You just picked out a new puppy and are planning out what pet supplies you need. You’ve heard mixed reviews about puppy pads, so you aren’t sure whether to include those on your list. Below we’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using puppy pads with young puppies, especially those learning house training.
Training Pads for Older Dogs
It’s important to note that puppy pads are extremely useful for senior dogs or dogs with mobility or incontinence issues. If your dog is unable to walk outside to go to the bathroom, having a puppy pad available as the designated bathroom spot is necessary.
Where Does Your Puppy Live?
Very young puppies must go to the bathroom every hour or so until their bladders develop the ability to hold it for longer periods of time. They are physically incapable of holding it and will develop the ability to hold it for longer periods of time as they grow. If you live on the tenth floor of a high-rise apartment building, getting your puppy down to the grassy area on the ground floor can be a challenge.
This is where using puppy training pads comes in handy. The attractant added to the pad coaxes your puppy to use the pad and having the pads in the same spot in your apartment trains your puppy to only go to the bathroom in that area on the pad.
If you live in a house with a fenced in backyard, you’re less likely to need the training pads. As long as you’re able to let your puppy out on a regular basis (at least thirty minutes after any food or water), you shouldn’t need to incorporate training pads into the process.
However, if you are not able to let your new puppy out multiple times during the day, puppy pads are essential. Best way to keep your puppy safe is to keep him or her contained in an exercise pen and have a potty pad in one corner of the pen.
How Many Puppies are You Taking Care of?
How many puppies are in your care will also determine whether you need to use training pads or not. If you are fostering a litter of puppies, it will be almost impossible to take every one of the puppies out to potty when needed.
Many puppy fosters always opt to use an exercise pen or sectioned off safe area in the home and have puppy pads available for them to use. This also cuts down on the amount of mess to clean up.
Why Can Puppy Pads be Counterproductive Sometimes?
Using puppy pads out of convenience rather than necessity can sometimes backfire when you want to discontinue using the pads. You’ve trained your puppy in their formative development stage that the puppy pad equals going to the bathroom. This makes it difficult to teach them to associate outside as the designated potty area.
Therefore, it may take a longer time to get your puppy accustomed to using the bathroom outside. One tip to help with the transition from pads to outside is to keep a training pad outside where you want your puppy to go. Eventually, you’ll be able to remove the pad from the yard, and your puppy will be potty trained.
