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Friday, June 19, 2015

Dear Abby: On the Delicate Matter of Puppy Potty Pads

Dear friends,

I have been excited all week about chatting with you here.  I will be sitting down each Friday to answer a question readers have sent.  If you have a question you would like me to answer, please ask in the "comments" section below.

Mary wrote and asked this question:  "A friend of mine has a really bad problem with her little boy Maltese who is named DD. DD doesn't like to go outside to potty. He prefers to potty on drapes, shoes, or behind chairs. My friend bought DD some potty-training pads but DD doesn't like to use them. What should my friend do? Thanking you in advance."

Dear Mary,  I am sorry that DD doesn't like to do his business outside.  I enjoy my constitutionals with time to keep track of all the neighborhood news and visit with friends.  I have puppy potty pads for "just in case" times when weather makes it dangerous to go outdoors - ice or thunderstorms.  (I certainly would not want to venture out when it is loud and stormy!)  My advice for training DD to use the potty pads is the same thing I would do to train a pup to potty outdoors.  I would advise keeping DD right by your side constantly, with his collar or harness on.  Then, at frequent intervals (starting at an hour, then 2 hours, etc.), I would snap his leash on and get him either outside to potty or to his potty pad.  I would make sure he knows the word "potty" - and I bet he would like a little bit of kibble or crunchy treat when he does his business like he is supposed to.   Please keep us posted how this goes!

If other friends have suggestions for DD, please leave them in the comments as well.  Thank you!

I'll close for now, but will leave you with a little vintage doggy humor, courtesy of an old postcard.  It is apropos for the blog theme today!
Have a great week and talk to you again next Friday!

Love,
Abby

11 comments:

  1. Great idea! Thanks so much for this tip! My little dog, Harry, absolutely hates going to the bathroom outside and isn't too fond of puppy pads either. I'll definitely try using the leash trick when I catch him trying to go inside and guide him to the puppy pad. Maybe this will also help me convince him to just go outside! :)

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  2. Dear Abby,
    What a wonderful idea you had! Why didn't I think of that? I guess it's because you are a very intelligent dachshund, and I am...well, just a human. Thank you for this great idea. I will definitely pass this on to DD's owner.

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  3. Great advice! We had a puppy that wouldn't use a puppy pad for anything. It was always the bathroom floor :(

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  4. babit@ Comcast.netJune 19, 2015 at 5:48 PM

    The Potty Pads from Costco are
    What My Babit and Mommy Kim
    Get Me $15.99 fot 100

    Sophie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Friends,

    Thanks for your visits and comments! I'm glad my ideas were helpful.

    Love,
    Abby

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  6. Great idea! We don't have a puppy...yet, but once the boys get a little older we might. This is good advice I'll have to come back to. :)

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  7. We don't currently have a dog, but that sounds similar to how my daughter was potty trained... Not the leash part but the time interval part. ;)

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  8. Dear Abby,

    Great advice! The part about a treat is important. When mama was training me to go outside, every time I did my business outside, she would give me a tiny treat and tell me what a wonderful boy I was. You don't even have to be a dachshund to realize going outside = treat and praise and pretty soon I was going outside all the time.

    xoxoxo Miguel Luis

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  9. Thank you, Abby! That is wonderful advice! I had a similar problem with my Maltese except mine would only 'misbehave' when my mother came over to visit. It seemed as if he didn't like my mother for some reason. Perhaps he knew something the rest of us didn't?! ;)

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  10. Dear friends,

    Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments.

    Love,
    Abby

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  11. Miguel Luis, oh yes about treats! Treats are very important. With housetraining and in all possible situations. More treats!

    Love from your friend,
    Abby

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