litter box training?

[nikki1]

Let me explain...

I was raised with shelties, and I'll be getting my own this spring. (Beyond excited, by the way!) We have a 1/2 acre fully-fenced yard, so fenced space is not an issue. As a kid, we just had a doggie door, and our furkids would come and go as they please, making housebreaking pretty easy.

My issue is that we have 2 exclusively indoor cats, for whom a doggie door could be fatal, as they would not stay in the yard, and they have no street or forest smarts. The cats have a doggie door into the garage, which is where we keep their cat boxes.

Certainly, when we're home, the dog can go into the yard whenever he/she wants, but while we're at work...well...we don't want accidents or bladder infections. We were thinking about using puppy pads to train the pup to use a litter box in the garage when we're out. I know that a dog probably wouldn't bury their leavings, but it would be better than leavings on the living room rug! And besides, one of our cats doesn't bury, either.

Has anyone else tried this? Has it been successful? Any ideas or experiences would be appreciated!

--Nikki

[mcemily]

Well, I haven't tried that, but I am sure you could train a dog to use the litterbox.

However, It would definitely not be a good idea for our current pup. He would treat the litterbox like an all-you-can-eat kitty-krunchies buffet. He has a tendency to eat poo if it is in the house (but not if it is outside, interestingly), so we have to keep our cats' litterbox behind a pet gate with an opening too small for him fit through.

Now, the Sheltie my family had when I was a kid left the litterbox alone (as far as I know, anyway), so obviously it would depend on the individual dog, whether or not the litterbox would double as a snack bar!

Hopefully some others will have more helpful advice for you!

[mellie]

I know people who have litterbox trained their pups and it seemed to work for them, but if you cat's litterbox is in the same area the pup will be eating out of it. They used pine pellets used as stall bedding...isn't there a way to make the dog door cat proof -harder to push ? But, you would not want a young puppy outside unwatched because he would be prey for many critters or would be eating every single stick, ,mushroom, rock, acorn, pinecone etc.

[nikki1]

I'm thinking the kitty boxes will definitely need to be out of puppy reach! We've had dogs and cats at the same time before, and we know all about THAT hazard. Eeeeww! The gated entry for the cats is a good idea!

--Nikki

[Internette]

What about a doggie door that is electronic that opens and closes for the dog with a collar on? I have seen these, they open as the dog approaches and closes as soon as it passes through. Not sure the timing on it for a cat to jump through right behind quickly.
I also know my cats have a pet door on our sliding door for the patio so they can go out and sun themselves on a patio chair and their litter box is on the patio. It is available to them 24/7 but it is a small door, if it was a larger dog door I don't think they would open it very easily.
How about a bell on the door to open it when the dog has to go out, they usually learn the bell very easily.

[jomuir]

Our rescue Roxie was supposedly litter box trained before she came to us. We were told her owner was handicapped & lived in an apt. She was about 2 yrs old when we got her & the foster family was working on potty training her. She was a hot mess! She'd just go anywhere & anytime she wanted to. We had to buy a crate, never needed one before that. She did pick up regular potty training pretty quickly but it was a rough couple months until she was reliable.

If you're concerned about the dog going while you're away from home, have you considered crating? Many owners use them as great tools in potty training.

[labgirl]

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What about a doggie door that is electronic that opens and closes for the dog with a collar on?

They aren't foolproof, unfortunately. They can be triggered by other cats wearing normal collars. Also if the collar gets lost the dog can't get in/out.

I'm not a fan of letting dogs be alone in the yard all day as a number of dogs have been stolen that way from around here, particularly small dogs

Merlin came to me paper-trained and I kept the paper down for a time when he was a pup with a puppy pad on top and it worked for me until Merlin learned to ask to go out.

I have litter trained a rabbit before now, so I see no reason why you couldn't train a dog, I actually think it makes sense if you are going to be out all day. I would rather that, then have them having to hang on. Doesn't mean they won't be 'clean' in the house, as long as they know only to 'go' in the litter tray.

But, yes, I would have it in a different place to the cat's boxes. I have a cat poo eating sheltie too!

[corbinam]

I don't think anyone has asked the first question that popped into my mind.

Why do you need to litter train your puppy? How long are you gone during the day? Many people own and house train puppies that work full time without adding that step.

We got my girl at 12 weeks old and I put her in an ex-pen with newspaper down at one end and a crate at the other. She was left for 6-8 hours (after the first week) when we couldn't get home at lunch time, and she only peed on the paper a few times.

If you're going to be gone longer than that I still wouldn't recommend litter training, I'd recommend hiring a dogwalker to let him/her out to go to the bathroom and get some exercise/human interaction.

I'll also admit that I don't like the idea of a doggie door. I'm a bit of a neurotic pet mom, but I want to control when my dogs go out. I like to know how often they go to the bathroom, what they're doing (are they eating grass? rabbit poop? mushrooms?!), and I also like to keep an eye on them. I've heard stories about skunks, coyotes and hawks--I'd rather be out with my dogs or at least watching them closely. I'd never want them outside when I'm not home.

[Cindy]

I have a wizdog for Gavin.
He uses it if for any reason he HAS to go when I'm not home.
Works well if my schedule changes, I have a late night, etc.

I started using it when he was a pup cause he chewed up the pee pads.
He knows where to go if he needs to, but never uses it when I'm home.

[GillsGoneWild]

Crate training is the way to go, I will admit I at first thought noway but when we got Dixie crate training was the easiest since they will not normally go in the crate.Of course I had an advantage of being able to come home at lunch and my husband works night 2 weeks out of the month so he would be here while I was at work.But now she will actually go in her crate and sleep or chew on a treat. I also have a doggie door that works with a magnet on her collar ,but I dont leave her with free access to the outside when we are gone. I like knowing she is safe when we are not home.But the door works greaat you can adjust the time it takes to open and close,but we didnt let her use it till she was about 5 months old.It is made by solo, hope this helps