Can you use puppy pads for humans? Get all your answers here. Also, learn how you can use it for your pets at home
Table of Contents
Do you have a puppy at home? If yes, pee and potty training is one thing that I am sure you are planning for. Using puppy pads helps your dog understand where it must pee and makes him get into the habit of peeing in a designated place.
Using puppy pads will eventually help your dog to learn to pee and potty outside the house as well. Until your puppy is about 12 months, you must train them to use puppy pads.
Considering the usefulness of puppy pads for taking care of puppy pee and potty, some of our readers also ask us: “can you use puppy pads for humans?”
The answer is that we won’t recommend it. Using puppy pads for humans is not very hygienic as they are specifically designed for animals and not children. Instead, using diapers and pads specifically designed for humans is a better idea.
In this article, we would try to answer the following questions:
- Why we do not recommend puppy pads for humans, be it, adults or babies
- What are the benefits and disadvantages of using puppy pads for puppies
- Why puppy pads can be bad for puppies too, and what you can do to avoid harm to them
- Alternatives to potty pads
- Common mistakes of pee and potty training
Can You Use Puppy Pads For Humans? Are Puppy Pee Pads Toxic?
There are many reasons why puppy pads are not suitable for humans:
- Puppy pads are thin absorbents that are not at all suitable for human use. Thus, using plastic pee pads is not at all beneficial for humans and especially babies.
- The potty pads that are available in the market are made of synthetic material. These materials release
- harmful CFCs that are not environment-friendly. Thus, you can imagine how dangerous it can be for humans.
- Puppy pads have an artificial scent sprayed on them that attracts dogs (known as pheromones, we will discuss them later). These artificial attractors are not at all suitable for human skin. Never use a potty pad for humans.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Pee Pads
Advantages
- The primary benefit of a pee pad is potty training.
- It acts as step-by-step training for the dog.
- The pads work as a regular exercise for the dog.
- Puppy pad training makes the puppies independent as they learn to pee and poo on it.
- It is convenient to carry the puppy pad along with you when traveling with the pup.
- The pads do not require much maintenance.
- The pee pads can be used part as well as full time.
- Many pads have an odor eliminator that does not let the foul smell or pee and urine stay in the pad.
Disadvantages
- After learning to pee on a puppy pad, the dogs do not want to go outside.
- They get into a habit of peeing inside the house, which is unhygienic.
- Pee pads make the dog lazy.
- Any rug or mat becomes the pee pad for dogs as rugs and pee pads are similar.
- A few puppy pads have chemicals that are not eco-friendly.
- It is risky if the dog chews the pad containing chemicals, and their health can be at risk.
- The pee pad lacks the attraction of natural grass, which the dogs usually get attracted to.
Do Puppy Pads Have Chemicals In Them?
What Are Pheromones?
Pheromones are chemicals produced both by animals and humans related to sexual behavior. Pheromones create a kind of scent around a person or animal, which attracts members of the opposite sex of the same species towards it.
Some insects also use this chemical to communicate with one another, but mostly, these chemicals are used by animals for sexual arousal.
Puppy pads or pee pads have synthetic pheromones. The aroma of synthetic pheromones attracts the pups and helps them to understand that this is the place they are supposed to pee.
Are Synthetic Pheromones Harmful?
Unfortunately, there is another side to these synthetic pheromones. They can be harmful to your dog, especially because your pup will start to chew on those pee pads, which is far too common than you would like.
Puppies find these pee pads soft, chewable, and probably their pee odor makes them chew the pee pad. There could be various reasons for your dog chewing the pee pad. It can be due to pleasure, fun, frustration, anger, teething issues, and hunger.
Once your dog eats the pad, it can go into the stomach and attract fluids, absorb it or get stuck in the stomach or intestine. This can cause diarrhea, a stomach infection, or loss of appetite. Pee pads have ammonia which can be very risky if the dog chews on it.
Can You Stop Your Dog From Chewing Puppy Pads?
When a puppy gets bored or irritated, it is first to tear the pee pads apart. Yes, you can stop your dog from chewing puppy pads with the help of the following tips:-
- Dog toys are the best things that can help your dog stay away from puppy pads. As chewing is very normal amongst all the dogs thus, you can make them chew good things that prove healthy and playful for the dog.
- Take your dog for a regular walk. Walking will help the dog be playful and happy. Your dog will stop being mischievous and will stop chewing puppy pads.
- Dogs too have hunger pranks; thus, giving them a good diet will help them reduce chewing unnecessarily.
- Every dog must have something to chew; this will avoid him chewing his gear. Chewing is a good exercise but not puppy pads for sure.
- Using a potty holder for the potty pad is the best as it is not chewable and will hold the puppy pad in place.
Are Grass Potty And Pee Pads Practical?
Grass provides the dogs a natural feel, and nature’s call becomes convenient in the natural environment. The smell of grass makes the dogs pee quickly.
Some potty pad manufacturers have made pads with artificial grass that is a perfect substitute for natural grass. It will help train dogs faster than thin absorbent pads.
The dogs need indoor house training, which becomes simple with grass potty pads. After a week, it becomes easy to replace the grass pad. Using grass pads is a more hygienic and cleaner option for training your dog for potty and peeing as compared to pee pads.
Common Mistakes One Makes While Training A New Puppy For Peeing
Every dog owner faces the problem of potty training. When your dog has his food, anticipating the potty and the pee timings will become very convenient. People think that potty training is possible within a week.
But, let me tell you, every dog is different, and potty training needs consistency and patience. It can take a few weeks and can also take several months.
Punishing your dog for not listening to you is another common mistake people make while doing potty training. The dog owner needs to control the dog’s environment and access to different parts of the house.
But, remember, when you give commands and hold the dog, do it with love. To make the dog obey you, it is better to first understand the dog’s mood and behavior.
Training the dog to pee on a potty pad is good if you are too busy working or live in a high-rise apartment. Doing it regularly will make your dog lazy and uninterested in going out for peeing.
What Can You Do To Protect Your Floor From Getting Dirty From Pee And Poo?
When using pee pads, the floor can get filthy if the pee pad is kept directly on the floor. Thus, to save your floor from stains and pee, it is better to use a pee pad holder. This will keep your floor, rugs, carpet safe from pee pad leakage. A pad holder made of silicone material is the best as it can be washed and cleaned from time to time. Further, when the pad holder is not in use, you can fold it and store it in a safe place.
Which Pads Are Best For House Training?
Non-slippery carbon pet training pads are the best for house training a dog. These pads are available in large and extra-large sizes and work as excellent absorbents. They come in a set of 50 or 100 pads.
The pee pads have a five-layer construction that helps absorb a lot of urine. They are made of leak-proof plastic that protects the floor from damage. The Pee pad automatically attracts the dogs with its pee smell on the poo pad with carbon attractant. You can use it for small as well as large dogs.
Wrap Up
Though pee pads are great options for dog owners when they cannot take their dogs for a nature call regularly, it saves a lot of time, but the dog owner is making the dog lazy. As the dog gets into the habit of doing potty and peeing inside the house, it will never want to go out.
If your motive is to keep your home clean, then it is a different thing. Then you have to train the dog to go outside. But, one must not think that the house will remain dirty if you use potty pads. Teaching and training your dog for potty at an early age will make him obedient for a lifetime.