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Permalink Reply by Zigward & Kimberly on November 20, 2011 at 1:12am

Congratulations:P

I'm still on the waiting wagon xD

But as far as the puppy pad, I think I would keep it in one spot so he knows WHERE to go, not that he can just go anywhere.. Just be consistant-the first time you take a puppy outside to your backyard, they don't always go to the bathroom.. So I wouldn't apply anything special other than reinforcing that the puppy goes outside to go potty, ON the puppy pad. Good luck! He's really adoooorable.

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Permalink Reply by Alison Prasavath on November 20, 2011 at 10:13am

Oh my word is he adorable! Brings back wonderful memories of when Noodles was a puppy. We never used potty pads, so I have no advice, but I wanted to let you know how adorable your little Kobi is. Enjoy the wonderful memories with him.

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Gilpin on November 20, 2011 at 10:34am

He is so precious!  Congratulations on a new addition to your family.  Keep posting your great pictures of Kobi!

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on November 20, 2011 at 10:43am

I would recommend keeping the pad(s) in the same spot.  You can find lots of useful links (like this one) in the FAQ and through general forum searches.  

 

The way I would handle it is to keep the pads in just the balcony area.  If you spread the pads around your house, then he will start to associate your house with going potty.  You definitely don't want him to start thinking it's okay to do his business inside.  If he is crate trained, then keep him crated after eating/drinking for about 10-15 minutes and then take him out to the pads.  If he goes, great!  Reward with treats (if you wish), affection and freedom to explore and play in his new home (supervised!)  If he doesn't do his business, then put him back into his crate for 5-10 minutes and then try again.  Most likely it will be a few months before he consistently uses only the pads.

 

For any peeing/pooping in areas you don't want him to use (your living room rug, kitchen floor, etc.), be sure to clean the area with an enzyme spray specifically made to handle urine and stool.  That way it will remove any scent that our own noses aren't sensitive enough to detect.

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Permalink Reply by Lloyd & Elisabeth (Kobi) on November 20, 2011 at 11:06am

Good idea.

 

 

Ive been searching for puppy pad training, all have been the same concept but different ideas, getting us confused.

 

I wish i had easy access to grass, training to go outside was a easier solution :(

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on November 20, 2011 at 12:39pm

Well, they do have these sort of "litter boxes for dogs" where it's just some dirt and grass in a rectangular pan and people train the pups to go on that instead.  I have no experience with those, but it would be a similar concept as the pads.  Here's one that I found on a  quick search.  There are more than just that one brand available, but maybe that would be easier for you?

 

The thing of it is, the ideas around using a puppy pad and going on the lawn are the same.  Dogs of any age do not want to pee or poop where they sleep.  A puppy doesn't understand that your living room or kitchen are part of their home.  You want to restrict freedom until you're fairly certain he will pee or poop.  This, of course, varies from dog to dog, but puppies generally have to go within 10-30 minutes of eating or drinking.  They're small, so it's literally in one end and out the other.  ;)

 

It's important to have lots of successful attempts in the beginning so that he associates going on the pad as a good thing.  How you go about it will depend on your own situation.  Some people don't want to crate train and so they run their pup outside every 5 minutes until he/she goes potty.  I, personally, can't do that with Ellie because I have 2 small children.  I opted to crate her (since she was fairly well crate trained when I got her) and it has worked really well.  At six months, her "accidents" are uncommon and she is allowed to roam the downstairs freely once she has done her business in the morning.

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