# Pee Pad Training



## 1337f0x (Feb 21, 2012)

So I finally got Simba pee pad trained and during the day he goes to the door when he wants to pee. 

Last night my boyfriend asked me to put the pee pad next to his bed so he doesn't have to go to the other side of the room to pee. What does Simba do? He walks right over the pee pad, to the other side of the bed where he normally goes potty, and pee's on the brand new hard wood floor. 

I wasn't mad at all. In fact, I laughed lol. There was a method to my madness of the pee pad being AWAY from his bed. Well in any case, I think we all learned our lesson last night.

*LESSON OF THE NIGHT: DO NOT MOVE YOUR PUPPY'S PEE PAD*


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Unfortunately, that is one of the problems with using pee pads. Even once you try and remove the pad, if it has already become a habit and learned behaviour, it will be extremely hard to break and you could find him peeing on the hardwood floor in the same spot for a long time to come.

My sister's fiance has a bulldog, and they trained him to go on pee pads in the kitchen when they weren't home. Now, 3+ years later, he has free roam of the house and can hold his bladder for hours, but if he doesn't feel like he can hold it, he will run to the exact same spot the pee pads used to be.

It's cute when its a little puddle of puppy pee, not when its pee from an 80 pound dog.

I really would advise to wake up every few hours in the middle of the night and take him out. It will be a habit that will be really hard to break if he learns he can just pee when you're sleeping.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I would discourage the use of pee pads IMO it seems to derail potty training goals. Just tag team taking the pup outside with your boyfriend & he will catch on quickly. There will be some trips outside in the middle of the night. When you take him out, no talking or playing, he does his buisness "good boy or good outside" and back in to sleep.

I just wouldn't want my pup thinking peeing in the house is ever ok & those pads are confusing


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Oh gosh - I thought that kind of training left with the 60s unless it was something like a chihuahua.

Are you in a high rise apartment or something where just taking the puppy outside wouldn't work.

How old is the puppy-if it needs to go at night it should be in a crate and wake you up to take it out or you wake up on a schedule. JMO.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I remember my parents coming to see my boy when we brought him home & her saying "where do you keep the newspaper or pee pads?". I told her no way in heck were we using those and her being so confused. LOL 

I swear potty training was fast & easy...yes we were tired but those trips outside in the middle of the night became less & less. If you crate train it really makes a difference as well.

I would keep my rainboots, jacket & flashlight by the back door to make things easier.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

I would nix the pee pad and opt for crating at night. If Simba is over 12 weeks he should be able to hold it from 11 or 12- 6 or 7 in the morning and sleep in his crate. In just a few weeks one massive pee from him is going to overflow that pad and soak your floors.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

I also just have visions of a puppy grabbing one of the pee pads and throwing it around the room


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

For me...I'd rather get up in the middle of the night for a potty break, then to have to clean up potty pads. Blech. 

I can see the need for them when you are located in an apt. building. I've often wondered about racing down flights of stairs..or down an elevator with a puppy who has to potty. I've had to yank out of a kennel and race to the door with a pup who had to go so bad it's eyes were floating. I couldn't imagine having to race further than a couple of feet!


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Since I use the kitchen to confine my pups I do put newspaper/pee pad down. Unfortuantely (I should say fortunately) we both work and it was too long of a time span for crate. I never had a problem and in a very short period of time Lakota was holding it till my husband got home, boy was he happy to not have to clean up. I'd rather give the pup the option to go on a pad then pee all over the floor while I wasn't home.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

I can understand the need for pee pads if it is your last available option during the day while you are at work, or if you live in an apartment for sure.

However, this case is during the night, in the bedroom, and during the day they're letting the pup out when he's asking to do so (a great step!). The pee pads really will just teach the pup that it doesn't have to hold it throughout the night, and that its okay to pee on a certain part of the bedroom floor.

I'd much rather use a crate, take the pup out every few hours and avoid the pee pads completely. It is a huge pain getting up during the night, but its so worth it and will help house training along much faster.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I lived on the third floor of an apartment when we got our boy. We purchased puppy pads and didn't even open them...had really old hardwood floors which were easy to clean up when he did make a mistake. I also strongly suggest not using the pads, it really hinders the potty training, we had ours trained to ring a bell within 2 weeks and he was sleeping through the night just fine (12 to 6).


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## 1337f0x (Feb 21, 2012)

I try to avoid the pads at all cost, it's just put there on nights when I absolutely have no energy to wake up because of my work day or day in general, that being last night for example of the use. He usually wont wake up, or my bf will take him out D: 

I feel bad cutting off water before bed time that's why he pees at night, and he drinks a lot of water.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Like anything consistency pays off. Pups are inconvenient at that age, like babies. But he is getting old enough to hold it all night, especially if you withhold the water.

It would be far kinder to do that and crate him than to confuse him with what you are doing. GSDs are so darned easy to housebreak in the first place.......


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Waking up in the middle of the night sucks, but it's only for a short while, and best for all parties involved if you do.

I find that Jazmyn thrives on a routine. Same bed time, same nightly routine, same wake up time, meal times, etc. "Go to your crate" is part of that routine and she knows that its bedtime. She actually knows that its bedtime when we're getting ready to take her out for her last potty break, and she gets very happy, tail wagging, to get her few treats and go to sleep.

Putting Simba into a habit now is going to be really beneficial for you later on. Once he's full reliable, and you can trust him to be alone, you can remove the crate. But for now, crating will help him learn that nighttime does not equal potty time.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

1337f0x said:


> *LESSON OF THE NIGHT: DO NOT MOVE YOUR PUPPY'S PEE PAD*


I think the lesson might actually be: Look how I taught my puppy to pee in the house in the same spot.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I had a friend who used pee pads with his golden retriever. The dog would hit the pad, but also the wall, the floor, and basically anything close to that pad. 

His house stunk like urine all the time... it was disgusting.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Withholding water at night isn't unkind, especially if they've had all day with it. It helps set your puppy into a routine.
It's almost like picking up the food dish after not eating for 10 minutes. You gave pup lots of access to water during the day, maybe she'll be a bit thirsty for the first 2 days, but she'll quickly learn to get her drinking done during the day. Humans tend to not drink a ton of water before bed either, because it SUCKS to wake up needing to pee.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The other concern is that I have managed to sucesfully housebreak all my dogs but one - a terrier who was a kennel dog and was 2 when I got him...he was the wrong dog for my first dog as an adult and I made plenty of mistakes and very few used dog crates back then.

I have yet to have a puppy though who has not chewed up or swallowed some forbidden object. Fortunately I have had only one $700 vet bill from this about 9 years ago -- but they are amazing with what they will eat and no matter what you do something can get snatched up and gone in a hearbeat. No way a puppy that age would be loose at night. My 8 month old does not have that kind of freedom because I know I can't trust him yet. Each dog is different but when those teeth start cutting.......hooo boy.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

*Lisa* said:


> I also just have visions of a puppy grabbing one of the pee pads and throwing it around the room


i'm pretty sure that is what Kaos would do :rofl:


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## Malika (Jan 9, 2013)

I have a strange predicament. I'm following a training guide that suggests not fussing over the dog right when I get home. Home is on an upper floor. She's too young to go on walks (she's close...next 5 or so days probably). She's going inside...I'm experimenting with a pee pad where she has been going.m not sure when to put the pee pad out. She does sometimes think it's for playing with, which is hard to do much about when I'm trying to ignore her. All this said, she's doing really well in almost every other way.

Edit to add search words The Dog Listener and Amichien Bonding


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