# Training a housebroken dog do use a pee pad



## MandM21 (Aug 8, 2012)

I just got my two year old dachshund/pomeranian mix a week ago and he is already housebroken. However, I live in New York, and soon enough it will be cold out, no to mention I have noticed that he is absolutely terrified of rain. I'd like to train him to use peepee pads whenever the weather outside is less than ideal or when he has to go and I'm not home. How do I go about doing this without encouraging accidents around the house?


----------



## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I can't answer your question but want to say that there is no reason for any dog not to go outside, including the cold. I know of Chi's who go outside during the winter in northern Minnesota. As for rain, he'll get over it. If he's on a leash, he has no choice. He's two years old and housebroken so he's been outside in the rain before.


----------



## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

I've been asking this question for 2 years. I would love to be able to have Pepper use a pee pad when the weather sucks. He gets very confused when I put pee pads down in the kitchen or garage and thinks they're there to lie down on...lol.

I hope someone answers this question.

*Inked Marie* - that may apply to you, but not to other people. I have a balance disorder, and can't walk outside when its snowing or icy.


----------



## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

lisaj1354 said:


> I've been asking this question for 2 years. I would love to be able to have Pepper use a pee pad when the weather sucks. He gets very confused when I put pee pads down in the kitchen or garage and thinks they're there to lie down on...lol.
> 
> I hope someone answers this question.
> 
> *Inked Marie* - that may apply to you, but not to other people. I have a balance disorder, and can't walk outside when its snowing or icy.


When it's icy, I don't walk outside, they go in their kennel. I have knee/hip/back issues. I'll be honest with you. If I had a balance disorder, I think I would have a puppy that I potty pad trained from the start. My neighbors have two Chi's in their house, their daughter has two....none of them go outside to potty. Ever. You go in and there's pads everywhere. I can't stand it and I admit that I wonder if all toy dog owners are like them.


----------



## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

Pepper arrived in my home at 1.5 years old, so the puppy days were long gone.

And no - not every toy owner is like that. Pepper gets 4 walks a day (for as long as my back and legs hold out), as do all my neighbors small dogs. The ones with the larger dogs do fewer and shorter walks. Sounds like your neighbors are slobs.

Generalizations really do a disservice to everyone involved.


----------



## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

As with everything, you have to decide if the effort is worth the pay-off. Teaching a dog to "sometimes" use pads and sometimes not will require a ton of effort and result in a number of unwanted mistakes (most likely.) I would probably try to desensitize a dog to the rain and hire a dog-walker when it was icey, or look at cleats that make the footing more stable for me.

I might also look at the indoor-potty areas that look more like the out-doors with turf and the raised platform. That would be an easier training step. Then you could just lay a piece of turf outside in your dogs favorite training area and teach your dog to pee on it until your dog liked turf and would use the indoor area when they got desperate. I would have the "loo" out all of the time and expect it to be used sometimes, even when I was able to walk my dog.

To pad train, I would lay a bunch of pads outside in my dogs favorite spot, keep my dog on leash, and praise lavishly for peeing on or near them. This would be miserable training that would have to be maintained to keep it clear. For me, it wouldn't be worth it. I would go with the turf area if I couldn't find a way to deal with the footing in the ice.


----------



## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

I live in an apartment and have a little patch of grass on my balcony to take her when the weather is really atrocious - like, a really bad blizzard (we live in Canada). You can put a small square of real sod down on top of the pet loo, or I just use synthetic grass. It's kind of a pain to clean, but at least it's outside and easy to access. I found that when you train that pee pads are ok, the dog might start to pee on any soft surface. Sometimes Butters peed on the area rug for example, and would prefer to do so versus peeing on a hardwood floor.


----------



## cmarshall1515 (Aug 26, 2012)

MandM21 said:


> I just got my two year old dachshund/pomeranian mix a week ago and he is already housebroken. However, I live in New York, and soon enough it will be cold out, no to mention I have noticed that he is absolutely terrified of rain. I'd like to train him to use peepee pads whenever the weather outside is less than ideal or when he has to go and I'm not home. How do I go about doing this without encouraging accidents around the house?


Well I have a 13 month old Maltese/Yorkie who I attempted to housebreak for months to no avail. Finally I put pads down in a room and she would use those after realizing she can't pee on every throw rug in the house. It did take me a long time to pee pad train her but one day it clicked. I would put a piece of her stool on the pad and use that spray you can buy in stores and she finally did start going in the one spot. HOWEVER I am now attempting to housebreak her as I have an 11 week old Maltese/Poodle that I do not want follwing suit. It has been for a better lack of words pure hell!!! The puppy is doing wonderful with going outside. My Morkie, Clara, has not at all!! She is completely confused. Will go on any area rug she sees. She will go where her pee pads use to be placed even though I have sanitized all these areas. She seems stressed and is going both pee and poop in her kennel at any given time even though she is walked every single hour. Occasionally she will actually when I walk her do what she should but not long after she will mess in the house. So all I can say is think twice about the pads as once you start it is very hard to break the habit. I wish I could wave a magic wand to make her go where she should as I am at the end of my rope with her. Good luck in whatever you decide.


----------



## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

cmarshall1515 said:


> Well I have a 13 month old Maltese/Yorkie who I attempted to housebreak for months to no avail. Finally I put pads down in a room and she would use those after realizing she can't pee on every throw rug in the house. It did take me a long time to pee pad train her but one day it clicked. I would put a piece of her stool on the pad and use that spray you can buy in stores and she finally did start going in the one spot. HOWEVER I am now attempting to housebreak her as I have an 11 week old Maltese/Poodle that I do not want follwing suit. It has been for a better lack of words pure hell!!! The puppy is doing wonderful with going outside. My Morkie, Clara, has not at all!! She is completely confused. Will go on any area rug she sees. She will go where her pee pads use to be placed even though I have sanitized all these areas. She seems stressed and is going both pee and poop in her kennel at any given time even though she is walked every single hour. Occasionally she will actually when I walk her do what she should but not long after she will mess in the house. So all I can say is think twice about the pads as once you start it is very hard to break the habit. I wish I could wave a magic wand to make her go where she should as I am at the end of my rope with her. Good luck in whatever you decide.


Man do I feel your pain.

There's something about Maltipoos that are so wonderful. Mine was housebroken after just two times going outside!! He just refused to go in the house. My Bichon, on the other hand, is 15 months old, and still not housetrained, or crate trained, as evidenced by the fact that she still urinates and defecates in it. I know what I'm doing too, and sometimes it's just the individual dog...I am at my wits end as well, and every day I feel stress just thinking about what I'm coming home to.


----------



## cmarshall1515 (Aug 26, 2012)

chubby said:


> Man do I feel your pain.
> 
> There's something about Maltipoos that are so wonderful. Mine was housebroken after just two times going outside!! He just refused to go in the house. My Bichon, on the other hand, is 15 months old, and still not housetrained, or crate trained, as evidenced by the fact that she still urinates and defecates in it. I know what I'm doing too, and sometimes it's just the individual dog...I am at my wits end as well, and every day I feel stress just thinking about what I'm coming home to.



I know right???!!! Honest to God I love that little dog but she is KILLING ME! All my neighbors tell me oh we always see you outside....um yes because I am always walking Clara!!!! Every single hour and she does nothing most of the time. Then comes inside and will find a place to relieve herself. I joined another forum and a member gave me step by step of what to do. Basically go back to square one with her. Back to as if she was a 10 weeks old again. I thought I was being consistent but I guess if she is eliminating in the house then I am not being consistent. Maybe I am just busy and can't spend every single waking moment watching her as I do have a full time job and kids and a house to take care of. She told me I need to make her LOVE her kennel. Make her want to go in it and not mess. Feed her in it. Give her awesome treats and such in the kennel. Keep her leashed to me ALL the time. I get that part but that is VERY hard to do. I can't have her under foot all the time. I did hire a dog walker three days a week so that neither of them are in the kennel more than a few hours at a time. Don't know if that will help but I am willing to try anything at this point to get her to "get it". I am going to give it until October 1st and if she does not "get it" by then I am going back to the pads. It is not worth the stress on either of us!! My Maltipoo goes out and goes but doesn't tell me yet but she is only 11 weeks. So she has a lot of time to get it! I wish you lots of luck and I feel your frustration also!!


----------



## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

cmarshall1515 said:


> I know right???!!! Honest to God I love that little dog but she is KILLING ME! All my neighbors tell me oh we always see you outside....um yes because I am always walking Clara!!!! Every single hour and she does nothing most of the time. Then comes inside and will find a place to relieve herself. I joined another forum and a member gave me step by step of what to do. Basically go back to square one with her. Back to as if she was a 10 weeks old again. I thought I was being consistent but I guess if she is eliminating in the house then I am not being consistent. Maybe I am just busy and can't spend every single waking moment watching her as I do have a full time job and kids and a house to take care of. She told me I need to make her LOVE her kennel. Make her want to go in it and not mess. Feed her in it. Give her awesome treats and such in the kennel. Keep her leashed to me ALL the time. I get that part but that is VERY hard to do. I can't have her under foot all the time. I did hire a dog walker three days a week so that neither of them are in the kennel more than a few hours at a time. Don't know if that will help but I am willing to try anything at this point to get her to "get it". I am going to give it until October 1st and if she does not "get it" by then I am going back to the pads. It is not worth the stress on either of us!! My Maltipoo goes out and goes but doesn't tell me yet but she is only 11 weeks. So she has a lot of time to get it! I wish you lots of luck and I feel your frustration also!!


It's nice to know I'm not alone on this!!! Maybe instead of pee pads, you should try training her to use a litter box? That way she won't start peeing on your carpets, rugs, blankets, soft surfaces. She must be about the size of a cat so you can get those small cat litter pans?


----------

