Puppy Pads to Outside Making the Transition



Posted: Tuesday, May 05, 2009

by Rob Perissi

Your puppy has learned to use his puppy pads consistently, and the pads have helped teach him to use the bathroom in one specific place. Now, you are ready to teach your puppy to go in another specific place – outside. What is the best way to make the transition?

Many of the same techniques used to teach the puppy to use the wee pad indoors also apply to teaching him to go outside. Being consistent throughout the training and praising desirable behaviors are very important for training your puppy to eliminate outdoors. If you sometimes enforce the rules and other times do not, your actions will only serve to confuse the puppy and make training more frustrating for yourself.

To start the transition, move the puppy pad by the door, and be sure your puppy knows where the pad is. When you see him going toward it, pick him up and take him out to his outdoor potty spot. It may help to bring a puppy pad outside at first, to help your pup understand what he is supposed to do. Some dog owners have better luck bringing a soiled pad outside, since dogs naturally like to go where they have gone before. If you have been using a certain word or phrase to teach your puppy to use the wee pad, like "go potty," be sure to use that phrase when you take your puppy outside.

When you start taking your puppy outside to potty, carry him and set him down him in the place where you want him to go in the future. If he develops a habit of going in a certain place, he will likely use that place all the time. So if you prefer that he go to the back corner of the yard, place him there each time.

To make the process easier, take trips outside at the right times as much as possible. When your puppy heads for the pad, take him out. Do the same early in the morning, before bed, and after meals. When he starts eliminating outdoors consistently, remove the puppy pad altogether.

Even though you are now teaching your pup to eliminate outside, there is no need to punish him for using the wee pad. Remember, he is doing what you taught him to do. Rather, stop making a big deal about it either way. What you should make a big deal about is praising the puppy when he goes potty outside. The power of praising your puppy when he does what you want cannot be underestimated. Some dog owners also choose to give a treat to reward their puppies for their behavior. Treats are great incentives, but whether you reward with treats is a matter of personal preference. Someday you will have to teach your growing dog that using the bathroom is not grounds for a treat every single time.

All puppies are different when it comes to learning to eliminate outside. Some quickly understand and do it every time, while others will take longer to become fully trained. Whether you are in the lucky category or not, your puppy will soon know to eliminate outside and one of the hardest parts of raising a puppy will be behind you.

About the Author: Rob Perissi is the Founder & President of MEDNET Direct, a leading supplier of disposable medical supplies for dental, healthcare, spa, and veterinarian offices. MEDNET offers a full line of products for cold shipping transport and hot and cold therapy including instant cold compress and reusable heat pack products from Nortech Labs.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by JL
from US 2 years 361 days ago.
Good article. We did this with one of our dogs - she was completely trained within two days. The subsequent two dogs we have had wouldn't "go" on the puppy pads. We never could figure out why, but they both did go to the back door when they needed outside. Only one was harder to train, and was a rescue dog found as a stray. Thaks for sharing this info.
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