Puppy Pan Dog, Cat & Small Animal Litter Pan, Gray, Small

Wash and clean with soap and water. For indoor use. Extreme heat can cause pan to warp.

Stage 1: Getting Off to a Good Start

Create an enclosed small space where your puppy can be confined but still feel like part of the family. Make the space large enough for the litter pan to be at least 3 to 4 feet from the puppy's crate and water bowl. Fill the pan with litter or recycled paper litter to the fill line when the puppy is not there. (This prevents him from associating it with the sound of kibble being put in his food bowl.) Place a small amount of the puppy's urine or solid waste in the pan to help pet understand what the pan is used for. Don't scold; praise your puppy profusely and give him a treat when he is using the litter pan!

Stage 2: Be in Control

Set up a routine of feeding and exercise. Have fresh water available until a few hours before crating for the night. Feed your puppy at the same time each day, removing the bowl after 1 to 20 minutes. Keep your puppy on a leash while outside the pen area. You will keep accidents to a minimum when you have control over your puppy at all times until your puppy is fully trained.

Stage 3: Build Good Habits

Place the puppy in the pan regularly when you take your puppy out of the crate, after sleeping or exercising and at mealtimes. Schedule exercise with your puppy. Until your puppy is fully trained, encourage pet to eliminate in the pan before exercising. Using the phrase "puppy go here" when the puppy actually goes in the pan will build the association between the pan and the activity. Eventually, you will be able to use the phrase as a cue for your pet to go potty.

Retraining a Puppy That's Already Trained to Use a Pad or Newspaper

Place the pan in the spot where you put the paper/pad, and place your usual material in the pan without the litter. After your puppy has used the pan a few times, fill the pan with litter to the fill line and place the usual material over it.

After your puppy has become familiar with the smell of the litter, slowly begin to use increasingly smaller pieces of the other material, uncovering more of the litter every couple of days.

Transitioning a Puppy Who Has Been Going Outside

Choose an area of about 4 feet by 4 feet to habituate your puppy. Use a command or cue phrase such as "puppy go here" or "do your thing" before you start training to help him understand the association between the place and the purpose.

When your puppy is used to the new area, put the litter pan-filled with grass or other material from the area-in the spot. When your puppy is comfortable with the ground material in the pan, replace it with litter or recycled paper litter. After the pet has been using the pan outside with the litter with complete reliability, start moving the litter-filled pan toward the house a little bit each day until you can bring it into the house.