Puppy Pads Training, Housebreaking a Puppy, Housebreaking a Dog
Puppy pads training – the best free puppy obedience training tips on housebreaking puppies & dogs using puppy pads.
House training a puppy using puppy pads is a controversial dog obedience training tool as some people feel that if you are training a puppy to potty in a certain part of your House – how will a puppy ever learn that this is inappropriate?
Puppy pads training is not a one of the dog training techniques that we actually use as we prefer to utilise our own understanding of puppy behavior and train a puppy to potty outside right from the start.
However, it is a dog training tool and device that is used and can be very successful.
We are simply writing about this dog training technique and it is up to you whether you decide to use it.
Below is a step by step guide to puppy pads training.
Puppy training pads are better at absorbing the smell and mess better than paper for obvious reasons and they also protect your expensive carpet as the mess will not run through the pads.
Although the basic theory behind puppy pads training and puppy paper training is the same – the pads are much more ‘mess free’ but do cost more than the average newspaper!
Your ultimate aim is to use the training pads until you are able to move the pads outside where your puppy will ultimately potty.
Puppy training pads vary in prices – you can choose to purchase a premium pack or go for the cheaper version. To be honest in our experience each one is as good as the other.
1. Start by unfolding your particular choice of puppy training pads and place them where you want your puppy to potty.
The plastic side should be placed facing downwards and the white absorbent side should be placed facing up. It may sound obvious but people do get it wrong!
2. Puppy pads training is all about gently encouraging your puppy to potty on the pads.
You should do this by gently placing your puppy onto one of the pads.
3.You should leave the training pads on the floor throughout the training process so that your puppy will understand exactly where you want him to go.
You should also heap lots of praise on your puppy every-time your puppy uses the pads.
4. Although the pads are normally already scented so that your puppy will be attracted to potty on the pads, the more you encourage your puppy to recognize that you want him to potty on the pads by placing your puppy on them the faster the toilet training works.
5. If you are using unscented training pads you can smear some poop on the pads to encourage your puppy to use them (personally we would rather spend a bit more and by some scented pads).
6. You should always give your puppy regular potty breaks approximately every three hours.
Although this is not always possible for various reasons, you need to be fair to your puppy as he is still a baby and let your puppy out as often as you possibly can.
Your puppy’s bladder will get stronger over a period of time.
7. You should not let your puppy have the run of the House while you are out as you can expect to come back to toileting accidents. Purchase a crate and start puppy crate training.
The Crate should be big enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around in but not so big that your puppy can potty in the corner and stay dry all day.
8. As soon as your puppy starts to recognize that the pads are for him to potty on you should then start moving them closer to the place that you want to use as your puppy’s regular toilet i.e the door – presuming you have a House and not a top floor Flat.
If you do have a Flat then maybe you are using the pads as a tool so that you are designating where your puppy does his potty-and don’t intend to use outside.)
If you are in a House continue to gradually move the training pads until they are by the door and then actually outside.
Puppy Pads Training – Mistakes happen!
When you are puppy pads training or any form of dog obedience training you should expect that mistakes will happen.
Use positive reinforcement, a treat and lots of praise go along way, and do this every-time your puppy toilets on the pads and immediately after it happens not five minutes after the event has happened! 
Reward!
If you do catch your puppy having an accident in the House – in a firm voice repeat the ‘no’ command and then immediately place your puppy on one of the pads.
You can only do this if you catch him in the act and not five minutes later.
If you do see your puppy using the pads – give lots and lots of praise and a treat.
You should make a really big deal of it as you want to make your puppy think that he has done the best thing in the world by using the pads.
By giving the praise and a treat your puppy will start to associate the two together and will automatically potty in the right place.
Continue with the praise and reward until you have moved the pads outside.
If you use all of the above information it won’t be long until your puppy is completely housebroken.
If you would like more training tips on housebreaking a puppy and housebreaking a dog then check out our section on house training a puppy or for an adult dog you may find our section on house training a dog more useful.
