How to transition my 8-month-old dog from pee pads to outdoor potty?

If you want her to go potty outside only, I would remove the potty pads as this is likely just confusing her. Giving her the option of both may confuse her as to where the appropriate place to go potty is. Instead, taking her out every 1-2 hours, and establishing a routine of going out after eating, drinking, playing, waking up, etc, can help get her used to the fact that outside = go potty time, along with your treats and rewards. If she has an accident inside, moving her outside to let her finish is best, as well as using an enzymatic cleaner to remove any residue and discourage going potty there again. I'm also attaching a few articles that may help! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-housetrain-your-dog-or-puppy-using-a-potty-cue/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-housetraining-mistakes/

When she goes in the pad, move the BM outside and show her where you put it and have sniff thebarea to associate the two things. You can also start moving the pad closer to the door each day and eventually move the pad outside completely until she gets used to going outdoors for that

Sassy is bound to be a bit confused at the new routing in your house, but you can help her learn a new way of doing things. Put her on a leash and take her outside to her designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as she starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as she goes. When she is finished, bring her directly back inside. If she does not go after a reasonable amount of time, bring her in but do not remove the leash. Attach it to your belt loop and keep her with you. Don’t let her out of your sight! When you see her start to circle or sniff, take her right outdoors again and repeat the process. If she does mess in the house, do not scold her unless you actually catch her in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take her right outside. Tell her to "go outside" and praise as she finishes. Keep her in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home, as you have been doing. For further assistance with this, you can click on the prompt to initiate a consult.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It will take time to teach an older dog to go indoors. I would take the pad outside and put it on the ground. See if he will use it outside. If he poops and pees on it, bring it indoors and leave it there soiled for a little bit. So he can see it and smell the elimination. Use praise and treats when he uses the pad outdoors and then when he uses it indoors. Start with the pads close to the door to the outside and then gradually move it to your desired location. Use whatever phrase you use to encourage him to go "do your business," etc. Use a leash to let him sniff the pad. It will take tome to retrain him. Dogs like their routines. Be patient and positive! Good luck!

She may have been trained to potty inside, you can try leaving out potty pads for her to go inside. She may also not be used to having to go potty in a busy, loud, or concrete-filled environment. Give her more time. Keep treats in your pocket and take her out often. Use a command like "go potty" and repeat it when you first get outside. When she does go outside, give her treats and LOTS of praise (people should be thinking you are a wackadoo!). Eventually she will figure out that going outside is a good thing that makes you very happy.

Small breed dogs can be very stubborn with house training. If you haven't tried the method of crate training it may be time to switch methods and try this. Crate training is where she is in a crate when y'all aren't at home and during the night the crate only needs to be big enough for her to stand up and turn around. MOST dogs do not want to pee or poop where they sleep so this teaches them to hold it. I usually do not put puppy pads in there unless you will be gone for several hours and unable to let her out. I also do not put water in there because they tend to drink then they inevitably have to urinate. You will likely need to get up once in the middle of the night to let her out as she is too small to hold it all night. When you get up or get home you will immediately pick her up and take her outside to the designated potty area. If she doesn't pee put her back in the crate for 5 minutes and try again. If you ever catch her peeing in the house in an unwanted area, you can tell her a firm no and then take her to the designated potty area outside to help her with the association. If crate training isn't something you want to do they yes, you may have to be more patient. Pee pads can take longer to house train and sometimes they never become 100% potty trained a lot of people recommend to move the pads closer to the door. You can also try to train her to use a bell to signal that she wants to go outside. You place a small bell hanging from the door and every time you go outside you ring the door bell. Be patient with this little munchkin. She will eventually become more potty trained. The key is consistency.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I honestly would recommend using Fresh Patch. I've had so many clients have success stories with potty training their puppy because of this product. It is basically a patch of grass that you order online that comes in a cardboard box that auto-ships to you to replace the used one. I would look into this and try it out to see if it helps more than the puppy pad. 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.