Eating puppy pads

    • Silver

    Eating puppy pads

    How do you prevent your puppy from chewing on the puppy pads?
    • Gold Top Dog
    I actually like the litter boxes better. It's easier to clean, and can be waaayyy less expensive. I use a cardboard box lined with newspaper to prevent extra leakage, and put in Feline Pine kitty litter or Yesterdays News kitty litter. I never use normal cat litter or a normal liter box since I don't want the dog going in the cats box and vice versa. I believe the pellets reduce the risk of obstruction in the gut.

    If you don't do that, I would spray the pad with bitter apple and put it in a tray with a locking lid.
    • Silver
    Do you just get a regular kitty litter box?  Where do you get the litter?  Is it just like the pine shavings that I use in my rat cage?  I never really looked to see what else the pet shops had other than the sandy cat litter.  I know you can't use cat litter because they'll eat it or something. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    Do you just get a regular kitty litter box?

    You could use a doggy litter box and doggy litter. 
    [linkhttp://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=9675&Nav=1&Ntt=litter&N=30+22&sku=733830&familyID=6677]www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=9675&Nav=1&Ntt=litter&N=30+22&sku=733830&familyID=6677[/link]
     
    [linkhttp://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=7610&Nav=1&Ntt=litter&N=30+22&sku=733814&familyID=6723]www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=7610&Nav=1&Ntt=litter&N=30+22&sku=733814&familyID=6723[/link]
     
    -or-
     
    You could use a pad holder.
    [linkhttp://www.wizdog.com]http://www.wizdog.com[/link]
    • Gold Top Dog
    If you plan on letting the dog toilet indoors permanently, then I would go with janet_rose' advice.
     
    If you plan on transitioning outdoors at some point I would go with belgmal because the pads actively encourage the dog to go indoors and I think this makes the transition to outside more confusing for them.... JMHO.
     
    Or, if you are planning on transitioning outside you could just ditch the indoor toilet option and get him outside right away.
     
    Don't forget also - he will be teething and you need to accomodate that.  Pups play and explore the world with their mouths and your best bet is to provide a suitable outlet for that (chews, toys etc... try chilling or freezing them to help him with teething) and praise him like crazy when he uses them.
    • Bronze

    My little guy loved to shred the pads also so i was considering the wizdog product http://www.wizdog.com but while searching for it on amazon.com where i check before buying elsewhere i saw another item i liked better plus a visit to petsmart i was able to find it so i got it instead.

     http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752019&cp=&sr=1&origkw=tray&kw=tray&parentPage=search&keepsr=1

    That still didn't solve the shredding episodes so i took a the idea from the wizdog and got plastic canvas sheets to lay over the pad and then would clam down the protection tray cover over it.  I had to cut holes where the prongs stuck up on the tray and fit the canvas over it. 

     http://www.acmoore.com/p-22745-plastic-canvas-7-count-12x18-clear.aspx

    Unfortunately my tray is Medium size so it required i put on 2 sheets so they overlay each other and my puppy would just tug at the top platic  canvas until he ripped it.  I was not able to find any plastic canvas on a roll it seem they only provide precut sizes and nothing comes wider than 12" x 18" and the tray is 17" x 22 or 23".  

    So a visit to my local lowes store and showed the guy there a piece of the canvas and asked if they had anything similar on a roll and he showed me something called "tenax hardware net" it's plastic and has wider holes.  I cut out 4 sheets 2 for each tray making sure to position the holes over the prongs on the tray to make sure i cut them so they would it over the prongs when the cover is clamped down.

    Now my puppy sometimes just scratches and paws at this plastic sheet but it doesn't budge.  To same myself a lot of clean up i cut out 2 sheets for each tray (i have 2) and i alternate them daily.  I take off the soiled one and soak it in bleachy water and put on a clean one.

     Here's a picture of my little guy in his exercise pen and you'll see the barrier i put up for him.  I removed 1 of the trays you see so that he can have access to my hardwood floor and be able to walk to the tray from his pen.  I want him to get use to having to go look for his tray.  He's been very good at going since he has been confined.  When we let him out to play during the day when we can watch him he's been pretty consistent at going back to the tray.  He does have accidents with pee because he's an excited pee-er but he uses the tray normally when he has to potty and wet just don't get him excited and oops.

    http://www.promotees.com/samples/samplepuppybarrier.jpg

     The photo shows the tray with the old plastic canvas i tried but he kept tearing up so i replaced it with some stuff like this.;

    http://www.amazon.com/LANDWARE-TENAX-751397-3X15BLK-NETTING/dp/B000HMA6W8

    When i was at the lowes store i saw 2 kinds one has small holes and the plastic for it was very thin.  The one i have is thicker so him pawing at it doesn't hurt it a bit however the material is bendable.  I was not able to find it on their website so i provided a link to amazon.com.  I actually prefer the white plastic canvas setup better since it's more ridged and doesn't bend as much but this hardware net is working so i don't have to worry about torn up pads anymore. I do have to wash them off as i said but that's better than getting up ripped pads.