How to Train Your Dog to Use a "Dog Pad"

If it's difficult for you to take your dog outside, you can teach her to urinate on padding within your home. This process is called paper training and is used for young puppies or dogs with mobility problems. Patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement are key to successfully paper training your dog.

Preparing for Paper Training

Decide if paper training is appropriate.

Paper training is usually not the best choice when it comes to potty training dogs. It's better to train dogs to go outside. However, some extenuating circumstances might mean paper training is a more logical choice.

• If you live in a high rise apartment and it's difficult for your dog to hold it until they get outside, paper training might make more sense than conventional potty training methods.
• If you have mobility problems, it might be easier to paper train your dog than take her outside every time she needs to go.
• If your dog has certain health problems that limit her mobility, it might be easier for her to relieve herself indoors.

Select your padding.

Before you paper train your dog, you should select the appropriate padding for her to use indoors.

• House training pads, artificial turf training pads, or grass patches are good options. You can even findmale-friendly options so your dog can lift his leg.
• Certain house training pads contain attractants like smells and synthetic pheromones that make your dog more likely to select them to relieve herself. If your dog's having trouble with paper training, you could select one of these types of pads.

Decide if you need to practice crate training first.

Oftentimes, it can be helpful to crate train your dog before you begin the process of paper training.

• Most of the time, you begin paper training by having a small confinement area in your home where your dog can relieve herself while you're gone. If your home isn't big enough for a confinement area, you might want to crate train your dog during the paper training process.
• Crate training means confining your dog to a crate while you cannot supervise her until she learns to only urinate in select areas of the house.
• While some people think it's cruel to keep dogs in crates, dogs are den animals. This means dogs enjoy the cave-like confines of a cage. If you leave the crate open in a public space of your home, your dog will eventually become drawn to the crate and probably sleep or rest there periodically while you're home.

Paper Training Your Dog

Choose a crate.

This will prevent your pup from having accidents when unsupervised. Your pet will earn more freedom and more space as they show the consistent ability to make it to their designated potty area on time.

Select a potty area.

Once your dog has a crate, choose the area where you want them to potty, then lay down the pads in this area. If your pup has ever peed indoors, they already have a space where they like to eliminate, so this may be a good option.

1. Frequently take the dog to the pad. For puppies, you should take them there every 30 minutes.
2. If the dog is used to toileting outdoors, take a pad with you and encourage the dog to use it outside so they get the idea that it's ok.

Use verbal commands.

Dogs respond well to verbal commands. During the paper training process, use commands to indicate where your dog should use the restroom.

1. When you see your dog sniffing, squatting, or engaging in other behaviors that indicates it needs to go, choose a command. Something like "Go potty" or "Do your business."
2. At first don't say the word unless your dog squats as she won't have clue what you want. Then, say the cue word as it is performing and give a reward.
3. Direct your dog to their potty spot and give them a treat as soon as they finish eliminating.

Be consistent.

Train your dog every day and in a consistent manner so she doesn't get mixed messages.

1. Use the same command words.
2. Continue to regularly use treats while training.

Feed your dog on a schedule.

Feeding on a schedule can encourage regular bowel movements. This means you're more likely to know when your dog needs to eliminate and properly direct her.

1. Set a bowl down and give your dog 15 minutes to eat. Remove the bowl, regardless of how much she eats.Your dog will eventually learn to eat on a schedule.
2. Usually, dogs will need to eliminate about half an hour after eating. Watch your dog during this time and be ready to direct her to the padding.

Gradually increase the size of the confinement area.

As your dog begins to understand where it's okay to eliminate, increase the size of her confinement area when you go out. Eventually, your dog should understand where she needs to use the bathroom and will be able to have free range of the house when you go out.

Practicing Good Training Techniques

Do not scold your dog.

Scolding dogs when you're attempting to potty train them can be stressful for your dog and set back the training process.

• If your dog slips up and urinates or defecates away from her pad, scolding will only stress her out. Instead of learning not to urinate outside the pad, she will simply learn to do so when you're not there.

Clean thoroughly.

When your dog has an accident, clean up the area where the accident occurred. Also, change pads each time your dog uses them.

• Use an enzyme-based cleaner to clean up messes, and always read the instructions carefully before use.
• Make sure to clean the soiled area right away to avoid drawing the dog back to the same spot. Use a cleaning product that does not contain ammonia or bleach.

Prepare for setbacks.

Training your dog to use a pad or papers can be frustrating as dogs often get confused about where it's appropriate to eliminate. It might take longer than expected to paper train your dog.

• It's helpful to somehow mark the boundaries of where your dog can use the bathroom. Low garden fencing or baby gates can be set up to enclose the bathroom area.
• Make sure dogs have enough room to urinate and defecate. If you are going out, increase the amount of padding present as a dog might move soiled padding out of the way and go on the floor.