# Puppy behavior issue - pulling wee wee pad



## bellasmom (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi all. Well, I knew it was too good to be true

Bella is 9 weeks, she sleeps in the kitchen. I keep her crate (with the door open) inside an ex pen. The ex pen contains her crate (with furry bed, chew toys and soft blanket inside), her food and water bowls and a wee wee pad at the far end.

She has been consisitenly going on the wee wee pad since we got her last week. We tell her "go potty" when she gets up from a nap and she walks to her pad and goes. We praise her, jump up and down and give her treats. She loves to "go potty" for us. 

Two nights ago she started dragging the wee wee pad towards her crate. I kept telling her "no", moved it back to it's location and got her sidetracked. Last night she started to do the same thing but when I tried to move it back she started growling and lunging and actually bit me (not the play biting, she was MAD). I took it away from her a few times and she kept growling. Finally I went to bed. This morning when I came down, the pad was inside her crate and there was a nice pile of poop on my kitchen floor where the pad should have been.

Why is she dragging the pad into her crate? I thought they wanted to keep their elimination area far away from the sleeping area.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

bellasmom said:


> Hi all. Well, I knew it was too good to be true
> 
> Bella is 9 weeks, she sleeps in the kitchen. I keep her crate (with the door open) inside an ex pen. The ex pen contains her crate (with furry bed, chew toys and soft blanket inside), her food and water bowls and a wee wee pad at the far end.
> 
> ...


Not sure what's causing this behavior and I'm sure others with more knowledge will respond. There are two options I can think of. First, buy at least 2 plastic holders that fit wee pads. They're sold in pet stores everywhere. Havs typically don't like to eliminate both pee and pooh on the same pad. No way she can drag that once you lock in the pads in. Alternatively, try leaving out several pads, maybe 4 or so, in a larger square so if she drags one there are still 3 out she can use.

Eli has never bit me, knock on wood, and I go into his mouth all the time to remove stuff - including food and bones, etc... I'd be a little concerned about a mad bite and definitely look to address it pronto. Good luck!


----------



## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

It happened to me with Ache. She was using the pee pad and one day she decided it was fun to play with it. I tried the pad holder but she was able to get the pad. Then, I began using something similar to the UGODOG, named the Purmi toilet. I bought it on Ebay. I put the pad inside it, she could not touch it and she knew it was the place to go. She is able to smell the pad so she will know. At the beginning, I also had two toilets for the same reason Eli's mom said. Good luck.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

bellasmom said:


> Hi all. Well, I knew it was too good to be true
> 
> Bella is 9 weeks, she sleeps in the kitchen. I keep her crate (with the door open) inside an ex pen. The ex pen contains her crate (with furry bed, chew toys and soft blanket inside), her food and water bowls and a wee wee pad at the far end.
> 
> ...


They usually DO want to eliminate a long way from where they sleep, but it sounds like she did that. Pee pads are just irresistible chew toys for som puppies, which is exactly why _WE_ don't use them.:biggrin1: Some people find that their pups will leave the pad alone if it is in a tray that pins down the edges. (available at Petco and such or on line) Others find that their pups even chew the pads out of those. For this type of puppy, (and considering the "paper fetish" that many Havs have, there are a lot of them!!!) a litter bog or Ugo Dog is probably a better choice and much less frustrating for the owner!!!


----------



## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

The pee pad makes a fun, crinkly noise when they drag it. It's also great fun to shred!

We use Pooch Pads, which are washable, reusable, fabric pee pads, not paper, so they can't be shredded (at least not easily). About 6 months ago, we came home to a shredded pee pad every day for a week. Someone on this forum recommended the reusable pee pads, and I love them. I wash them with Arm & Hammer laundry detergent, and then add in about 1 cup of Borax and 2-3 tbsp of Pine Sol. This way, they're disinfected and the Borax/Arm & Hammer get the pee smell out.


----------



## jetsetgo! (Aug 3, 2010)

Natalie, are you still using litter also or just the washable pads?


----------



## jacqui (Aug 7, 2007)

Ellie NY said:


> No way she can drag that once you lock in the pads in.


But she could tear it to shreds which is what my puppies have done. I've used the same plastic frames with newspaper underneath and a brown paper bag on top. They can't drag or tear up that!

My puppies, once they reach seven weeks, think the pee pads are great toys. This might be what is motivating your little one.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jacqui said:


> But she could tear it to shreds which is what my puppies have done. I've used the same plastic frames with newspaper underneath and a brown paper bag on top. They can't drag or tear up that!


Where do you get those? Kodi uses his litter box at home, and that's what we HAVE used in the travel trailer. The trouble is that any less-than-gentle turn or stop of the trailer and we have litter rolling around on the floor when we arrive at our destination. Pee pads would be SO much easier while traveling, but He's an INCREDible paper-chew-monster... pee pads without protection wouldn't last 3 seconds.


----------



## jacqui (Aug 7, 2007)

Karen, I got the frame at Petco but I have seen them everywhere. I put the pads in the bottom and then newspaper or open paperbags on top. Paper bags are fairly absorbent and they don't get the dog's feet so filthy.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Cool! I'll have to take a look. He's a fairly big Hav, and we use the larger size litter box, so I hope they come in different sizes. (he actually FITS in the smaller litter boxes, but they don't give that so-important "circle room". 

I DEFINITELY wouldn't use newspaper with him... he's mostly white except for his head, and it's hard enough to keep him that way as it is!!!


----------



## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

bellasmom said:


> Hi all. Well, I knew it was too good to be true
> 
> Bella is 9 weeks, she sleeps in the kitchen. I keep her crate (with the door open) inside an ex pen. The ex pen contains her crate (with furry bed, chew toys and soft blanket inside), her food and water bowls and a wee wee pad at the far end.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I kinda do have suggestion that 'may' help. It took me several months, 5-6 to figure out that Gucci wouldn't pee and poop in the same place, I had a real issue with this because I training for both the pad and outdoors and she would always pee on the pad but never poop on it and I began to notice outside that she will pee on one side of the yard and poop on the other, so I started putting 2 pads out (next to each other)..that didn't work, but then I put the 2nd pad where she was pooping and its like the light went off and she would use the upstairs pad for pee and the downstairs laundry room for poo'ing.

There are a few other havs on here who have this same quirk, I'd say its worth a try to watch for that problem, or even put a special pad down and put her on it when she hunches to poo? see if it works...

As for the growling, IDK. I am guessing it is a protective/possessive growl but the pad is an odd thing to be possessive over, idk..maybe it smelled like steak or food if it was handled with hands while cooking or eating? Remember their sense of smell is so much stronger than ours....

I use reusable pads too at home.., I even sell them in my Etsy store but I dont' have any listed right now. They are easy to use as long as no loose stools are involved, and it can plop in the toilet quickly, LOL
I use the paper to travel with, washing machines arent always that accesible in hotels

Kara


----------

