Training on Pee Pads Instead of Outside

[Connie & Bocelli]

My puppy won't be coming home for another 8 weeks but I'm trying to think ahead.  Since I have always had very small dogs, they were always trained to pee and poop on pee pads.  Do any of you have your Doodles trained to go on the pads rather than outside or even trained to go either way?

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

What size doodle are you getting? My goldendoodle weighs 75 lbs, my standard ALD weighs 52 lbs, I cannot imagine either one of them going inside on a pad...it would have to be a HUGE pad. My experience has been to train to go outside.

[Connie & Bocelli]

I'm conjuring up a picture here Deb....one HUMUNGO pad :)).   My Dood will probably be around 30 pounds (give or take) but I guess a 30 pound dog's pee is still too much for a pad.  My breeder trains the puppies to go in a rabbit pan filled with wood pellets that are used in a wood-burning stove.  Again, it would have to be one big pan for a 30-35 pound Dood.

[Minga & Malu & Costa]

My preference is to never train a puppy with a pee pad. Polamalu was the easiest dog I have ever potty trained. The breeder used pellet filled litter boxes in their playpen, but when I brought P-Doodle home and placed the same type box at the back of his kennel, he never peed in it once and ended up sleeping in it. He has never gone in his kennel and only had 3 accidents his entire training period (all my fault).

[Aimee Santa Monica]

I'm wondering if you are getting a mini?  Our Storm is a mini, and when we first had him at 9 weeks of age, it was tough, being consistant, taking him out often to train him!  But now he 'll wait to go outside and eliminate. It's a great feeling! He was real mouthy when we first had him, i think that if i had pee pads, he would just tear them to pieces!

[Adina P]

I think you have to pick one or the other because otherwise you can end up with a doodle who pees/poos anywhere.  30 lbs is none too small.  I would recommend training to go only outside.