[Rain23]

First timer with a 3 month old puppy a week from now. When rescued the rescue said she was potty pad trained along with her siblings and crate trained.

At first she would use her pad correctly, now she uses her pad to lay and take toys/treats plus chews it and takes into her crate to keep chewing. She is in the living room and we didn’t know to completely restrict access unless allowed so when she was roaming it she decided to start going potty on a specific area of the room (not the pad).

“Leave it” and “no” are commands being used and even some flicking of the nose when she starts chewing her pad.. I’m afraid she has learned to just leave the pad now 🤦‍♀️ Help!

 

[LeoRose]

Except in rare instances*, I hate puppy pads, since they teach a dog that toileting inside is acceptable, and indeed expected. Start over with a fresh slate, and start teaching her to potty outside. Keep her crated if you can't be right on top of her. In addition to taking her out as soon as she displays any behavior that she's going to potty (sniffing, circling, etc), take her out as soon as she wakes up, as soon as she's eaten, after a long slurp of water, after she's been playing for a while, and every twenty minutes or so just because. Clean any accident spots with an enzymatic cleaner, and vow to keep a closer eye on her. And remember that at only 3 months, she is still very much a baby, and is just starting to really control her bowels and bladder.

And you've already learned that punishing her (the flicking on the nose) can have unintended consequences. Also, until they are taught what "leave it" means, it's just so much gibberish.

*I once had a cat who injured a leg, and had difficulty getting into a litterbox, so he used pads until he gained enough strength and balance to use a box again.

 

[ArkBark Warehouse]

I would recommend taking the pup outside every 2-3 hours and making it a routine, especially while you are trying to house train. When we get new puppies, the first month is always the hardest but if you stick with it and praise the pup when it potties outside, they will get the hang of it.