People are negative about Pee pads

[lillymae]

My favorite thing are those who say that training outdoors & the pee pad will only confuse the dog. All I can say to those people is that the dog is smarter then they are. I do believe that some dogs prefer one to the other , but I have always trained for both. I have had many, many dogs in my home of all ages as I rescue only the sick & injured & never had a problem with potty training to both outdoors & pee pads. I agree with the others who have said it's nicer as far as bad wether as well. I would much rather they feel comfortable going indoors when I need to leave for several hours then risk them holding if for so long, risking UTI.
Not to mention how uncomfortable it is to hold it for 8 + hrs. Next time someone gives you a hard time about it, ask them if they can hold their pee for 8 + hrs. I know I can't.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by baby yorkie

I've never used them for any of my dogs in the past and never thought about it when I adopted Ally, now 3 years old. I used them with Tia when she was a baby, but she started to eat them and I had to rush her to the ER because she choked on them. So, at the points, I don't use them. I do, however, wish I did because I live in Florida and it would be so helpful during hurricane season.

I use washable pads from T Bumpkins & Co and love them! During Hurricane Ike I was so prepared...even had a temporary fence to put up after since I was quite sure the fence would be gone. Had a generator so I would have A/C and a refrigerator.

The one major boo boo I made was washable pads. Never gave any thought to the fact that there would be no power...so no laundry could be done. So, there I was with a bunch of wet pads that I could not wash. I now have a supply of disposable pads stored in my garage for the next storm.

As for rude comments...never have had any. I assume you are referring to people who visit? My feelings are it's my house and until someone else is paying the bills, I will do as I please. Of course I will never let anyone pay my bills. So....it stays as is! Piddle pads are in my home to stay!

[Breerngag]

I recently adopted a 1 year old yorkie 5 days ago and this is my first pet of any kind EVER so I am very new to this. She is currently trained to go outdoors but is not crate trained. I would like to use pads while I am at work so she doesn't have to hold it for 8+ hours since my job is too far from home to go at lunch to let her out. Would this be a good idea?

[Breerngag]

And also, how would you go about training a dog to do both?

[qtyorkies]

I rather my dogs go outside because I don't want them to go indoors, but I just moved to a state that sometimes gets 80+ mile an hour wind for 1-4 days at a time. My house is brand new and not that small, but it still feels like it might blow away. I get blown away a little bit. I have a 4 lb Chihuahua, 4.5 lb Yorkie, and a 9.5 lb mini poodle. They don't do well in the wind and sometimes it's raining or snowing at the same time.

I now want to train my dogs to go on either pee pads or recycled newspaper litter in a really shallow pan. My compromise is having the dogs go in my attached garage. I haven't done this yet because I think I should have a dog door for them to use. I plan on attaching a dog door into the wall to my garage and gate off a small area big enough for the washable pads or litter pan so they can't just go anywhere in my garage. I did try to just take them to a litter pan in the morning, but they kept stepping out of the pan and going on the concrete. I got stressed out and stopped. I have to arrange things so that the dogs don't have a choice but to go potty in the gated off area in the garage when I take them out. The hardest part will probably to teach my dogs to go through a dog door. I have never used dog doors.

[gardengirl77]

I love having her puppy pad trained, especially the washables. I'll never go back to doing it all outside.

[yavenay]

With Brandi I have the best of both worlds. She pottys indoors and outdoors. The potty pads are mainly for me. I hate getting up in the middle of the night to take her out back to potty. With the potty pads, she just goes when she has to go. I do take her out before bed time but she always still goes in the middle of the night. The other reason I like them is because Brandi is home alone 4 days a week while I'm at work and I would hate to have her wait for me to get home to go potty. She will potty if she has to wait that long so might as well save my carpets and put down a potty pad. Crating her didn't matter, rescue pup who was used to going in her crate. I go tired of cleaning out the crate and giving her a bath everyday.

Brandi will also potty outside. Everyday after work (weather permitting) we go for a walk. It works out for the both of us.

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by baby yorkie http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...s/viewpost.gif
I've never used them for any of my dogs in the past and never thought about it when I adopted Ally, now 3 years old. I used them with Tia when she was a baby, but she started to eat them and I had to rush her to the ER because she choked on them. So, at the points, I don't use them. I do, however, wish I did because I live in Florida and it would be so helpful during hurricane season.

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Washable pee pads don't tempt them as much as disposable ones. I never thought about it, but what do you do if there's a hurricane?

Another advantage of pee pads is when the dog is older and has possible bladder problems, a dog use to going outside will probably not want to adjust to the pee pads.

It never occurred to me that washable pee pads might be less tempting, but I have only recently heard of them.

Puppy/pee pads are very useful for emergency situations and small dogs who stay home alone for 8-12 hours while mommy and daddy work 1.5 hrs. from home. That's a long time to hold it even if all they do is sleep...and if mommy or daddy is late due to traffic...

Mine go outdoors, but, while they were acclimating to their new lives with us and our schedules, there were some accidents, and wherever an accident occurred, I tossed down a pee pad where it happened so they could get the idea and if they opted to use them, I could decide where they are eventually placed.

Mine were not trained to pee pads, they were trained to outdoors by their former owners, but I had pee pads left over from an emergency with a kitty (urinary blockage) and I have found them very useful for other things...like mud-soppers for shoes on rainy days with tile floors...I put them just inside the doors, lining a sick pet's kennel for vet transport, putting under a foot bath, or food and water dishes, etc., and keep some on hand nowadays.

Until almost a year ago, I had a 120+lb. Shep/Lab (rescue) baby and, while he was just the greatest dog and very smart, I cannot imagine him using a pee pad indoors...not even the gigantic ones that you can buy. Thank goodness that even the year we had 4 hurricanes here in Florida, there were breaks in the wind and rain and Ziggy could get outside for doing his thing. He went blind from cataracts in 2008 at about 12-14 yrs. old and I had to retrain him and teach him which way was left and right and what up and down meant so I could direct him with voice commands. I cannot imagine, in my most hideous nightmares, having an old, blind dog of over 120 lbs., with a previously dislocated hip which made it difficult for him to liff-up outside to pee, trying to use pee pads indoors...of course, I do not have a screened porch that I could hose down, either.

Personally, while I prefer outdoor potty...cuz I agree about the gross part, if an indoor potty is going to (accidentally) happen anyway, I'd rather it'd be on a pee pad I can fold up and toss than lots of other places it could be in my home.

I am very interested in the opinions expressed on this subject, since pee pads for indoor dogs is a recent experience for me.

[DBlain]

like others said it's really nobody's business but your own and what works for you. My last dog went inside on newspapers in a litter box in my laundry room, LOL when I put the pee pads down instead of the newspaper he would go outside of the box. However I would say he was not 100% trained and if I left he house he had to be shut in the laundry room. Sometimes I think he wet out of spite, like if I left him inside when I went to get he mail, he would pee on the foyer rug. He also wet a lot more often, about 6 or 7 times during the day, do your inside male dogs wet allot. I was constantly bending down and rolling up wet papers. We spend a lot of weekends on our boat in the summer and are sometimes not near land for a day or so, so bringing that box along was great. When I got Lola I tried to make her go inside, I tried the box, tried pee pads, but she just downright refused to go on them. As soon as we started outside she almost instantly became housebroken and now can hold herself for probably around 7 hours if she had to. I work from home so am around to let her out, but if for some reason if I have to be gone for a log time I need to get someone to let her out, so that's the downside. While I like not having to constantly wipe and sanitize the laundry room, it still made things easier if I had to go out. I would really like to have it both ways, but I can tell it is so against her grain to go inside that I don't think it would work, but if you have any suggestions I might try them. So far we have not been away from land on our boat since we have gotten her so I not sure what will happen if we spend the night away from a dock.

[southernbelle04]

We use pee pads too and love them! I too say whateve works for you, go for it. And I too wouldn't judge others on their decision. It is their pet and their choice. Whatever works for you is best I think. But I do know that feeling of people being judgemental towards you. I just try to ignore it. As long as we are happy, that is all that matters.

[Princess10]

Princess uses pads primarily, but will potty outside if we're out there, she just wont 'ask' to go out to do it. I thought it would be gross to use pads at first, but it's no big deal to me. Lately after every bite of food or a drink of water she has to go now, I couldn't keep up with getting shoes, coat, keys, going down 3 flights of stairs to take her out all the time.

People may not like the pads but I'm generally not one to live my life pleasing others before I please myself, and especially not before Princess. Of course, if she was a Great Dane I may try doing it differently.

[Yorkiemom1]

We all have different lives and schedules...we all have Yorkies in common!!!...I say whatever works FOR YOU, is great! My kids are acclimated to do both...and when they all go to the door on a rainy morning, and I open the door and that cold, wet wind hits them in the face, they all double over backwards, turning around to head for the pee pads! Not about to go out in that wind, rain and cold!!! and that is JUST FINE with me too, as I have to go out there and make sure nothing gets them while they are outside! I TELL THEM, LETS ALL USE PEE PADS THIS MORNING!!!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

We all have different lives and schedules...we all have Yorkies in common!!!...I say whatever works FOR YOU, is great! My kids are acclimated to do both...and when they all go to the door on a rainy morning, and I open the door and that cold, wet wind hits them in the face, they all double over backwards, turning around to head for the pee pads! Not about to go out in that wind, rain and cold!!! and that is JUST FINE with me too, as I have to go out there and make sure nothing gets them while they are outside! I TELL THEM, LETS ALL USE PEE PADS THIS MORNING!!!

Lol, how cute, tell me, do you too use the pee pad?

[BlueBelle]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Bigger dogs can have doggie doors, which allow them to relieve themselves when nature calls, however, it's not safe for a small Yorkie and because of predators, one should watch them when they go outside. Also, I like the idea that a dog can go when he wants to go instead of waiting for a human to open the door, so pee pads work perfectly for me. If you own a Yorkie, you can’t worry too much what other people think, they just don’t understand.

Exactly!!

[Yorkiemom1]

Oh, Nancy! I have reached the delightful age where, yes, I too find it practicle to use "pee pads"....not the ones on the floor, the the ones that keep you from embarrassing yourself with every cough and sneeze!!! "You too will be there one day", my momma used to tell me...."one day" has indeed arrived! My mother was ALWAYS right...the one time I was hoping she would be wrong, turns out she was right about that too!!!!!