# Pros and Cons of having a mostly pee-pad using dog



## dridur (Dec 9, 2014)

Our hav was pee pad trained when we got him. We always assumed that we'd eventually ween him off it. He now reliable goes outside to poop, but we like giving him an indoor option to pee. It's very convenient, and since he's still a pup, it means we don't have to take him out 7-8 times a day. Are there any major cons to letting him do this? Is this going to form a bad habit?


----------



## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Whimsy is 5 years old and has a pee pad in a holder in the laundry room. That is what she uses and she has since the day we brought her home. When she goes in there and poops she immediately runs out and gets me to go pick it up and flush it.It's is so funny to watch her do that..(she actually follows me into the bathroom to watch it flush LOL! )I change the pad after a couple of pees. I am old lady and retired and I don't have to go out in the cold, rain, snow or the dark of night with her. We also have an occasional coyote in the neighborhood. Of course when I'm out gardening in the yard she is with me and just goes in the grass..but she is a piddle pad dog and it suites me just fine. I guess it depends on your lifestyle really. I have had several surgeries since having her and it was great that I didn't have to go let her out and watch her while she went and then get her back in the house etc. I have nothing negative to say about a dog using an indoor potty all the time.


----------



## Hsusa (Dec 21, 2014)

Sheba is an outside dog but I have been seriously thinking about training her to use an inside option. I don't see any disadvantages. My only hesitation is whether it might confuse her at this point.


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Scout only goes outdoors. When we got Truffles I starting using the wee pads because she was so little and I was concerned about her in the backyard. We tried to transition to the outdoors, but she is programmed to use the Rascal. Once in awhile she will follow Scout outside, but would never go to the door if it was not open. Using the wee pads does have it's benefits. I never have to be concerned if I arrive home a little late. The disadvantage is if you decide to use pads it can be costly over time. Truffles will only use the pad once. We have a two Rascals so there will be no accidents.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

dridur said:


> Our hav was pee pad trained when we got him. We always assumed that we'd eventually ween him off it. He now reliable goes outside to poop, but we like giving him an indoor option to pee. It's very convenient, and since he's still a pup, it means we don't have to take him out 7-8 times a day. Are there any major cons to letting him do this? Is this going to form a bad habit?


What kind of bad habit? As long as you are willing to keep an indoor potty for him, and he uses it reliably, that's not a "bad" habit&#8230; it's a good one!


----------



## Purplegirl091324 (Dec 13, 2014)

Penny was pad trained at the breeder, and I continued with it. She's now 14 weeks, and doing great with it. Granted, there were a few accidents here and there, and I expect that to continue until she (and I) get the hang of how things work. It's worked out great for us, and when we go to visit my parents (who live in a high rise), it's soooo convenient!


----------



## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

Henry is not house trained - he will go inside the house on a pee-pad.
So he's actually pee-pad trained.
If I forget to put another pad out (on the bathroom floor), he'll simply go on in that spot. Where the pee-pad is missing. He doesn't alert me that it's missing or that he has to go.


----------



## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

whimsy said:


> Whimsy is 5 years old and has a pee pad in a holder in the laundry room. That is what she uses and she has since the day we brought her home. When she goes in there and poops she immediately runs out and gets me to go pick it up and flush it.It's is so funny to watch her do that..(she actually follows me into the bathroom *to watch it flush* LOL! )I change the pad after a couple of pees. I am old lady and retired and I don't have to go out in the cold, rain, snow or the dark of night with her. We also have an occasional coyote in the neighborhood. Of course when I'm out gardening in the yard she is with me and just goes in the grass..but she is a piddle pad dog and it suites me just fine. I guess it depends on your lifestyle really. I have had several surgeries since having her and it was great that I didn't have to go let her out and watch her while she went and then get her back in the house etc. I have nothing negative to say about a dog using an indoor potty all the time.


it can be flushed ??


----------



## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

The pad is not flushed...I pick up the poop with a Kleenex and flush that LOL Is that what you were asking?? The used pads just gets put in the trash.


----------



## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

One possible concern might be forgetting that walks, fresh air, introduction to new stimuli, and socialization opportunities are good for your dog (and you).

This concern is tempered by knowledge of what happened to Freddie however.

On whole I can now see that allowing my Havanese Rory to eliminate naturally on her body's schedule helps keep her healthy and happy. I recently read a piece by Jidi Ziskin who has a master's degree in nutrition and animal companion studies. She talks about how holding urine can lead to urinary tract, bladder, or kidney infections, bladder stones, and incontinence.

None of us would thrive if our bathroom needs were scheduled by someone else. Indoor toilet options make sense. They also make me grateful I don't own a Great Dane.


----------



## dridur (Dec 9, 2014)

It's good to know others use pee pads past puppyhood! I felt a little guilty because other dog owner friends made me feel like eliminating outside-only should be the eventual goal and that pee pads were coddling him a bit. However, this works for us. My fiance works from home so we didn't imagine that taking him out every time to pee would be very difficult, however, Muthu's evening pee schedule isn't always predictable. We're in the process of teaching him how to pee on command, but for the time being it doesn't make sense to take him out every 15 minutes and see if he's ready yet (super disruptive for my fiance's work). 

He'll never let us forget that he needs to be walked! haha so that isn't a concern . First thing in the morning when he's let out of his pen he comes over to say hello and then sits by the door. First thing he does after he finishes dinner is to sit by the door for his post-dinner walk. Those also happens to be the times he poops (he'll pee outside then as well), so that works out pretty conveniently.


----------



## dridur (Dec 9, 2014)

Deacon Blues said:


> One possible concern might be forgetting that walks, fresh air, introduction to new stimuli, and socialization opportunities are good for your dog (and you).
> 
> This concern is tempered by knowledge of what happened to Freddie however.
> 
> ...


I just read through the thread about what happened to freddie! That's terrible; I have had a few scares myself with big dogs. Last Sunday, we were walking to brunch with Muthu. We were having a great walk and then once we entered the plaza we encountered a HUGE gsd locked up in a van with the rear window cracked open. He went absolutely insane when he saw us with Muthu and started barking and trying to bang on the glass to get out. I was terrified for Muthu but also felt bad for the GSD because it looked like he could easily hurt himself and couldn't believe that his owners kept him cooped up in their van like that!


----------



## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

My Sheldon doesn't use pee pads per se, but he does use an indoor potty. I live in a high rise in Minnesota, so this has been much more convenient for us. Neither of us enjoy walks in sub-zero weather!

I had worried that peeling indoors might make it more likely that he'll do so when visiting others, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I travel a lot with work, and a friend takes Sheldon for me - we just move the indoor potty to his house, and it has worked great.

I used treats to train Sheldon to go there, and he still gets one when he poops. It's so cute to see him rushing to me to tell me that it's reward time!


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Deacon Blues said:


> None of us would thrive if our bathroom needs were scheduled by someone else. Indoor toilet options make sense. They also make me grateful I don't own a Great Dane.


ound:


----------



## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

I totally agree with everyone. I pick up the poop with toilet paper and flush. 
After having had three 100 lb.+dogs and being older, I am so grateful for not having to go out on a schedule in all kinds of weather, even at times in the middle of the night. Zoe has her toilet area in the laundry room and she goes when she has to. I am trying to transition to the fake grass which so far works about 50% of the time. I have a pee pad next to it.


----------



## harmony (Jan 18, 2015)

I would love to have an indoor-trained dog, but I don't want to spend the $$ on pee pads. Would it work with a towel instead of a pee pad?


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

There are many options out there. Our dog groomer uses reusable pads that go in the washing machine. I buy a package of 100 pads at COSTCO for $15.00. We go through a lot because Truffles will only use them once. She loves the artificial grass, but once it is used she will not go on it again.


----------



## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

I didn't like the idea of disposable pads, and was able to find washable ones cheaply - from a company that employs people with disabilities to "repurpose" doggie pads from used hospital incontinence pads. After buying some, I decided against using them because I was worried that it would feel too much like a rug under Sheldon's paws.

I eventually bought a reservoir doggy potty which we're very happy with.


----------



## HavGracie (Feb 27, 2012)

Gracie uses a UGODOG potty system on occasion. You can just line the bottom with newspaper and change is as necessary, whether its once every use, or once every day or two.

http://www.ugodog.net/index.php


----------



## Hsusa (Dec 21, 2014)

okay, I'm going to ask the unasked question. How smelly is it? I've been seriously considering it, but my husband is balking, thinking it will be too much of a mess.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

harmony said:


> I would love to have an indoor-trained dog, but I don't want to spend the $$ on pee pads. Would it work with a towel instead of a pee pad?


I think that having dogs pee on cloth on the floor is inviting them to confuse scatter rugs with "potty places".

A litter box is a one time expense, and the wood pellets are extremely inexpensive.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Hsusa said:


> okay, I'm going to ask the unasked question. How smelly is it? I've been seriously considering it, but my husband is balking, thinking it will be too much of a mess.


Litter boxes have no smell at all. (assuming they are cleaned appropriately) the fake grass system I tried could NOT be gotten clean enough that I was willing to keep it in the house. I stayed for a week in a hotel with a dog who used a UgoDog (with pee pad) and that never smelled either. Of course, his owner also changed it frequently.


----------



## harmony (Jan 18, 2015)

Oh right, litter boxes! For a new puppy any sort of indoor system could be trained, but a litter box would probably be the easiest for Luna to adjust to. How much is a bag of litter and how long does it last?


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

harmony said:


> Oh right, litter boxes! For a new puppy any sort of indoor system could be trained, but a litter box would probably be the easiest for Luna to adjust to. How much is a bag of litter and how long does it last?


It depends on how often your dog uses the box. A 40 lb bag is about $5 at Tractor Supply, and I think I've used a bag and a half since last fall.


----------



## HavGracie (Feb 27, 2012)

The UGODOG is a hard plastic, and really doesn't hold any odor as long as you clean it routinely. The newspaper lining does have to be changed more often, as that's mostly where the odor is being contained. Sometimes I just spray it with a cleaner and other times I soak it. It's gotten to the point that she really only uses it when we aren't home, or if the weather is really nasty.


----------



## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

I've also found my reservoir system odorless. I've also tried a couple of artificial turf options, and they were too stinky for my purposes.


----------

