So here’s something that can be over-rated: Pee-pee pads.
A word of advice from our breeder: you never want the puppy to think that it’s okay to pee or poo in the house. Ever. Once they think it’s okay to do it, it will be very hard to break them of the habit – never mind the unpleasantness you’ll experience of having to clean it, or the damage to your carpets/floors.
I understand that some dogs come home much younger than the 10 weeks that the breeder insisted on with Riley (particularly those puppies acquired from the shelter) – requiring the owners to keep them in the house for several weeks before they can walk the mean streets of New York. In this case, pee pads are critical… but I would still use them judiciously.
I know we have had it pretty easy; Riley is the only puppy in obedience class who was house- and crate-broken when we started… and I’m pretty sure a few of the other owners are still having challenges – with puppies that are older than ours. I’m relieved to say that Riley has had only a few accidents in almost 2 months – almost all of which were entirely our fault for not taking him out soon enough, or he was startled or unsure of himself. I actually did try pee pads once – I put one under the sherpa pad in the bottom of Riley’s crate, thinking it would be good to have it there in case he had an accident. But the accident was mine: he tried to eat it almost immediately.
I will say this: the pee pads are a great thing to have in the car on a rainy day; they worked really well when I had to walk him in the rain; I used the pads as towels to rub him down and dry him off. Given that they absorb 10+ times their weight, they’ve actually turned out to be quite useful in this respect – and less messy than wet towels!
Life with Riley 