When our Australian Silky Terrier was only 6 weeks old, we house trained her on puppy pads. She was given to me as a birthday present in November, but living in Alaska, it gets really cold during that time of year, and trying to house train a tiny 2 pound puppy in the freezing temperatures was not an option. I spent a good deal of money on puppy pads, and now that she is 9 years old I am buying them again.
Our baby has a hard time holding her urine all night long, and she was peeing on the rug in front of the toilet in our bedroom about 3 times a week. We decided it was time to start buying the pee pads again to protect our rug and floors, and to keep the room smelling better. I have used a wide variety of pee pads, but when Target just opened up, I was thrilled to see a new to me brand, Arm & Hammer Puppy Pads.
Description
These look like the other pee pads on the market. The square pad measures 22.5″ by 22.5″, and has a white top with a blue bottom. The white fabric on top is tear resistant, there is a middle core that absorbs the urine and odors, and the back is lined with a blue plastic to make it leak resistant. They come in a yellow colored bag with the familiar red and white “Arm & Hammer” logo at the top.
The bag claims that the pads are 50% more absorbant than thicker pads, and they they make training easy and give you superior floor protection. They are scented with phermones to attract the dog to urinate on the pad.
Cost
When we first bought pads, we purchased Wee Wee Pads, and these were very expensive! I have since found that there are quite a few different brands of pee pads on the market, with a wide range of costs. These pads can be as expensive as $12 for 20 pads, but we picked up a large 75 count bag of the Arm & Hammer Puppy Pads for only $26.00. You do the math, these are quite economical compared to some of the other brands currently available. And if you are using a pad a day, the dollars really add up fast!
Uses
Puppy Pads are great for a variety of uses. Number one, they are good for house training your puppy, and are much better for the floors than the old “newspaper method” that some people still use. We did find that when spring rolled around, it took some work to train our puppy to go wee wee outdoors, since she had been so used to using the pads all winter long. One thing that made it easier was that we always placed the pads near the back door, so she at least got used to going to the door to relieve herself.
These pads are also great for older dogs who are incontinent or sick. Sometimes you might have really bad weather and don’t feel it’s safe to let your pet outside to do his business, and these pads would come in very handy in those instances. If you travel and crate your pet, it is a good idea to line the crate with am Arm & Hammer Puppy Pad, as your pet will be able to go when he needs to. Another use for the pads is to place them under a cat litter box to protect the floor around it.
If you are planning a long car trip, these pads come in very handy for using if you have a puppy in the vehicle with you. It’s not always convenient to stop when the dog needs to go, so these would really would be nice to take along.
When training a puppy, you place him on the pad and let him smell this “scientifically treated pad”, and when he relieves himself on it be sure to praise him to let him know he did what he was supposed to do. If your dog has an accident somewhere else in the house, you pick him up and bring him back to the puppy pad and keep repeating this until he is trained. Be sure to use positive reinforcement. Pets respond well to praise!
These pads are quite thin, but they do absorb the urine of a grown 10 pound dog nicely. I am no longer washing my bathroom rugs on a daily basis, and these pads are easy to dispose of. They have a soft, almost baby powder scent that is very attractive, and it doesn’t seem to matter to our dog which brand of pee pads we choose, because they all pretty much look alike. I can’t justify spending more money on some of the other more expensive brands when the Arm & Hammer Puppy Pads work just as well. If you use pee pads, I highly recommend these.
Arm & Hammer also makes pads for adult dogs, and if you have a large breed dog, I would recommend those over the puppy pads.
