Puppy Wee Pads

[Rozzie]

Dumb question time... again...

We have gone up market in Mudgee and have a new Big W store. In the brochure they were advertising puppy wee pads.

How do they work?

[Divine Angel]

Far as I know, it's a bit like training with newspaper. The pads absorb the wee and as you move them closer to the door, the puppy (in theory) will learn to do wee outside.

My mum was considering them for her pup Ro, but thought he'd probably eat them... ;)

[Jed]

They are a bit like a flat disposable nappy. Plastic, wadding and lining. You put them on the floor and the pup uses them instead of your brand new carpet. They are impregnated with something which suggests to pups - "go here" although they do not obviously smell.

I have found the majority of pups use them, though some will not.

You do not need to throw them away after each use - they can be dried,(on the line) and soil shaken off them (not if it is runny though!!).

[SALTWOOD]

Have had pups that will use them but majority only wanted to rip them up!! :D

Depends on how your pup reacts to them and how effective your training techniques are - they don't just work because you put them down, you do have to train the pup too! ;)

[carebear]

I have found the majority of pups use them, though some will not.

my lucy was one who wouldn't use them ;) was not happy with toilet training her. took months! (about 3) to get her to go outside whenever she needed to go! (didn't have this problem with maddie. took maddie a week or 2)

[lilypily]

I think they are a waste of money. Just use sheets of newspaper.

[George my Doggie]

I just taught my pup to go straight outside and put newspaper down while I was out so he wouldn't go all over the floor.

Took me a week to housetrain him.

I think the whole train to go on newspaper, then less and less newspaper then outside is a waste of time and methinks it would just confuse the dog.

[Miranda]

I think the whole train to go on newspaper, then less and less newspaper then outside is a waste of time and methinks it would just confuse the dog.

Yes I agree with you, I always train my dogs to go outside from the very start, the newspaper/wee pad thing is a waste of time IMO. However I'm sure that lots of people find that the newspaper/wee pad method works for them. I just couldn't be bothered with it.

[KOE`VU]

I found training koe`vu to gp straight outside was easiest but i was home with him 24/7 for the dirst 6 weeks. We did put news paper down at night time tho cause he tended not to like going outside on his own at night but he got the hang of it. On the other hand, my cousin has got a lil pup and she swears by the wee wee pads.. guess the only way to find out if they are going to work for you is if u try them!

[George my Doggie]

hmmm...

It can be useful for toy breeds. if you have to be out for a long time you can just leave sheets of newspaper by the door and if it was paper trained it would know what they were there for.

But you wouldn't want a medium, large or giant breed releaving itself inside!

However, I still think straight outside is better.

[carebear]

Yes I agree with you, I always train my dogs to go outside from the very start, the newspaper/wee pad thing is a waste of time IMO.

we were teaching her to go outside from word go, but she just wouldn't learn (only thing she didn't pick up super quick) the wee pads/newspaper inside were for when she'd sneak off and do it without us catching her. even then she wouldn't use them tho. she just basically refused to be toilet trained me thinks. nothing worked.

even now at 2 years of age she still goes inside during the night as she can't hang on for a bit less than 8 hours (either that or the other dog is becoming incontinent in her old age, hard to tell) but now she'll at least wee on the newspaper, but won't poo on it.

where they sleep is under the house (enclosed) with a concrete floor so easy to scrub and disinfect.

[RnB]

I`ll send you some Rozzie...that you can test drive with the younguns!

Bet you`ll be cursing me when you are picking up the torn up pieces?

Altho we have some now that are very tear resistant and come with a small bottle of pheremone attractant, to entice pup?

Many people buy them for oldies that have to be left inside or dogs that are convalescing after operations etc.

[becks]

I thought I would try them with my 6 week old litter. Their pen is covered in newspaper but I put a wee pad in one side, if anything they was less puddles on that then on the paper!

The second one I tried was just shredded.

When it comes time to really work on the house training the one I keep will be going staight outside. I'm sort of doing this now but it's not easy to get them all outside in time

[ninaandted]

we found them useful with my old JRT because we were taking her into work with us and she needed an inside spot because of the set up at work. we gave her a private back corner and she used the wee pads. bad news though when we went home because the carpet was the same colour and absorbent!!! it put back "normal" toilet training by a long way in my opinion.

with nina and ted being taught to go only outside we've had a much better result all around and much more trustworthy in that respect when visiting other people!!

I definitely would not use them again, even under the same circumstances.

[Charlotte]

My dog uses these if she needs to go during the day while i'm at work (we live in an apartment).

My problem is that often she will put her two front paws on the pad and squat...but the back end of her is on the carpet!! She does this roughly half the time. How am I supposed to teach her that she must have four paws on the pad though??

[ninaandted]

My problem is that often she will put her two front paws on the pad and squat...but the back end of her is on the carpet!!

that was the same problem with our freckle. except is was three legs and that last one was the clincher!!!

never doing it again!!

if you want to keep using the pads have you thought about clicker training/shaping the behaviour? I'm sure there are more experienced clicker people out there who could suggest something, but as a newbie to clicking it sounds like a good shaping thing to try, she's halfway there at least!

sorry - off topic!

[Charlotte]

What is clicker training? Sounds interesting...i'll try anything!!

[ninaandted]

i'm opening a can of worms now...

if you do a search on this site on "clicker" you will get lots of hits and there are some links there to other clicker training sites. if I start trying to explain anything I'll just confuse you as I'm only new to it myself.

[George my Doggie]

Ah...the joys of clicker training... Quite simply the most effective form of training I have ever used. I hope this helps.

The first step is to actually get a clicker, or you can use a word like 'good girl' remember that this word/click must ALWAYS be followed by a reward (food, play etc)

Next, you need to 'install' the clicker. Just click it and give the dog a treat without asking her to do anything. Reapeat this several times over a few days. Once you think your dog knows that click=reward, you can do a test. Wait till your dog looks away, then click. If she immediately looks back, expecting a treat, then indeed she knows the meaning of the click, if she doesn't look back at you, more work is needed.

After that test, never use the clicker to get attention again, because you will be rewarding her for not paying attention to you.

Now, ask some commands the dog already knows, and when the dog responds correctly, click and treat. make sure you click while the dog is in the correct position. it's no use clicking a sit after the dog has stood up again.

then you can use the clicker to shape and teach commands or behaviours.

When the dog does something good, click and treat. for example, if you are trying to get the dog to go on a puppy pad, out of 30 times she might go on the carpet 18 times and on the pad 12 times, it is important that you reward when she is going on the pad and eventually, that will become the new average.

She will learn that having 4 paws on the pad=treat and will go on the pad more often.

Clicker Don'ts

Never use the clicker as a command

never use the clicker to get attention

never click incorrect behaviour

clicker dos

time your click

always follow click with a reward

click correct behaviour

When you're teaching commands, you can click something that's kind of close to what you want the dog to do, the once the dog does that well you can raise the criteria and build up to the behaviour you want.

remember there is no room for punishment (or even the word 'no') in clicker training. If your dog does something wrong, no click, no reward.

Edited May 31, 2005 by George my Doggie