It seems to me that pads give the dogs permission to go relieve themselves in the house. My puppy was pad trained at the breeder and I immediately stopped that!. I live in the snowbelt and Max loves the snow. I just shovel a little spot for him but he usually will find the largest drift and plow right in. Cold does not bother him either. My opinion is that with pad only or a combo of the two, the dogs never learn bladder or bowel control. They need to hold it until they can go outside. I am lucky that I am a stay at home mom so that I can let them out every few hours. Max was trained within 2 months although he is still confined to the kitchen when alone for short periods and crated at night. I will continue to watch him like a hawk but he hasn't had an accident in amonth. That includes his first plane trip last month when he was 8 months old. He held everything for 9 hours! |