Jump to section
Your dog has been in your life for as long as some of your kids. You’ve seen him grow up from the energetic ball of fur he was when he was a puppy to the older and more subdued dog he is today. He’s an integral part of the family. With age though has come health problems. He’s no longer able to make it for long walks or great distances to go for a pee. He either ends up giving up before you’ve managed to get him to a suitable toilet spot, or he relieves himself on your floors. You’re not the biggest fan of cleaning up pee and it doesn’t give the house quite the smell you’d like either.
Training him to use a pee pad only comes with benefits. It will save you considerable time taking him out to go to the toilet. It will also save him from pain and discomfort if he can no longer make the trek to the bathroom.
The good news is, training your pooch to use a pee pad is pretty easy. He may be aging, but don’t let it be said that an old dog can’t learn new tricks! You simply need to incorporate the pee pad into his toilet routine. That means consistent use and as few slip-ups as possible. You’ll also need to take steps to make the pee pad as inviting as possible. Treats or toys will go a long way to motivate him to embrace his new toilet patch as well. If he’s still pretty receptive you could see results in just a week. If he’s really old and stuck in his ways then you may need a few weeks to fully affect change.
However long it takes, it will be worth it when you have a straightforward clean-up, instead of a soaked carpet. You’ll also help keep him comfortable if he’s got health conditions.
Before you get to work, you’ll need a few things. A pee pad will, of course, be the first essential. You’ll also need a generous supply of mouth-watering treats or his favorite food. Simply break the food into small, easily digestible pieces.
The hardest component is time. You need to set aside time in the morning, midday, afternoon and evening, to ensure a consistent routine. With such a time sacrifice also comes with the requirement of patience and an optimistic attitude.
Once you have all of that, you’re ready to make a start!
The Set Up Method
Most Recommended
1 Vote
Most Recommended
1 Vote
Enclosure
Place the pee pad in a location he’ll be comfortable in. Placing it against a wall with some degree of privacy is a good idea. If he has three walls around him he’ll feel even more at ease. It’s best to get the position right from the beginning, you’ll get much quicker results.
Easy to clean
Make sure it’s easy to clean. You may want to keep it close to a sink, drain or trash can. All of this will stop you carrying a wet pad throughout the entire house every day. This will save you time and ensure consistency for him.
Size
Pick a pad that is the right size for him. If he’s a bigger dog he’ll need a bigger than average size. If it’s cramped he won’t feel relaxed and comfortable and you’ll find it much harder to convince him to use it regularly.
Privacy
Make sure it’s in a place where he’ll got some privacy. If there is constantly people walking past it, he won’t be able to relax. You wouldn’t want people staring at you when you go to the toilet, and neither does he.
Easy access
Also make sure he can get to the pee pad easily. If he has to trek half a mile to get to it, he may opt for the lazy option and use the floor instead. Also, try and keep it away from where he eats and plays. Nobody likes going to the toilet where they eat, not even dogs. The corner of a utility room if often a sensible choice.
The Familiarization Method
Effective
0 Votes
Effective
0 Votes
Introductions
Put him on a leash and walk him around his new toilet. Encourage him to sniff and take an interest. Do this at least a couple of times a day for a few minutes. The more he’s used to it, the more likely he’ll be to use it.
Get animated
When you’re around it, talk in an animated voice to get him excited. If he sees it as somewhere he can feel happy and relaxed he’ll be more inclined to use it. Dogs mirror their owners' behavior so he’ll look to you for approval of the pee pad.
Routine
When you think he’s likely to need the toilet, put him on a leash and walk him to the pad. Encourage him to go, but also make sure you give him some privacy by facing the other way. If he’s always at the pee pad when he needs to go he’ll soon get into the habit of using it.
Reward
When he does go, make sure you give him a tasty reward. A treat or his favorite food will help cement it as his new favorite toilet location. The better the reward the quicker you’ll see results. Also give him plenty of verbal praise.
Don’t punish him
If he does pee outside or somewhere else, don’t punish him. His bladder will already be getting weaker because he’s older, you don’t want him to start peeing out of fear. This will make it even harder for him to control it and go where you want him to.
The Verbal Cue Method
Effective
0 Votes
Effective
0 Votes
Routine
Make sure you take him to the pee pad regularly, whenever you think he’s likely to need the toilet. 20 minutes or so after meals, the morning and the evening are all likely times. If he’s always at the pee pad, he’ll be much more likely to use it.
‘Go pee’
As he starts to pee on the pad, give a ‘go pee’ command. You can use any word or phrase you like. Just make sure you give the command in an upbeat, high pitched voice. You want him to associate this command with good things and relaxing.
Reward
As soon as he’s finished his pee, give him a tasty treat and some praise. He’ll soon start associating the verbal cue with going for a pee on the pad and a delicious reward. Soon the command alone will make him charge for the pee pad to relieve himself in the hope of food. Practice this every day for a few days.
Bring forward the cue
After several consistent days of using the verbal cue, start giving the cue before he goes for a pee. By this point he’ll associate the trigger with the pee pad and his bladder will probably automatically start to relax. Continue to reward him after he goes.
Practice
You now simply need to practice this every day. If he has any slip-ups, clean them up calmly and make sure you get him to the pad next time. He’ll soon start naturally using the pee pad to go to the toilet, at which point you can top using the verbal cue and you can cut out the treats.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/21/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Abby has always used a pee pad. She got hit by a car the vet checked her and said she was fine except a cut above her eye. Now she refuses to us the pad instead is going in the floor. I can’t have her using my carpet how do I stop this and get her using her pad again?
Dec. 7, 2023
Abby's Owner
Since Hazel had a UTI she seems to have more urgency to pee and has had a few in house accidents, up to now she has always urinated outside. The UTI was treated successfully by her Vet. If I introduced wee wee pads would she still pee outside and only use them when necessary?
Oct. 25, 2023
Hazel's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I don't recommend introducing a pee pad because it could lead to confusion; however, you could set up a specific area you can close off as needed to put an disposable real grass pad in for her - the grass pad and designated location could help her keep the distinction between inside and out and transition more easily to using the grass pad. Setting up an exercise pen can create a distinctive area to place grass pads down on, to help separate that area from the rest of the home in pup's mind, then leave the door to the exercise pen propped open so they can go in and out of it to use it, giving treats when they go potty there. Disposable grass pad brands: www.porchpotty.com www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com Amazon carries some of the refills also. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 29, 2023
My dog has started developing some serious skin problems by relieving herself outdoors as the area near our house is really unhygienic but she is fully housebroken and she won’t pee anywhere inside the house. When I put a pee pad and take her to it at the times she is like to pee or poop she just stares at me and does nothing. She would hold it in for even couple of days if not taken outside. How to train her to use potty pads in this case?
Oct. 17, 2023
Cocoa's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I recommend switching from pee pads to a disposable real grass pad, so it more closely resembles the yard. I would start by placing the grass pad outside. Start with it in the yard; if you have a deck or patio, then move it to there once she is going potty on it well on leash. Keep it outside for at least 1-2 weeks to get her comfortable going on it. Tell her to "Go Potty" and give a treat each time you take her to it and she goes. When she is going potty on it well outside, then bring it inside, just right inside the doorway to go out if you can, or onto a balcony or area that resembles outside more. You can gradually move it to the spot you want it to permanently live a foot at a time once she is using it in the new location inside, but have an end goal in mind and once it is in that spot, do not move it again. Think of the grass pad like a toilet and the location it's in like a bathroom - you wouldn't want your bathroom changing locations when you really needed to use it. Real grass pad brands: www.freshpatch.com www.porchpotty.com www.doggielawn.com You can also find refill pads on Amazon. Use the real grass ones and not astroturf to help pup transition to using an indoor potty, at least for the first six months. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 28, 2023
Hello, so I have small white curly terrier and well she is pretty good with going potty outside and understand that "walk" is walking outside and going. However she is also okay with peeing on pads with inside the house I never personally trained her to go on pads but she kind of knows. My problem was never training her or being consistent with giving treats when she does. However when she does use the pads she needs privacy and sometimes thinks she in trouble when she does. Lately she has been randomly peeing and pooing on the floor instead of the pads. I want to correct this behavior.
Sept. 7, 2023
Yuki's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I recommend setting up an exercise pen in the location where you want pee pads to live long term, placing at least one pee pad in there, and using the exercise pen method from the article I have linked below. That article mentioned litter boxes, but the same method can be used for pee pads or disposable real grass pads. If you plan to also take pup potty outside, I would use the same exercise pen method but instead of pee pads, use a disposable real grass pad for consistency. Exercise pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Since she is older, you can add an hour to an hour and a half to the potty trip frequency times listed in the article. Rewarding her for going potty in the pen each time, while observing her from across the room at first, should help her become comfortable going in front of you. The exercise pen should help her learn to consistently only go on that pad by limiting freedom in the rest of your home when her bladder is full. Having the exercise pen and later just pads live in a consistent location should help her find her potty each time and see other areas as areas to keep clean - its important not to move the pee pads around once you choose your location(s) and pup learns that location - imagine if your bathroom moved around in your home. Finally, the method will go over how to transition her gradually to complete freedom in your home, something that likely was skipped over when first teaching, and can cause potty accidents if you skip, so likely needs to be gone back to to address and teach. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Oct. 6, 2023