Pros and Cons of Paper Training a Puppy: Is It Right for Your Dog?

Introduction

Paper toilet training teaches dogs how to excrete paper pads, newspapers, or designated indoor spots instead of outside. Paper training has become a popular method among people with apartments or no access to the backyard at all. This could include having young puppies that are not fully vaccinated.

The advantages of this system of training would include a certain kind of convenience and practicality, but in its place come several disadvantages to consider before putting this method into effect. It works much like a traditional training model; therefore, it comes with a list of pros and cons.

In this article, we will discuss the positive and negative aspects of paper training puppies and assist owners in making a more well-rounded choice about what is right for their house and pets.

What is Paper Training?

Paper training introduces a designated indoor potty area for puppies that is enhanced with sheets of newspaper, potty pads also known as pee pads or wee-wee pads, or even a litter box. Paper training aims to teach a puppy to relieve itself inside of the house and not wait until it's taken outdoors.

How Does Paper Training Work?

To paper train, first, choose an appropriate place indoors to keep the potty papers or pads. It must be an area that is easy to clean and readily accessible by the puppy. Small rooms, often a bathroom or laundry room, work quite well.

This can be with sheets of newspaper, potty pads, or a grass litter box insert. Then, bring the puppy to the papers or pads whenever it looks like it needs to be eliminated. Shower lots of praise, as well as treats, whenever the puppy goes potty in the correct place.

Soiled items should be disposed of and replaced right away to maintain cleanliness and scent cues. With steady rewards over time, the puppy will learn the specific area that is the right spot to go.

When is Paper Training a Suitable Option?

Paper training can be especially helpful in cases where outdoor potty training just isn’t feasible. This includes:

● Apartment dwellers or urban pet owners with no yard

● Extreme weather conditions like heavy rain, snow, or heatwaves

● Owners who work long hours away from home

● Young puppies without full vaccinations who can’t go outside yet

In scenarios like these, paper training offers a practical indoor alternative.

The Pros of Paper Training a Puppy

There are quite a few advantages to paper-training puppies, depending on individual circumstances.

1. Convenience for Pet Owners

One of the top perks of paper training is that it’s extremely convenient for busy owners. For those who work long hours or can’t make frequent trips outside, having an indoor potty setup saves a lot of hassle.

It provides a simple way for puppies to relieve themselves even when no humans are home, without risking household accidents. This makes it a very user-friendly training option for owners with packed schedules or limited mobility.

2. Suitable for Small Breeds and Apartment Living

In addition to owner convenience, paper training offers important benefits for small-breed puppies and dogs. Toy and miniature breeds have tiny bladders that require frequent potty breaks.

Paper training provides them an accessible place to go when they just can't hold it any longer. This indoor method is also essentially mandatory for urban pet owners living in apartments or condos without quick outdoor access.

3. Effective for Puppies in Extreme Weather Conditions

Paper training comes in handy during bouts of lousy weather when you’d rather not take a small or short-haired pup outside to freeze or overheat.

It provides a suitable potty solution on bitterly cold days, through heavy rainstorms, or during heat waves - times when young puppies could be reluctant or even unsafe eliminating outdoors.

4. Reduces the Risk of Accidents in the House

Even closely supervised puppies are likely to have indoor accidents before they’re fully housetrained. However, paper training helps mitigate this issue by giving them an approved place to go inside.

As long as you take the puppy to the papers whenever it looks like they need to relieve themselves, this method reduces the chances of unpleasant surprises around the house.

5. Keeping Cleanliness with a Trustworthy Feeding Schedule

One challenge of paper training is maintaining the area where the potty is set in a clean, odor-free state, particularly for small spaces. Puppies love predictability, and adding a regular feeding routine can aid in the control of their bathroom routine, making paper training more routine and easier to manage.

An orderly feeding routine minimizes the possibility of surprise accidents, allowing pet owners to expect when and where their puppy will require use of the special potty area. Employing an automatic pet feeder, like the WOpet Heritage View Pet Feeder, guarantees your puppy is fed at regular times, supporting a formal potty training schedule. It can be very helpful for active owners or people with long working hours since it removes inconsistent feeding times that may cause random bathroom requirements.

The Cons of Paper Training a Puppy

However, paper training definitely isn’t the perfect solution for everyone. This method comes with a few disadvantages to also weigh.

1. Can Lead to Confusion Between Indoor and Outdoor Training

If not managed properly, paper training can create some confusion between indoor vs. outdoor behavior expectations. Puppies taught to eliminate inside-on-paper materials may have trouble generalizing that rule only to the specific papers.

Instead, they sometimes start to assume any rug, mat, blanket or even loose papers left on the floor are acceptable potties too. Without careful supervision and training, paper training can inadvertently teach puppies it’s alright to go potty inside more broadly, leading to accidents around soft furnishings.

2. Slower Transition to Full Outdoor Training

If your end goal is to teach a puppy to only potty outdoors, getting them started inside on paper can actually delay the process. Since they have a permissible indoor option already, it can take longer to teach them to wait until taken outside.

Some puppies become so accustomed to using pads or paper that they are stubborn about giving them up. The transition to going exclusively outside requires extra diligence for those used to paper training.

3. Potential Hygiene and Odor Issues

Over time, repeatedly using the same papers or pads for elimination can lead to the build-up of bacteria and unpleasant odors, especially if prompt cleanup doesn’t happen. Papers soaked in urine or soiled pads left too long before disposal start to smell quite strongly.

Contamination from feces raises concerns about germs spreading through contact as well. Maintaining good hygiene standards with this potty method takes some extra care and attention.

4. Can Encourage Bad Chewing Habits

Puppies are famous for chewing anything and everything. But paper training provides constant access to shredded newspapers and pee pad fragments too tempting for some puppies to ignore.

As much as you try to teach them papers are only for elimination, some mischievous pups see them as exciting toys for ripping up too. And ingesting paper shreds or pad stuffing can lead to intestinal issues.

Comparing Paper Training with Other Potty Training Methods

How does paper training stack up against other common housetraining approaches? Here’s a quick comparison of the pros and cons.

● Outdoor Training – Direct outdoor training is the most traditional housebreaking method, focused on teaching puppies to potty exclusively outside through consistency and routine. This has the advantage of avoiding indoor accidents altogether while establishing good behavior faster. The main limitation is that very young puppies often can’t wait long enough between trips outside.

● Crate Training – Crate training relies on a puppy’s natural inclination to avoid soiling their sleeping area. Puppies are confined to crates when owners can’t directly supervise. This helps reinforce good potty habits since most puppies try their best to wait for opportunities outside rather than use their crate. The potential disadvantage is less freedom and more crating time for active puppies.

● Hybrid Method – Some owners find success with a hybrid approach, combining paper training pads with outdoor trips. This allows for indoor potty options but starts transitioning puppies outside more and more over time. If balanced well, it offers flexibility to meet a puppy’s needs while progressing toward outdoor housetraining.

Conclusion

Paper training puppies has its pros and cons to consider. Paper training can be a valuable aid when the conditions of living do not allow for outdoor housetraining preventing indoor messes.

But pet owners should often consider the likelihood of confusing indoor and outdoor expectations. In the case of people managing to take their pets outdoors with high frequency, however, skipping the paper training might be ultimately easier and quicker.