Should Puppy Training Pads Be Used?

One of the first, and most important tasks that you will have with a new puppy, is to train him about where he will be going to the bathroom. Unless you are able to do this properly, you will have an ongoing problem, and a frustrated dog.

Puppy training pads have a scent that attracts the puppy to the pad when he wants to go to the bathroom. The only problem with this is that if the pads are not available, will he know what to do?

One key to properly house training your puppy, is that you will need to praise him when he does anything correctly, but don't scold him after the fact, as he won't be able to relate to the actual event.

The use of the training pads serves as a way to teach the puppy that there is a definite place that he should go to in order to relieve himself. Keep in mind that dogs are very adaptable, and once he understands that there is a place to go, you can gently move him outside, by moving the pads closer to the door, or actually picking him up and carrying him outdoors.

Another way to train a puppy is to crate train him, and this is based on the supposition that you will have him sleep in the crate. Dogs normally don't like to go where they sleep, so he will be more prone to hold it longer.

When you let the puppy out of the crate, and he begins to start sniffing the floor, and getting into "pre-pee" mode, just pick him up and place him on the training pad, or take him outside.

After a time you can just quit using the training pad and just take him outdoors, and after a while he will get the idea that beyond the door, is where he needs to go.

As dogs mature, they are able to hold it longer, but for the first six months or so things can still be in the indecisive stages.

Puppy pads are not inherently bad, but it stands to reason that they are mainly for temporary usage. Someone labeled the training pads as newspapers with a scent, and maybe that's taking it a bit too far, but you get the point.

The goal is to get Fido acclimated to the new procedure of going outdoors when nature calls, and puppy training pads can be one way of helping that process along.

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