The eagerness to please owners makes teaching a dog to use puppy pads fairly easy if the right methods are used. With lots of praise, consistency and a good dose of patience, you can train your dog to use the potty in a designated area. This is what puppy pads are primarily made for: to teach your canine companion to use them every time nature calls, and to ultimately prevent those unwanted doggy accidents on your floors.
Things You'll Need
- Puppy pads
- Newspaper
Instructions
Choose a spot in your home to place the puppy pads. Look for a small area where you can confine your dog away from food, water, and sleep and play areas. Dogs by nature do not like to soil near where they eat, drink, sleep or play.
Place some newspapers on the floor and put one puppy pad on top, leaving about an inch of newspaper protruding from each side. The newspaper will help catch and absorb any accidents if the puppy or dog is unable to ''hit the target'' correctly.
Place your puppy on the pad when it wakes up from a nap or after eating. These are times puppies are most likely to need to go potty. Watch also for signs of needing to go, such as stopping play, sniffing and circling. In this case, pick up your puppy and gently place it on the pad.
Praise your puppy or dog lavishly for using the pad. If you are consistent in making a great deal of using the pad, your puppy will associate going potty there with great things happening and will be more likely to use the pads in the future.