How to Train Your Pet to “Go” Outside using a Training Pad

Potty training your puppy can be easy when you have the right tools and tips to help you get the job done. For years and years, teaching your pet with training pads has been a reliable and clean way to help your pet learn when and where they should relieve themselves. Tevra Brands has developed a better pad that combines odor resistance, six layers of protection and an attractant to draw your puppy to the Puddle Pad. This pad will help your pet understand exactly where they need to go.

Here is a tried-and-true process to help you succeed in potty training your puppy with a Tevra Brands Puddle Pad. Follow the steps and you may see success in as little as two weeks. Remember to bring your patience and stay consistent. This is the key to having a housebroken puppy in no time.

Note: Some people use a Puddle Pad to train their dog to go outside and others use a pad continuously while they are away from the home so the pet has a place to go. Either way it’s your preference, but this post is geared toward those wanting to train their dog to go outside. It can be very difficult for a young dog to hold their urine or feces.

Step 1: Identify exactly what path you want to provide for your dog to get outside. The basic way this works is that you get your pet going potty on the Puddle Pad and then slowly move it where you want him or her to eliminate for good, which is outside in this case. You will slowly move the pad outside and then get rid of the pad all together! Read on to find out how.  

Step 2: Give your dog limited access to a certain area in your home. Block off this area with a gate or something durable and safe. Remember that this pad will eventually be moving, so make the space the first step toward the door to outside. When you let her out of the designated space, keep her on a leash. Remember, if this is done correctly you only have to do it for as little as two weeks. You can do this!

Step 3: Get the praise and treats ready. Plan ahead by thinking about what command you want to give your pet before they go potty or poopy and afterwords. Whether you plan to say “go potty” or “poo-poo”, be consistent with what you say and how you say it. Your dog will get accustomed to your tone and will soon identify with what you are saying. Repetition is key here. You really can’t say it enough. When you see that your dog is headed to the pad, before he goes use those words you planned. After your puppy has taken care of his business, give him a piece of a treat and/or offer him praise. Be generous with the praise. Don’t forget to change the pad right away. Put a new pad down immediately after they have taken care of business.

Recommendation: If your puppy has an accident, take him to the pad and make it clear what the pad is there for. Do not get angry or punish him or her. The scent of the pad should attract your pet to potty there in the future. Be sure to clean the accident spot with an enzyme-based cleaner to get rid of any smell left behind that your dog might be attracted to later.

Step 4: Offer your pet food on a consistent schedule. There’s that word again: consistent. Get your pet on a schedule and you will be thankful for it later in life. Offer your pup food at the same time, and then perhaps they will relieve themselves at a predictable time as well.     

Step 5: You’re ready to move the pad. Once your puppy is consistently using the Puddle Pad for the right reasons, start to slowly move the pad toward the outside door. You will move the pad about 3-4 times in the next week or so. Remember to keep your pet confined in the space you identified in step number two.

Step 6: Cold or warm – rain or snow, move the pad outside. Congratulations! You’ve made it to the outside world with your dog. At this point, you might want to limit your pet’s space to a smaller area. Only allow your pet to go to the bathroom when they are outside and on the pad. You can help direct them to the pad while they are on a leash. They might get super excited to smell all the wonderful outside smells. As they begin to do this, fold the pad up and make it smaller and smaller – that is if they are still going on the pad. The smell and attractant of the pad with still lure them when outside. A couple days later, remove the pad altogether and your pet should be going to the bathroom outside all on their own! Remember that some pets start to go to the bathroom outside without the pad being out there. Dogs are smart like that.

Recommendation: When you put the Puddle Pad outside, place dirt and grass on the pad so he can smell it and get accustomed to it.

If you find that your pet starts to revert back to pottying or pooping inside, bring the pad back outside and see how he or she does. Don’t worry! It takes time and patience, but you will get your puppy trained in no time.