I am the proud owner of a 5 month old Maltese mix, and I'm having some trouble with training him to go on a pad. I work monday thru friday from 8-5, and so I'm out of the house from 7:30 to 5:45. We have a routine of going for a walk before I leave for work, right after I get home, and right after I go to bed. He's been good about doing his business outside, but from the times I have to leave him unattended, he has a tendency to poop and pee not always on the pad, but in the general vicinity of the pad as well. I've cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the area around the pad with simple solution, as well as trying to move the pad to another area of the room, but to no avail. I really want to begin crate training him, but I just don't like the idea of him being stuck in his crate for over 8 hours at such a young age. Coming home from work for lunch will not be possible since I work in the field and am not in ideal locations to get to my house. What should I do? I'm pretty much at my wits end on what I can do to make sure he knows that he should be using the pad, or going outside. Any suggestions?
Chester and CowboyTogether Since December 16, 2007