Pet Select Pee-Pee Pads Review

In the past three years, I've fostered over 100 puppies while they waited to be adopted.  Unlike your average pet owner, I've had dozens of opportunities to housetrain pups.  I quickly learned what did and didn't work.  I'd classify Pee-Pee Pads as something that didn't work.  There are a couple of situations where I think they may be helpful but, for the most part, I think they are completely unnecessary for most people who've brought a puppy home. 

Pee-Pee Pads are absorbent pads that are backed with blue plastic to prevent leaks rather like a child's diaper.  They are treated with some kind of chemical or scent that is supposed to attract puppies to them and encourage them to "do their business" on them.  The regular size of these pads is 22" x 23" and they come in a slightly larger size for the large breed pups.  The general idea is to place the pads near the puppy's bed, crate, etc. so he will "go" on them as needed.  Once the puppy has learned to consistently go on the pads, you are supposed to move them closer and closer to the door and eventually put them outside where you want him to go.  In theory, they are a great idea!

Unfortunately, Pee-Pee Pads are a flawed product.  To begin, they aren't very absorbent and usually can't hold anything more after a pup has urinated on them just once.  Puppies have to pee at least half a dozen times each day.   At about 50 cents per pad, it can get expensive to use them day in and day out for several weeks.  If you get the newspaper, you can use yesterday's news on the floor for free.

They are supposed to have a non-skid backing but that doesn't seem to be the case to me.  A playful puppy can run around and quickly turn a pancake-flat Pee Pee Pad into a rolled-up wad of plastic.  This leaves the floor exposed and, well, guess where the puppy is going to do his business?  Another problem is that pups just love to play with these things.  I've seen 8-week old puppies easily rip them apart in just a few minutes.  Shreds of pads don't work quite as well as intact ones.

The easiest way to housetrain a puppy is to crate-train him.  Not only does this teach him not to relieve himself in the house but it also keeps him out of trouble when you can't supervise.  These Pee-Pee Pads are useful only for pups younger than 8 weeks (who don't have the muscle control to "hold it") and maybe for those who live in apartments/condos where they can't just hustle the puppy outside when it's time to go.  Otherwise, I do not recommend this product.  It's unnecessary so don't let the pet store salesperson talk you into buying it.