pee pee pads vs rugs?
 

I just wondered if I could get input from everyone on the pee pad vs rug issues?

I have had dogs in the past who were pad trained and it always seemed they could not distiguish between the rugs and the pads.

As of now I have trained Teddy Bear to the pads and he is pretty much 100% with it. I really had no choice as I would not take him outside until his 3rd set of shots and now that he has them there is snow on the ground and it's 21 degrees. He does go outside if we are away from the house but at home he is 1005 on pads. I have wood floors and have removed all rugs from the area of the house that he has run of for fear that he will go on them.

So, how do you have the pads and the rugs live in harmony together and the puppy know the rugs are for sleeping and the pads are for peeing?

Kim and Teddy Bear :aimeeyork

I've had the same problem with the rugs. The house is new so I don't have many rugs yet( I had carpet at the other house. If they potty on a rug more than 3 times I roll the thing up and give it a rest. When Cricket peed on a rolled up rug, I started putting the pads in the litter box. It not only gives them a surface but a specific location. Roxie will go in the litterbox no matter where I place it but moving it really messes Remi up. Remi is only 4 mon. to Roxie's 3yrs. so I guess it just takes awhile. I wouldn't invest in an expensive rug til they're close to 18 monthes old just to be on the safe side. :) :)

What I do is start off with a play pen or exercise pen. I put a pad in there with their bed, food and toys. By the time I put all this in there, there is no place for them to go to the bathroom but on the pad. After a little while I extend the pen,(I start off with the pen small). So now they would have a little bit of carpet. If they continue to do well with going on the pad then I once again extend the pen. If they go on the carpet the pen goes back to the smaller size. I will keep doing this and keep extending the pen. This teaches them to go on the pad and I don't have any problems with them confusing the rug with the pad as they taught themselves where to go.

Hehe, my 2 kitchen rugs are still sitting on top of the dryer!

Venus is getting better in the living room, where there is carpet. But I only let her in there when I can watch her. Took a lot of watching for signs, and taking her back to the kitchen every hour for pee pad.

Also took keeping the carpet cleaner available, and getting spots as soon as she peed, and putting her back in the kitchen, when she'd have accidents.

Dunno when I can put my rugs back down in the kitchen. Might just put the one that can go into the washing machine for now, see how she does.

We use a litter pan with the pad in it also and my rugs are perfectly safe. The pan gives them a specific place to go so that's what they use when they can't get outside.

Same problem!
 

I'm having the same problem. Chibi confuses our throw rugs with wee-wee pads. Also, my little guy also just misses the pad and sprays the floor. It's getting quite cold with out carpets!

Your suggestions are quite helpful. I'm going to give them a try! Thanks and I'll update you on what works!:animal36 Jennifer

I feel your pain
 

I haven't been very good with the training with mine because I've changed it so much. I have taught him that when we are home, he has to ring a bell and I either bring him outside or into the bathroom to "go". When we are not home, I leave the bathroom door open with his litter box. I was using pee pads and at home and at people's houses he was getting rugs and towels confused (he was only 4-5mos old too to give credit). I tried the wiz dog...aty first he hated it. Tried the pup head dog potty. He was good with that but the smell...ugh...and it was so bulky in my bathroom. So I cut up the pup head fake grass and put it in a litter box and emphazized the ringing of the bell more. I want him to signal when he is going to go. I even bring the bell to friend's houses and he has not had one accident. I think the litter box (even though he hates the high sides) really does give it a different impression than the carpet. I now cut up the grid from the wiz dog and am going to put that in there because the fake grass (and I've tried two kinds) is a PAIN to wash that, the pan, and the grate and everyday and the grass retains smell so badly. The only thing he will do is he will have a #2 accident in the bathroom if no one responds to his ringing of the bell and if the door is open. He has not learned that he has to hold it if no one responds. And he has had a couple pee accidents on the towel in the bathroom but I can handle accidents in the bathroom...it's accidents in the rest of the house I don't like.
Suz

I finally got the nerve to put one rug back down 2 nights ago. I picked the one that is the easiest to wash:cool: Venus is 5 months old.

I put it in front of the sink, and walked all over it barefoot to get my "scent" in it good. I also left a pair of shoes on it. So far, she's been laying on it a lot, and hasn't peed on it yet!

I may put other rugs back down, one at a time in the next few weeks. I might start putting them in front of the sink first, and doing the same thing I did with this one rug, walking on it, getting my scent on it, and laying the shoes on it.

I think also, it depends on what age they are too. Seems she's catching on that she can't just pee anywhere, just on the pee pads and outside.

Let me know if you have a solution.
I too have had this same problem.
I am a small breeder and I train my puppies on pee pads before they are placed.
I use the reasoning that the pee pads are soft on their feet (pads) so are rugs.
In my den I have tile with a pad under the coffee table. NO problem, the puppies find the pad. No accidents.
But anytime on a rug or carpet, they go anywhere.
My solution is I keep the puppies in the Den and Kitchen only.

That is a good idea, except for my baby.
She climbs out of her pen....:eek:

My three never go on my carpet..always the peed pad, but if I lay a throw rug down in the kitchen they will go on it too. So...no throw rugs for me.:)