Piddle Pads for Pooches!

BigMummaF

Do people use the purpose made training pads that cost a fortune in pet departments for their doggies?

I guess I'm lucky in that I have two shops within a 12mile radius, that sells things like motorised scooters & walking frames for the less able. In one shop, I can get 10 disposable bed pads for £3 that are the same size as the [EMAIL="Pets@Home"]Pets@Home[/EMAIL] ones, & 35 slightly smaller pads for £7:91 in the other-much better value than the £11:95 for 24 in [EMAIL="P@H"]P@H[/EMAIL].:D

I think it may have something to do with VAT, but they work in exactly the same way as the 'proper' ones. We find the small ones are ideal for taking to folks homes-particularly Nannie who lives in a third storey flat-when we go visiting to avoid embarrassment.:A

One thing I would like to ask is re:bicarb & pet bedding. Would it be possible to sprinkle a little bicarb in the bottom of pooch's bed to help with odour control,:o or would it aggrievate a sensitive nose?

Hope you can help.

pboae

You can buy human pads (usually for beds) in any big pharmacy, they aren't always on the shelf, but they almost always sell them, for a similar price to what you are quoting. The only advantage to the puppy ones is that they have a scent in them which is supposed to encourage them to use the pads, and the backing is a little stronger and meant to be more resistant to chewing. I can't say I have noticed much difference though.

Bicarb is fine on dogs' bedding, but don't leave it on. Shake it on, leave it for a few minutes, then hoover it off. It won't get up their nose then, and will work more effectively too.

tiamai_d

Asda do Bob martin pet pads for £3.00 for 12.

I used to work in pets at home so even though I knew they were great, no way was I paying that much!

Use them with caution though, you have to stop using them to complete toilet training or they will keep using them.

You can also but the 'scent' in a spray bottle to use on anything you like (ie plain pads)

Is it a fabric bed or a plastic bed? I'd strongly recommend a plastic bed and a blanket. Easier to keep clean, less smell as plastic has air vents and pups are messy little !!!!!!s.

I scrub my dogs plastic one once a week and use a couple cheap blankets so I have one spare. Then I can bin them when they are yucky. Plus pups chew, and I would be so mad if he chewed a £40 bed!

Eels100

Personally I don't rate the pads at all - it's like training the dog to pee indoors - then you have to start over again training it to pee outdoors! Much easier (IMO) to spend a couple of days doing the hourly garden trips and skipping the middle bit. But each to their own!

tiamai_d

Eels100 wrote: »

Personally I don't rate the pads at all - it's like training the dog to pee indoors - then you have to start over again training it to pee outdoors! Much easier (IMO) to spend a couple of days doing the hourly garden trips and skipping the middle bit. But each to their own!

They are good for during the night though, or when you go out, which is when I used them. Saves the nice present of cold pee on a Monday morning.

When you are in the house though, they should not be used.

you_wicked_gay

I got a box of 100 pee pads from pets @ home a while ago now. They were on offer. I think I paid around £25 for 100 of the brand ones in a big box. I'm still using them - they've lasted ages!

Our dogs use the pads mainly at night time - we have the back door into the garden open generally all day as there's always someone home so the dogs can go in and out as they wish.

They do their business in the garden, unless the door is shut, then they know to use the pads.

It saves on alot of cleaning up. Once the pad is fully used you just bin it and put a fresh one down.

Raksha

tiamai_d wrote: »

They are good for during the night though, or when you go out, which is when I used them. Saves the nice present of cold pee on a Monday morning.

When you are in the house though, they should not be used.

One of the best ways of teaching a dog to do something is to reward it only occasionaly once it has learnt it. by using pads only sometimes, you are rewarding the act of weeing indoors (we all know the sense of relief that comes when you really really need to go!)

Ofcourse if the pad is down, the dog will use it - but I've had lots of owners come to me dispairing that their dog will ever be house trained, not realising that by putting the pad down, they were giving it the OK to go indoors - once they grasped that, and didn't put the pad down, the dog didn't go indoors (so long as it was physcially capable of holding it for that length of time)

tiamai_d

Raksha, I did say in a previous post

'Use them with caution though, you have to stop using them to complete toilet training or they will keep using them.'

They have pro's and con's.

Pro - saves carpets with young pups who can't go all night, or wait till you come home.

con - too easy to get pup used to using them.

It's like the 'complete food or natural food' argument. Both have good points and both have bad points and at the end of the day, it is the owners choice to find what works with them and their dogs.

moj1966

I tried using them but my puppy just always started to rip them up. Just went for the hourly trips outside, which worked a treat.

jrrowleyws

When my dog was a puppy I never had one accident. He was cage trained and it worked a treat.

Your puppy shouldnt be left alone long enough for it not to be able to hold its pee.

Fleago

Another tip to help house train puppies quickly is to treat the night hours just like the day hours and get up to take them out at regular intervals through the night. There's no need to say much or make a fuss which will make them excited, just calmly and quietly take them outside, praise them when they piddle or poo and then calmly and quietly pop them back into bed and leave them.

Of course, this is very tiring, but they do get the hang of knowing they should go out to toilet and will quickly begin to show you when they need to go out. We use this method with our pups and although we have a few days where we go about like half shut knives, it really is very effective.

Aww, puppies.......................hmmm, I must not be puppy broody! :rotfl: