# Puppy pads



## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Hi,

I am sure this has been asked before but I just needed advice. I know this is premature but I don't know exactly how to go from puppy pads/ outside to just outside eventually. I have read books but seeing that Havs are a little different to housetrain I figured this was the place to ask! (and give poor Laurie a break from all my questions! )

So I have an xpen with crate and puppy pad set up. I try to take him out as soon as he wakes up, eats or plays. The weather here is horrible, wet and windy and getting cold. If I let him use the pads in bad weather instead of taking him out will that confuse him? I have to admit, the pads are a nice convenience in bad weather!
I would like to eventually only go outside, my husband won't go for the puppy pads when he is grown. We know that won't be for a long time but I want to try to start us on the right track.
Thanks for any help, hints, or links to previous threads on this topic!
-Diana & Teddy


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## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

That was the question I had too when I first got Houston. I think there is a thread somewhere on potty training. Houston started on Pee pads and now goes outside all the time. 

I use a human pee pad (he started shredding the disposables) for emergencies in case he has to go before we get to him. He really hasn't used it though.


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Thank you Rita! Do you know the link to that thread. I don't know what I am doing wrong!

-Diana


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## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=250&highlight=potty+training

Here is one. Hope it comes up. You can go up into Search and then type in potty training. I guess it was discussed a lot.

I know we bought the book "Potty Training for Dummies" I liked it and even passed it on to friends.
Although the book said you cannot do both. You will see that some on this forum use both outside and inside. Some even go on command.


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## JanB (Oct 26, 2007)

Diana, we initially tried both pee pads and outside but it didn't work for us. She did get confused about what was a pee pad and what wasn't (rugs, etc). And personally I didn't care for the smell. My DH couldn't stand the idea of going in the house either. So now we work on going on command outside so when she is out in bad weather she goes quickly  And she's learned to use the bells so that is pretty cool!

I know some people who use both successfully, it just wasn't for us.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I use both mainly because they are not crated and they are left alone sometimes. They go out first thing in the A.M. That's usually pee and poop. When I get home from work (about 1pm) and I walk them and they do whatever they have to do. They will use the pads during the day if I am not home, or if my Mom isn't paying attention to them.

I am trying to get them off the pads now. I think it would work with Kodi, because he will ring the bells sometimes. But, Shelby is the one I have problems with. So, if it means her going on the pee pad, or my rug, I'll keep the pads in the house a while longer.


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## HayCarambaMama (Dec 8, 2007)

I used the pee pads in the ex pen for "accidents." When she'd go on them, I'd show her and say, "no, no, outside" and take her outside right away to her potty place. Whenever she'd go in her potty place outside I made sure to have a little praise party or treat for her. Within a month, I was able to completely removed the pee pads from her ex pen (sometimes I felt that when they were there, they were encouraging her to use them, IYKWIM?) and house accidents are quite rare.
In that training month, she would have occational accidents outside her pen, but I never let her out of it without supervision, so I was almost always able to "catch her in the act," say "no, no, outside" and take her out.
A lot of people do the bell thing, but I just never got into that. I just take her out every 2-4 hours during the day. When I leave her during the day, I crate her and she never soils her crate. Yay.


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## Kathy (Nov 9, 2006)

Diana,
If you don't let him get use to going out in bad weather now, he won't like it later either. <grin> Also, training in bad weather can actually be to your advantage as they too want to get back in sooner then later. However, bad weather in California is probably different then your bad weather since you are in NY. The advantage of pee pads is they learn to use them when you travel too.


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! I did read Housetraining for Dummies, thats what made me worried I was going to confuse him since it said both couldn't be done. But I do work 2 days a week and if it is just my mom here watching Teddy and my 2 kids I thought it may be too much for her at first, so the pads would be a great thing until he is more reliable. I don't know if that would be too confusing- only when Nana's here you can use them! That seems similar to your situation Michele. Oh well I guess we will see what works best.

Kathy, I think I probably don't like the bad weather here more than Teddy! The weather is supposed to be nicer this week though!

Donna, it's nice to see you also have younger kids and are actually wanting *another* Hav! Many of my friends thought I was nuts to get a puppy, it would be too much. But I love it! These dogs are something special!

-Diana


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Diana~ Tori uses both pee pads and will go outside. She's almost 5 mos. old and has just started letting us know she needs to go out, by whining at the door. We haven't trained her to do this, she just started it on her own. I may start using bells since, it's difficult to hear her from some rooms. 

She came to us 95% trained to the pads at 10 wks. old.:whoo: We don't really mind her using the pads and have pretty much left it up to her to decide which she prefers. I like the idea of her being comfortable using both. It's nice she uses them when we go visit Grammie in her apt. :biggrin1: Right now she's still using the pads a bit more at home than asking to go out. But, she has a pad in her expen to use whenever we're gone but, for the most part, she waits until we return to take her outside to go. She's a smart cookie and I don't think she's at all confused by using both.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I think for the most part dogs prefer to go outside. For Bogart I had a pee pad in the kitchen. Regardless of the weather rain, snow, freezing cold, or sunshine, I took him out every morning, when I came home from work, and before going to bed. When I left for work in the morning, I locked him in the kitchen with his crate open and a pee pad in the corner that way if he had to go then he went on the pad. During the evenings or on weekends I let him run through the home but left the pee pad out for those times where if he all of a sudden had to pee he would use the pad. 

Eventually as he got older and learned to hold his bladder longer there came a point where I noticed that when I came home from work, there was nothing on the pad. 

Brando is probably going to be tougher to train. I got him at 4.5months and I think he was used to going on paper in his pen which was basically the whole floor. Generally he's pretty good but there are days like yesterday where we have total regression.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Diana, don't tell my dogs that both can't be done because they don't know any better. I have my dogs and a visitor with us this week, and this morning I woke them all up and told them we were going outside. When I got to the back door, I saw the patio was all wet and there is no way I'm letting a bunch of Havs in full coat out into the rain - especially since three of them have all white legs! I told them they were going to the potty area in the dog room instead and they all ran in there and did their business on the potty pads. Even with a visitor, we haven't had any accidents, so please don't tell them that they can't do it. Two of them are puppies!


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

This all sounds very encouraging! I was so afraid if I didn't make the decision at the start I would be totally setting ourselves up for disaster!  They certainly are very smart little guys.

Kimberly, that is the exact situation I am concerned about! Now they will only go on the pads when you tell them? Otherwise they will wait to go outside?

Thanks!
Diana


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If they really have to go and I haven't opened the door, they all head to the potty pads (even our guest). If I have to leave, and I put them in the dog room, they just go straight over to the potty area.

They'd prefer to go outside, but they don't make themselves miserable over waiting for the door to open either. My older ones will hold it almost all day just in case I open the door, but if they feel the urge, they head over to the pads.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

If Shelby doesn't go outside before bedtime, I put her on the pee pad before we get into bed and tell her to pee. That usually works. Kodi is different. If they don't go outside due to the weather, then he will just use the pee pad without me telling him.


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## brandy (Jun 12, 2007)

I have my x-pen around a doggy door. That way when they are not with me I can put them in there and they let themselves in and out. Also when they are in the house running around with me I leave the x-pen door open and they go into the x=pen to let themselves out when they have to go. It works out good. I started by putting the potty pads in the x-pen with them, then eventually eliminated them all togeather.


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