# New here and potty training question



## FirstTimeMalteseMom (Mar 30, 2021)

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I have never had a dog before and have some questions about potty training. My puppy will be 4 months old tomorrow, and he is adorable and so much fun! When he was at the breeders, she trained him and his seven siblings to use potty pads so that's what we used when we first brought him home. He does pretty well with them for the most part but I haven't figured out how to teach him to let us know that he needs to go outside. Also sometimes when I take him outside, he will pee but then he will come in and pee on his potty pad a little while later. I guess I don't understand how to transition him from going on the potty pad to only going outside. I feel like I'm doing this all wrong or something. He still has one to two accidents per week where he will pee on the floor. Please be gentle with me because this is all new to me. I welcome any suggestions that you all might have. Thank you so much!


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## Baci's mom (Oct 9, 2020)

Congratulations on your new puppy! I am fortunate enough to be retired and therefore able to take my pup out frequently. I bought some bells that hang from the doorknob and taught him to ring them when he wants to go out, which sometimes is 3 am, lol. He still doesn't have a predictable routine (he'll be 9 months Thursday), but hasn't had accidents either. I reward and praise a lot when he goes outside. Your little one will figure it out. Good luck. I'm sure someone will offer some helpful advice for you.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I would highly suggest that you Crate Train your little Puppy since that is the easiest and quite easy to do. However, as the Owner of a new Puppy, it is important to be consistent when using that method. I personally have never used Pee Pads and got our Puppies used to going outside in our backyard as soon as we got them home.


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## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to train him for both. I have one who goes on the piddle pad and rings the bell to go out. On occasion, if I’m running late, she will use the pad, whereas I have another one who will just go wherever. I wish I had trained her for both.
That being said, I wld continue to take her outside, especially after meals. If I remember correctly, whenever I was home, I didn’t use the pads, and just took my girls out every hour or two. Eventually they caught on to do their business outside. The bells definitely help in training. They are able to alert us, so less likely for accidents and was the best thing I ever did in regards to potty training.
Best of luck.


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