So you have read the guide on using puppy pee pads and finally, begin your training?
It seems so easy at the beginning, but when you actually start working, a lot of questions arise in your mind.
We have found these frequently asked questions which often go unanswered in pee pad training guides.
Here are the answers for you.
1- How many pee pads should I put down?
The number of pads you will put down for your puppy depends upon his size and how far he has gone in his potty training.
If your puppy is small, he needs less space to go but still, he doesn’t know how to and where to do it.
So, initially, the best practice is, to use 4 pads making a large square, and cover it with a playpen.
The sides of the pads should be a few inches out of the playpen so the mess doesn’t mess around.
Whenever your puppy needs to go, take him inside the playpen where the floor is fully covered with the potty pads. Close the door of the playpen.
You will notice that your puppy will fix one area of the pad-covered floor to go potty, maybe because of the smell of his own previous urine.
You can then slowly gradually reduce the number of pads until it’s only one.
Make sure that the pad size you are choosing is appropriate for your puppy’s size, as he’ll grow, you are supposed to buy bigger pads for him.
2- Should I use puppy pads at night?
Yes, you should use puppy pee pads at night, if you are using them in the daytime too.
Especially if you live in a high-rise apartment and you don’t have an area to take him outside to pee.
And of course, you wouldn’t want to confuse your puppy about exactly where he has to go.
This is why we always advise sticking to one single potty spot until your dog is fully potty trained.
3- Where do I put puppy pads at night?
You should place your puppy pads in the same area at night, where you put them in the daytime.
Remember? The importance of choosing one potty spot? So your pup doesn’t get confused.
If your puppy sleeps in the crate, you can shift his crate near to the pee pad and when, at night, he needs to go, you can simply go to the crate, wake him up, carry him to the pee pad and when he does the deed, treat him and put him back into the crate.
If you will shift the pad here and there according to your own and your puppy’s ease, he will start peeing on random soft things that look and feel like pee pads.
Make sure that this process is quick and that he doesn’t think that you are playing with him.
4- How will my puppy use pee pads at night?
When he is not yet finished potty training, it should be your responsibility to guide him and take him out to the potty spot on a good schedule.
Set your alarms for him, according to his age and schedule.
When he will be fully potty trained, You can leave the door of the crate open.
Place the crate near the pee pad area (to make his toilet accessible for him).
Most dogs, after being fully potty trained, sleep through the night but if he will need to go, they will go on their own.
This is not because of the training, but at the age when they become fully potty trained, they should be able to hold the bladder overnight.
In the morning, if you find that he has done the deed on the pad, make sure to replace it to avoid a “smelly house”. If there is poop, pick it up immediately (without touching it)
5- Should I use a puppy pad in the dog’s crate?
You should never put a puppy pad in the crate.
Dogs are Den animals, and they don’t sleep where they pee and you wouldn’t want to kill the purpose of crate training. Right?
Some people do this! They get a bigger crate and fix one corner as a bed where the dog sleeps and the other corner as a “toilet” where they put puppy pads.
No doubt, it is easier for a dog but we don’t believe it to be a good practice. It may develop bad potty habits and we never want our dogs to think that they can have a toilet break within their crates. This might be a huge mistake.
Related posts:
Puppy goes into the crate to pee?
Is my puppy peeing in the crate for attention?
6- What is the best place to put a puppy pad?
The best place to put the puppy pad is where he can access it easily, especially at the beginning of potty training.
After he is fully potty trained, we recommend placing it anywhere where no one spends most of the time. But it is still accessible for your dog.
The floor you are placing, on should not be carpeted, your dog might mix up because both the surfaces will be soft.
We can’t exactly tell you where to put it as we don’t know what exactly your house looks like.
7- Should I have a puppy pad in every room?
You should not have a puppy pad in every room.
When your puppy is not fully potty trained, you should confine him to one area of the house and make the pad accessible for him there. (Make sure that the area is the tiled floor for easy cleaning).
When he is fully potty trained, introduce him to the rest of the house gradually but don’t allow him to use every room like a bathroom.
Guide and train him to go to the puppy pad area when he needs to go.
By placing pee pads in every room you are giving your dog a warrant that he can go anywhere in the house and all rooms are toilets for him.
Avoid developing bad potty habits, these creatures regress their training so easily.
Don’t know about puppy potty training regression? Here you go:
8- How many times can a dog use pee pads?
The number of times a dog can use a single puppy pee pad depends upon the quality of the pee pad and the amount of urine your dog eliminates.
If the pee pad has very good absorption power, you can use it 3-5 times for small puppies. At this age, these little dogs will pee 20-25 times a day while eliminating a small amount of urine.
For large dogs, who have a “large” pee, you should change it after 1-2 uses.
And if your dog/puppy poops on it, you would want to change it as soon as possible.
And yes! When the urine is too concentrated and it smells terrible, you can change it with even one pee.
9- How often in a day do I need to change the puppy’s pad?
For smaller puppies who pee 20-25 times a day (even more than that), you can change the pad 6-7 times a day.
For small breed dogs, who eliminate comparatively more frequent and small amounts of urine, you may change it for like 4-6 times a day.
While for dogs, who pee only 3-5 times a day, you may change it after every pee which makes 3-4 times a day.
And yes, you can’t let the poop stay there. You can either pick up the poop or dispose of the pad altogether.
So as a conclusion you need to replace a puppy’s pee pad 5 times a day on average.
(Note: these numbers are estimated, your dog may have different needs and requirements.)
10- How many pads do I need for my puppy?
It depends upon how often you change your puppy’s pad.
If on average you are changing the pee pads 4 times a day for urine and 2 times a day for poop.
You are replacing 6 a day.
Doing some maths, it should be 180 pads for a month and of course, you would use some on walks too so add 30 more.
Have another 30 as an emergency supply.
So you might need 240-250 pee pads per month on average for one dog.
Again, this is just an estimated number, your dog’s needs and requirements might be different. It is possible that you will need 300+ pads and it is also possible that you are done with only less than 100 pads.
11- Can dogs use pee pads forever?
Many people just use the pee pads to potty train their dogs and when they are done, they transition their dog to go outside.
While on the other hand, many people don’t want to use them but they need to do it. Like people who live in a high-rise apartment or those who don’t have a space to take their puppy out to pee.
People who work full time and don’t have a person to take care of their dogs, also use pee pads to train them.
When you don’t have a choice, yes! Dogs can use pee pads forever.
In such a case, always carry your puppy’s pee pad so you don’t have a problem getting him to pee in a new place or when you are on walks. (or anything like that)
12- When can I stop using the puppy’s pee pad?
If you are using puppy pads just to potty train him and want to transition him to go outside, later on, our very first advice will be
“don’t do that”
Take the puppy pads away as soon as possible and train your dogs to go outside.
But still, if you want to train him on pads first then you should take the pads away when he is fully potty trained.
And how to transition him to go outside after using puppy pads, you will find the answer below.
13- Do puppy pads have a scent to attract dogs?
Not every brand’s puppy pad comes with a scent that attracts dogs to pee on them.
There are some brands that claim that their pads are scented to attract the dog but most popular brands don’t have them.
But in case you want the pads to be scented, you can use puppy’s potty training spray that is made of ingredients that smell like dog urine.
Or you can just leave the puppy’s used pee pads to make them attracted to pee there again. However, this might be a good practice if you are in the very early phase of potty training but not after that.
Find out the best puppy pads with attractants:
14- How to transition him from pads to outside?
If you want to train your puppy to go outside after being trained to use pads, you need to start slow and follow the gradual approach.
First, place a grass pad and cover it with his usual pee pad and let him do the deed there.
Then gradually reduce the size of the pee pad by folding it from the corners.
When the pee pad is small enough that your dog’s paw touches the grass, give him a treat and gradually make the pee pad vanish from the top of the grass pad, and keep giving him treats.
Then gradually move the grass pad towards the door and eventually bring him out of the house.
Place the pee pad near the grass outside and then one day leave the grass pad and take him to the natural grass.
Staying slow and consistent is the key.
If your dog has an accident during this transition, it may mean that you were not slow enough. So, slow down.
Don’t forget to clean up the mess perfectly with a suitable enzyme cleaner, so you don’t have to face the puppy’s potty training regression.
You can also do vice versa, slowly move the pee pad towards the door first and take the pad outside.
Take the pad outside to the grass step by step and then gradually reduce the size of the pee pad by folding it from the corners.
Don’t forget to treat him to create a positive association.
15- How to use puppy pads and outdoor potty training together:
When your puppy is not fully potty trained, we recommend staying with one option.
Either take him outside to pee or take him to the potty pad.
Choosing one potty spot is crucial for the process of potty training a puppy. You wouldn’t want to make him confused.
Once he is fully potty trained, you can gradually introduce the other option.
Say he is trained to go on grass, then introduce puppy pads by putting them on the grass and slowly and gradually move the pad indoors.
Alternate between the 2 potty spots, take him to the pee pad one time and next time take him outside to pee.
He should be comfortable peeing on both types of surfaces this way.
Got any more questions about using puppy pee pads? Don’t forget to ask in the comments.
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