I am a firm believer that pee pads are a horrible concept. Beyond the cost, to me it teaches your dog that it is sometimes ok to go in the house and it is the wrong message to convey and confusing. I read an alternative method before getting a new dog in 2024 and it was great. When applying it we house broke a 10 week Australian Labradoodle in two weeks, most accidents being due to a hurricane impacting our ability to take him outside frequently. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when we picked up an 8 week old shih tzu. Obviously not as smart as a doodle and we thought it may take longer, but it only took 4 days. We have been accident free for nearly 2 weeks. Of the two we had, one was within the first 24hrs here, the other b/c my son forgot to take her out immediately after opening the crate in the morning. Now she whimpers a little when she wants to go outside and will run to the back door to be let out.
Trick was….present a special treat every time they go to the bathroom outside, but present it while they are actually in the act. Poop or pee, place a treat in your hand and while praising them, present it. As soon as they finish they come and get the treat from your hand. Some people just use praise, some only give a treat when they get inside, but this helps them make the connection that the treat only comes when outside and after going to the bathroom. Pick a specific treat for this activity that is not available to them any other time. It needs to be something considered a high reward value. We have adapted this for crate training as well with a special high value reward only available for going in her crate and letting us shut the door. Her whimpering time has dropped significantly and she starts to get excited for bed time.
submitted by /u/jimfish98
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