What part of peeing on the pad do dogs not get? Aren't the pads supposed to be treated so they attract dogs to use them? I have yet to have a dog who will use them unless the entire entryway is papered with them, giving the dog no choice.
I'm not complaining, mind you. If I'm not home or don't realize that she needs to go out, I'm thrilled that Twyla, who is on a diuretic and thus needs to pee numerous times daily, is smart enough and able enough to go downstairs and pee on the slate entryway instead of just squatting on the floor or one of the rugs upstairs. Interestingly, she doesn't have any qualms about peeing on throw rugs or towels put down in the entryway. I have a large assortment of machine-washable rugs for this very purpose, but I keep trying to train her to use the pee pads so that if she is ever so infirm that she can't negotiate the stairs, I can transfer her "in-case-of-emergency potty area" to our balcony instead.
Not that I really think that will ever happen. It appears to be firmly fixed in her mind that the balcony is part of the living area and thus not to be peed on. I've tried explaining how easy it would be to just hose it off, but she's not buying it.
Umm, okay, we're getting closer. I just heard scratching and ran to discover that she has had diarrhea--partially on the pee pad. It's a start.
Next stop: the garage, where I will be sorting through the Christmas ornaments for a door hanger with bells on it. Maybe I can teach her to ring that when she needs to go out.
Hope springs eternal.
2 comments:
I remember Darcy was the same way. I just figured she didn't want to mess up what we were spending so much time putting on the floor.
We had Mercury so well trained on the pee pad that after the weather cleared (he was born in a blizzard) and we started to let the puppies outside more, he would leave a play session in the yard on the grass to run back into the house and pee on the pad that was still there.
It was very humorous to watch when the dogs were really having a good time and he had to run and pee... he didn't want to miss a thing.
The downside is that his aim didn't improve when he hit a growth spurt and started peeing over the pad. It was rather inane that we had to stake a pee pad out on to the grass for him to realize that it was ok to go outside, but I guess to a dog, a nice grass lawn is more important to keep clean than interior carpet.
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