Training my puppy

by Devin
(Lowville, NY)

Me and my husband recently got married about two months ago. We decided to get a puppy. She's 3 months old and she's a siberian husky. The previous owners had her using pads to go to the bathroom on.

We decided to keep with the pads and she goes on it but the directions says to keep moving it closer to the door then eventually outside. Everytime i move the pad she'll pee on it but she'll go poop in the place where the pad was before and im not moving a lot just a inch or two at a time i really need help.


Hi Devin
This is the problem with using pads for potty training, they often create more difficulties than they solve!

The ideal situation is to have her doing 'her business' outside, and it's best to train a puppy to go outside from day one. However, you're in a situation where you're going to have to retrain a pup, and that takes quite a bit of time and lots of patience.

I would really suggest that you stop using the pads and instead buy a crate and start crate training her. This is by far the quickest and simplest way to housebreak a puppy. You can check out my crate training page for lots of tips, advice and information on this method of potty training.

Your pup will likely still smell where the pad was, and that's why she's going there. Most regular disinfectants and cleaners will not remove all traces of this odor. You really need to clean the area thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner specifically designed for this purpose. You can find a selection of the best products on my Dog Urine Cleaning Products page.

If you're patient and consistent your pup will learn where she's supposed to eliminate, and at her age her bladder and bowel control should be reasonable which is a plus.

Best of luck!