Personally, I'm not a fan of pad training. Don't get me wrong, it works for an overwhelming number of people here on YT. Not for me, though. First, I prefer that my dog goes outside. He's a dog. I feel like it's cleaner, plus it provides him with a more structured potty schedule. With a pee pad, the dog's though process had to be "I need to pee...I'll go use my pad." When taken outdoors regulary, the process instead is: "I'm outside, I will pee." It cuts out the dog having to think about where to go and provides a structured schedule.
Are you or someone home with the dog during the day? I take my dog outside for a walk in the morning after getting ready for work. When I first got him I took him out before getting dressed, so he wouldn't have to hold it and risk and accident. When he would have an accident, I would say "no" firmly, and take him out for a few minutes. Every single time. It was annoying, but within a week he was rarely peeing indoors. I think that this is much more clearcut than taking a dog and placing him on a pad. Yes, he or she can learn what the pad means, but they can also be confused as to why you're just moving them to another part of the room.
Nowadays, Jesse never goes inside. We go out in the morning, he poos and pees. Sometime in the afternoon (4-6 hours later), I take him out again and he pees. Early evening we go out and he pees, and finally a walk before bed where he pees and poos. I recommend a tight schedule. Dogs thrive on routine. Even on weekends when I'd rather sleep in, I wake up and take Jesse out at his regular time and then get back into bed.
A few times I have forgotten to take him out at the appropriate time. When I've done this he has sometimes had accidents. He likes his schedule, plus I can't really blame him for peeing on the carpet if it has been 8 hours and I haven't taken him out. My next goal is to train him to ring a bell or something to let me know he has to go.
I would consider trying a strictly scheduled "outdoor" schedule if you have found that you have exhausted the potty-pad option.
Good luck with whatever you choose. |