Time to transition to pottying outdoors?

[Peanut's Mom 6]

First, I want to say how much these forums have been helping Peanut and I adjust to our first 2 months of living together:)

Peanut has been going consistently on his pad now for about 2 weeks. However, his trainer has suggested that we transition from pads to outdoors now, but he is somewhat anti potty pad. We had not been planning on outdoor potty training yet because we live in a high rise and the total time to get downstairs and out can be up to 5-10 minutes. However, in the next year or so we do plan on moving somewhere with easier access to the outside with the hope of having him go exclusiveloy outside, maybe even with a doggy door. Should we begin transitioning now because I do have a lot of free time on my hands until September, or will transitioning be easier once he is more like a year old? Or will waiting makes things even harder?

And, of course, a picture...Peanut in his new soccer jersey:)

[Seastar 44]

Definitely! Start now! Just carry him on the way down the elevator so he doesn't potty in the elevator, and give him a delicious treat when he does well. If you wait a year till he finds out he's supposed to potty outside, it will confuse the heck out of him and he'll think you are crazy. Let us know how it goes~

[Luna 8,676]

What Paula said.

[Peanut's Mom 6]

Thanks..if we decide to transition, should we pull the pads up cold turkey or let him use both for a while? As of now we just let him go outside and keep moving, totally ignoring it. We both really like the potty pad convenience and how well Peanut has taken to them, that we are now unsure if they wouldn't be so bad for him to use as a long term solution. Sometimes people use both, correct?

[Seastar 44]

Yes, I've had pups who used both, especially at night. One way around potty pads is to use sod in a kitty litter box (if he uses grass outside, that is). That worked for me when Dhani was a baby and we were on a boat for a few weeks.