Why is my dog constantly ripping his pee pads and how to stop it?

I am sorry to hear about your frustation with Ozzy! Unfortunately this is not an unusual behavior. Ozzy is certainly not acting out or trying to make you frustrated, he is being a normal puppy. Puppies are curious/playful animals that often like to tear things up. If he is being left alone for extended periods of time, then this is why he is tearing his puppy pad up. He is likely bored and lonely. You could consider having a neighbor or pet sitter come over during the middle of the day to let him out while he is young. Also provide him with ample toys to play with as an alternative to tearing up his pads- food puzzles are great to keep puppies engaged, as are kongs- you can put wet food into a kong and put it into the freezer to provide longer entertainment.

Snowball certainly sounds bored and like she has plenty of energy to burn! She is clearly trying to play by pulling her pad out and running off with it. I suggest getting rid of the pads entirely and making sure she is house-trained completely. Keeping a specific schedule for her feeding and walks really helps with this, and reward her when she goes outside. She is old enough now at 7 months that she shouldn't be having any accidents in the house or in her crate if you are taking her for walks frequently enough. Check out this great veterinary dog behavior and training website if you need more help with house training or getting all that extra energy out of her: www.dogstardaily.com. This is a fantastic resource for training, puppy behavior, and socialization. Good luck!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sulley and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. This is common behavior and the concern is that if he eats enough of it, it could cause an obstruction. You can tape down the edges of the puppy pad so he cannot pull it up to eat it. You can also start crate training him. This will prevent him from eating puppy pads but it will also help with potty training. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a teaspoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. I hope this helps!

Bad little dog! :) This is quite common for puppies. If you think he is eating the pad especially the plastic part, then this is a concern. I would consider start crate training him instead of pad training because it could be safer for him long term. I worry if he ingests a large piece of plastic that it could get stuck in his intestinal tract. You could try to use towels in place of the pee pad if crate training isn't any option. I will attach an article about crate training. I hope this helps! https://www.petco.com/content/content-hub/home/articlePages/new-pet/Puppy-and-Dog-Crate-Training.html

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach! Potty training can be a difficult and frustrating challenge. I find that using puppy pee pads does not work the best. I have recommended using a product called FreshPatch. I find this works much more effectively than puppy pee pads. For more tips on potty training, check out this article below for more good tips. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/

Puppies can be so destructive! If he has decided that this is what he wants to do then he will likely continue. You may want to consider putting him in a crate at night, small enough that he doesn’t need a potty pad. At 3 months he should be able to hold his urine for 4-5 hours at a time, so taking him out once during the night would still be very normal right now. This method also helps train then to hold their bladder. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Buddy. This is a million dollar question. I have experienced it with my dogs and I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. Some dogs are just very destructive when it comes to toys, beds, and other items in the house. Maybe it's just boredom, lack of environmental enrichment, etc. I would advise more walks, more exercise, etc to see if the behavior continues. Good luck