Made a intro last week but no welcome message

I pick up a new puppy this Saturday, she will be 8 weeks old, a Border Collie off a farm in Wales.

Are these training mats worth bothering with ?

I didn't use anything with our last B/C as far as I can remember, I'm home all day and just planning on letting Seren out to do her business every 60 - 90 minutes through the day then last thing at night before bed.

Thanks in advance.

I hope you don't mind me asking but have you met Seren yet? A farm in Wales is ringing my alarm bells, that's all. It could be totally legit and we had our last BC from a mountain in Snowdonia, but there is a puppy farm problem in Wales so best to be aware.

I don't use training mats with my current puppy, and haven't used them with the others. I think a young puppy needs to go outside every half hour to begin with, especially if they haven't started any toilet training before. If you're home all day anyway I'd recommend half hourly toilet breaks for Seren rather than every 90 mins, at least to start with

Hi always1more

I have never used training pads, some of my friends swear by them but I never used them. I believe they are expensive for what they are. I used good old fashioned newspaper with my little puppy but she never had an accident as she had regular access to the outside.

I believe they are personal preference.

Most people will suggest you forget the training mats; they are usually a waste of money. If you want the pup to learn to toilet outside, then that is exactly what you need to teach - not confuse the pup by allowing / encouraging toiletting indoors but only on certain substrate....

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Agree with this

Also, unless you want to spend a lot of time cleaning your floor, you're really going to have to aim for much more frequently than every 60-90 miniutes..... more like every 20-30.

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I agree totally and also you only prolong the time when the pup learns to go outside - best start as you mean to go on and make like much easier for everyone concerned.

Super

Yes I already seen all the puppies 3 weeks ago now, I've got a video of the Mother working and also I have met the Father both parents on a working farm. Lovely temprements and I keep receiving email updates of the pups

Thanks again, no need for me to waste money on the mats.

I will be posting many pictures over the coming months, can't wait for Saturday to come, she's going to have to learn quick to travel in my car

always1more

i did use training mats but only ones from pound shop and only for the first few nights just inside kitchen door, tink learnt to ask to go out very fast, but when she sleeps in the kitchen over night this became our issue i would put her out before i went to bed at about midnight and then during the night then between 6am and 7 am this is her routine dropping the middle of night times visit to the garden daughter now allows her to sleep on her bed and she asks to go out if needs during the night, though when daughter is at her b/f's she still sleeps in kitchen and only has accidents if something disturbs her during the night like the phone ringing at silly oclock, the reason i used training mats though was not wanting to open door to puddles just inside doorway, and if she still has accident its in same place so now its beware before u step i stopped the mats a few wks ago shes now 16wks

Thanks tink

I rekon we should be fine without, Border Collies soon learn, she will be living in the kitchen so fingers crossed things will be ok

I wouldn't go for training mats either. Outside every 20 minutes at first, also after eating, drinking, waking. I hope this autumn/winter is kinder to you than the 2009/2010 one was for me! I wouldn't get a puppy at this time of year again!

I also had a farm bred pup, a Welsh Sheepdog, also from a farm in Wales. As she had been born and was living in a stable-type building, with no clear eating/sleeping/toileting areas, it took a bit of getting it into her head that it's best not to pee in your bed! You might find the same if your pup has also been in the same sort of conditions. It will be more of an upheaval too, than for a pup who was brought up in a house.

I also used a house line on mine from about 10 weeks, a light 6-foot lead tied to my belt, so she was always nearby and couldn't go off to pee in the corner without me noticing; I think it was a real help.

My pup was nearly house-trained by 14 weeks, just the odd night-time accident. Fully there at 18 weeks.

Are you going to be using a crate? I don't know what I would have done without mine.