All About Pee Pads: How to Train
[Edited: 7 December 2020]
PeePads – The Real Deal?
Pee Pads are an innovation that really sent a plethora of pet owners worldwide into a thankful frenzy. The good people at marketing agencies would have you believe that these are indispensable commodities that no pet should have to go without. Here’s a breakdown of what these are and what you should consider before deciding to train your pooch with pee/potty pads.
Pee pads, frankly, indeed are quite a useful product. Once you train your dog and get him onto using them, you can safely say goodbye to ever finding mushy pieces of pooch-poo on your rug. They make life inordinately easier for people who live in high rises and have to go through the daily rigamarole of accompanying a pup in need of an urgent release through 20 storeys in a fancy lift; Or for those who live in colder climates and have a hard time dealing with their furkid’s keen bladder when outdoors. Not to mention, if you have a sick or a senile dog, pee pads can be quite the lifesaver there as well.
Not Without Effort Though
Dogs don’t automatically and intuitively catch onto pee pads or poo pads. Pee pad manufacturers claim that the pads’ scent naturally attracts dogs to eliminate on them. Maybe so, if you’re using them in a small space, like a puppy pen. It’s common knowledge that one hears from plenty of disgruntled dog owners baffled because their puppies sleep on the pee pads, pee next to the pee pads, and defecate behind the sofa. For a puppy or a tiny dog, a pee pad in the far corner of the room might as well be in Tibet.
Getting Your Dog to Use Pee Pads
Do this exactly as you’d housetrain in the usual, outdoor way: confine and closely supervise your pup between his frequent toilet breaks.
- Restrict your dog’s access in the house
- Identify when your pup eliminates and the timing (e.g. after meal times)
- Lead your dog to the pad and give them time to eliminate
- Treats and cuddles if he eliminates on the pad!
- If he does not eliminate, try again in a few minutes
- Using dedicated sprays or another dog’s pee on the pad may help!
Why not newspapers? Plenty of people use it with no problem. The catch is that once some dogs learn to love eliminating on newsprint, their love is lifelong. And which dogs are those? No way to know in advance. Nuff said. In addition, pee pad are able to hold liquid much better and prevent leakage on to your floor.
Pros
They’re very comfortable for your dog. Cleaning up is a breeze and is ideal if your dog is unable to go outdoors.
Cons
The one and only major gripe that most dog owners have with pee pads is that their dogs get used to them to readily, once they are trained to use them. It is a common complaint that the dog won’t evacuate even during long walks in the outdoors but heads to the pee-pad right on getting home. This can be quite frustrating but is definitely not insurmountable. All it takes is proper training to encourage your dog to learn that while pee pads are great indoors, nothing compares to relieving himself in the great outdoors.
What and Where?
Find a great selection of pee and poo pads at jawdropping prices at perromart here!
Absorb Plus pee pads are the most paw-pular in the market. This is due to its great absorbency rate as well as it’s affordable price. They come in 3 sizes: 100x Small (35cm x 45cm), 50x Medium (45cm x 60cm), 25x Large (60cm x 90cm).Check out the Absorb Charcoal Plus range, which features a floor lock system, 4x stronger odor control, quick-drying surface and is leak-proof!
For training purposes, take a look at PamDogs Training Potty Pad. Curated with Activated Carbon Technology, this premium pee pad neutralizes odor instantly and absorbs urine in under 10 seconds!
For a more economical options, choose Altimate Pet and for the best absorbency, choose Super Dry Ultra Absorbent pee pads.