Teaching your puppy to pee on paper can help reduce accidents in your home and get your pup used to the idea of eliminating in an appropriate, designed spot. Buy special treated “pee pads” to absorb fluids and protect your flooring or use thick pads of newspaper for the training process. For best results, situate your pee papers out of high traffic areas of your home.
Designate a Potty Area
Place your puppy pee pads in a location that’s easy for your dog to find and that doesn’t interfere with household activity. Avoid areas such as bedrooms and kitchens to reduce the potential for odor. A hard surface such as a concrete floor in a laundry room or an unused closet with the door removed can be ideal potty spots. Not only are they out-of-the-way, but provide your puppy with privacy to use the bathroom undisturbed.
Start Training Right Away
Housebreaking your dog to papers should start the moment you bring your pup home. Puppies have a low degree of bladder control and can only “hold it” for about one hour for each month of age. During the paper training stage, take your pup, on a leash, to his papers every hour or within 15 minutes of playing, chewing, eating or drinking. Praise him with treats and attention if he does his business, but don’t scold him if he doesn’t. Keep him on a leash and bring him back to the paper every 10 minutes until he goes. Replace soiled papers as needed.
Clean Up Accidents
If your pup pees someplace other than his papers, clean the mess right away using an enzymatic cleaning solution to eliminate odors. If you don’t clean the spots completely, your pup will smell his “spot” and go back to it repeatedly. Don’t yell or rub your pet’s nose in his mistake, as that will only make him scared of you and secretive in his bathroom habits.
Transitioning from Papers
Older pet owners or people living in high-rise apartments or condos may opt for long-term paper bathrooms for their pets, while others use papers as a transition to outside housebreaking. If you eventually want your pup to do his business outside, use your paper training routine as a gateway. Move your pee papers to the door gradually, over a few days time, and eventually take your dog and his papers outside to go to the bathroom. Once your pup is used to the routine, you can eliminate the papers altogether.
References
Writer Bio
Lisa McQuerrey has been a business writer since 1987. In 1994, she launched a full-service marketing and communications firm. McQuerrey's work has garnered awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Associated Press. She is also the author of several nonfiction trade publications, and, in 2012, had her first young-adult novel published by Glass Page Books.