[garcia0993]

Hi everyone!

I just registered and look forward for some advice on this topic. I have a 3 month old Chihuahua, he's 2lbs 6oz. When we first brought him home, previous owners were starting his puppy pad training and he did well at our home on relieving himself on the pad. Recently though I've noticed he'll relieve himself off the pad, and was wondering i anyone could tell me why he's started this, and how to break the habit?! I swap out the pad as needed. I bring him to work with me, and when I go to check on him I'll notice his accident.

 

[+BlueMerle]

The pads are scented to encourage urination. If he's already peed on the floor then that natural pee scent will attract more urination in the same way. You need to hit it with natures miracle enzyme cleaner to kill the scent. Maybe put out an extra pad to give him more coverage and avoid proximity accidents.

My puppy came from having a pad w/ the breeder but without a crate/small pen I found it only halfway effective/interfering with training her to go outside and opted to take her out every two hours/when she gets up from naps/before she is allowed in any semi-restricted room (which she will most certainly treat as a toilet). Within the two rooms that make up her living space her accidents are down to 1 every 2 or 3 days (and usually because she got real excited, I over slept, etc. it's not really their fault) and I'll take that for this age (13 weeks).

 

[Lillith]

Pad training is often very confusing for dogs. The soft pad can resemble carpet, rugs, pillows, blankets, and anything soft, really. They aren't really able to tell "this is a puppy pad" and "this is a carpet" like humans can. They also don't understand that if key parts of their body are off the pad, the waste isn't going to go on the pad. They don't really understand that the waste is supposed to go on the pad at all.

The only fool-proof way to break the habit is to train them to potty outdoors. It's not impossible to successfully pad train a dog...but I have heard very, very few success stories, and even if they master it in their own house, if they go to another house they get confused, or if the pad is moved in their own home they may get confused and just pee in the pad's old spot, anyway. Some dogs just don't get, "Here, you must pee on this one square of soft stuff that resembles lots of other soft stuff frequently available to you in this home." And if your pup starts lifting his leg to mark...well, I don't know, but dogs most definitely do not understand that they can get some distance on their pee stream.

 

[Bluemoods]

Mine are pad trained for travel reasons. It isn't always practical or safe to take them outside to potty BUT, they are trained to use pads in dog litter boxes that are designed to hold the pads. That gives the dog a place for the back end to be and, they can learn that the back end must be in the box to potty. It also helps clear up the confusion with rugs, carpets, towels and, clothing left on the floor since none of that is in the box and, to the dog, they have to go on soft stuff in a box (though if there is a cat box that isn't covered, they will go in there as well as the dog box.)

It is more challenging to teach a male dog that he has to squat like a female in the box but, with patience and work, it can be done.