Vital Simple Solution Puppy Training Pads

Things have changed a great deal since I got my first puppy many years ago and it would seem, if you go round the shops, that the days of training puppies using newspaper spread everywhere are long gone. You can now buy 'Puppy Training Pads' to use instead.

So, with a brand new puppy due to arrive I bought myself a pack of 30 pads (price £9.99) so that we could try out the 'modern' way.

==What are they?==

...a plastic backing sheet which are allegedly treated with something to make them attractive to the puppy when it wants to toilet. The idea is that you can train the puppy to use these and gradually get it used to going to a particular place.

You place the pad (plastic side down) on the floor and put the puppy on it and then it should use that area when it feels the need to use the toilet. The manufacturers say once you find out where ... more

Things have changed a great deal since I got my first puppy many years ago and it would seem, if you go round the shops, that the days of training puppies using newspaper spread everywhere are long gone. You can now buy 'Puppy Training Pads' to use instead.

So, with a brand new puppy due to arrive I bought myself a pack of 30 pads (price £9.99) so that we could try out the 'modern' way.

What are they?

Very simply they are sheets of absorbent material with a plastic backing sheet which are allegedly treated with something to make them attractive to the puppy when it wants to toilet. The idea is that you can train the puppy to use these and gradually get it used to going to a particular place.

You place the pad (plastic side down) on the floor and put the puppy on it and then it should use that area when it feels the need to use the toilet. The manufacturers say once you find out where your puppy prefers to go to the toilet you can gradually decrease the number of pads you use. The pads also have 'built in deodorisers' to control odours.

Do they work?

Well I suppose they do in that they do soak up the urine and protect the carpet underneath and they are easy to dispose of. To be honest as I have had puppies before I do find it relatively easy to spot the tell tale signs when a puppy needs to go outside to go to the toilet. Plus I follow the rules of putting him outside as soon as he wakes and after a feed and I found that during the first week here we only had two instances when he toileted indoors anyway which makes it hard for me to judge. You can do just the same with newspaper but liquids do soak through newspaper and sometimes the print can rub off on to the carpet so newspaper isn't a perfect solution although it is cheap.

I also tried the new idea of putting him a crate at night and sometimes during the day and that was also a considerable help in terms of housetraining. I used a puppy pad in the crate beside his bed in case he had an urgent need and there was one day when he had an upset tummy when I was really glad it was there as it made cleaning up the crate very simple indeed - cleaning up the puppy was much more of a challenge!

Are they necessary?

Well in my experience they weren't really needed. If you have had dogs before and are familiar with how they behave then housetraining is fairly easy - I remember the breeder of my first Great Dane telling me that if I hadn't got him housetrained in a week the problem was me and not the dog! Before you beat yourself up that means the dog should understand the principles within a week but you may still get the odd accident.

However in their defence they are a useful product to have around with a puppy. Sadly little Ellery suffered from car sickness at first and by putting one of these in the carrier it contained the problem and made cleaning up very easy so I certainly haven't wasted them. The pack of 30 is now about half used but I am sure that with three cats and a dog they will have their uses for the times when they may be sick etc but in terms of puppy house training I have only used three or four.

Would I recommend them?

Yes, if you are getting a first puppy and both of you are new to housetraining but no if you have had dogs before and know the routine. That said they are handy as liners for animal carriers and they do soak up liquids pretty well so I would recommend them to any pet owners who may need to transport sick animals. In other words they have many uses but perhaps not those they are made for! 

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