Having a puppy in your home is a great joy. But along with the fun of a new pooch comes the need to work on housebreaking. There are many different methods you could use to housetrain your puppy. While many people like to make use of a crate, others still favor the use of puppy pee pads. Which method you use is entirely up to you. If you’re considering using puppy pee pads to teach your pooch to do his business outdoors, are there some pros and cons that you should consider?
The Positives to Using Pee Pads
For many breeders, puppy pee pads are extremely practical from the day the puppies are whelped right up until the day their little babes leave for their new homes. Other breeders like to transition to the use of a litter box to help puppies to understand the differences between the areas reserved for sleeping and play and the section that is reserved for bathroom use. Regardless, pee pads are typically a part of every puppy’s life; it’s simply the amount of time they are in use that is in question.
If you are considering using puppy pee pads, it’s important to understand what the positives are. Here is a list of some of the top reasons to use puppy pee pads to train your pooch:
- Puppy pee pads protect your floors.
As cute as puppies are, no one likes to step in their mess. Puppy pee pads certainly help to eliminate that problem. You can line common areas your puppy has been known to frequent when the urge strikes with puppy pee pads to help your pooch learn the designated areas he is to use. These pads offer protection for your flooring and help to keep the area clean and dry.
- Puppy pee pads are extremely absorbent.
Puppy pads are formed from several different layers of extremely absorbent material to make them virtually leakproof. Some brands offer more protection than others. One of the most popular brands is Simple Solutions Training Pads. Available in standard economy and premium designations, the premium level pads are guaranteed to offer 100 percent MORE absorbency than the standard version, a win-win for you and for your floors. This brand is rated to hold up to six cups of urine and has the added bonus of being scented with an attractant which draws puppies to it when the time comes to empty their bladder. Two wonderful bonuses, indeed!
- Puppy pee pads make cleaning up messes a breeze.
If your puppy will learn to use pee pads, cleanup will be a cinch for you. All you need to do is pick up the pad and throw it away along with your regular garbage. No need to mop floors to get rid of lingering odors are residue; the pad takes care of it all for you.
- Puppies easily identify the spot they are supposed to do their business.
Puppies are surprisingly amenable to being trained to use pee pads. It takes very little time for them to grasp the concept of what the pad is for and to use it accordingly. While many breeders say the litter box method is more effective, leading pee pad experts such as Hartz, the manufacturer of Hartz Home Protection Odor Eliminating Dog Pads, assert that pee pads are a mess-free approach to accomplishing the same goal.
- Puppy pee pads can be used when your dog is not able to go outside.
Puppy pee pads aren’t just for puppies! If you have a geriatric dog in your house or your pooch can’t get outside due to inclement weather or other circumstances, puppy pee pads are an excellent solution. You can purchase puppy pee pads in a variety of sizes to accommodate the needs of older and larger pets as well. One of the top brands that offers large sized pee pads is AmazonBasics Pet Training and Puppy Pads.
- Puppy pee pads are available in different sizes.
Many different companies offer pee pads in different sizes to ensure that regardless of the size of your pet, or the size of his mess, you have access to a pee pad that is the correct size for the job. All Absorb Training Pads combine the best of both worlds by offering pee pads with extra absorbency, available in different sizes.
The Cons of Puppy Pee Pads
For every positive, there is usually a negative. This is the case with puppy pee pads as well. Some families love them; others hate them. Here are some reasons why families opt to use a different method to housebreak their puppy:
- Puppies like to play with them.
Puppies are canine opportunists who love to play with anything they can sink their little chompers into. Unfortunately, sometimes the object of their affection is their puppy pee pads. Puppies love to chew, pull, tear apart, and drag around pee pads. This is counterproductive to the training process as if your puppy is playing with his pee pad, there won’t be one there when he needs to use it!
- Pee pads can slow down the housebreaking process.
One of the strongest arguments against the use of pee pads is that it can slow down the housetraining process. Since puppy pee pads work on the premise of teaching a puppy the appropriate place to do their business inside, you will then need to take additional time to teach your pooch that in actuality, they are expected to pee and poop outdoors. Some pups will pick up on this transition right away while others continue to look for the indoor pee pad for quite awhile leading to frequent accidents in the home during the training process.
- Some puppies will mistake anything on the floor for a pee pad.
Some puppies learn to use pee pads a little too well. Instead of searching for a pee pad when the mood strikes, they will mistake any flat item on the floor for the spot they are supposed to do their business. This could mean accidents on blankets, dog beds, pillows, towels, or even clothes.
- Puppy pee pads can be expensive.
Though you can buy fabric pee pads that are washable, most people opt to use the disposable version. The problem with disposables? They are expensive. Puppy pee pads range in price from $20 for a bag of 25 to $35-$50 for 100. You would be surprised how many pee pads you will go through in a day; especially when your pooch first joins your home and is finding his way around. This cost quickly adds up, and for this reason, many families prefer to use a crate as means to complete housetraining.
Puppy pee pads: do you love them, or do you hate them?
Using puppy pee pads…or not using them…is a matter of personal preference. There are advantages and disadvantages to making use of this convenience item. Whether you use puppy pee pads, a crate, or another method, this phase is typically short-lived, and soon you won’t need to use anything to at all to teach your pooch the outdoors is the place to be when the urge to pee strikes!
