tool is being able to praise while they go where they are suppose to. If you use a few tricks, you will have the opportunity to offer that praise and develop the habit you’re looking for.

Accidents

Accidents are inevitable and should be dealt with when they are happening and never 2, 5, or 10 minutes after the fact. Your training is effective when the behavior is happening or immediately after - it will be hard for your dog to understand why you are saying no or scolding him if you notice the accident after some time has passed.

When you see your pet going to the bathroom where it should not, assertively and sharply say “no” and pick your puppy up and place it on the pee pad or take him outside. Wait to see if he decides to finish, give lots of praise if he does.

The Key to Getting Pee Pad Training Down

In order for your dog to master using pee pads you will need to offer lots of praise many times to reinforce the use of the pad. If you are not extra diligent in watching for when pup has to go, you will miss your chance to really teach them where to go. Puppyhood doesn’t last forever so this won’t last forever, but keeping a constant close eye and attention on your pup is how you are successful. If you are consistent with your training, it won’t be difficult to house train your pet and you will end up with a dog that knows what you want and does it.