Benefits Beyond Housebreaking: The Role of Dog Litter Boxes

​What Kind of Litter? Choice of litter is VERY important.  DO NOT use cat litter for training you puppy !!!  I have heard of people doing this and it is BAD.  Cat litter can get stuck in their pads and they can lick it off their coat causing expensive and harmful gastro-intestinal complications.  I USE ONLY SECOND NATURE LITTER FOR DOGS. It is in an orange bag and can be purchased at any fine petstore.  I shop at Pet Supplies Plus, but I am certain it is available at Petco and PetSmart as well.  If you don't see it at your pet store, ASK.  They might carry it for you or tell you somewhere that does. Starting Out Oftentimes when you get your puppy, it will have started being trained to paper or "wee wee" pads that sit on the floor.  If you did get a puppy like this, great, as this is an easy transition to make.  If your puppy has no idea and won't use the pads either, hope is not lost.  First off, get your pup to use newspaper or a pad i...

 Congratulations on your new puppy! Puppyhood is a fun stage of your dog’s life, where you’ll get lots of licks and laughs, but there’s also lots of work to do to set your puppy up for success. You want to make sure you show your pup how to be a well-behaved member of the family, and if you value your floors and your sanity, it starts with potty training. You might be considering using puppy pee pads to help housebreak your pup. In my professional opinion, I prefer to set a puppy up for success from the beginning and teach them to only go potty outside. However, if it’s difficult to provide frequent potty breaks for your puppy due to your schedule, personal circumstances, or living situation (especially if you're an apartment-dweller), pee pads or a dog porch potty can be a useful tool. Pee pad training can also be used for young, unvaccinated litters of puppies or for older pets who are sick or might otherwise have trouble getting outside (e.g., arthritis, neurologic problems). B...

 The day your new puppy first sees its new home is a special day for any new pet owner. Playing with them, caring for them, and watching them explore every room of their new home is heartwarming and fun. Regrettably, many people forget that cleaning up your little bundle of fur’s mess in your home is a responsibility that can quickly become irritating. That is why it is crucial to have a potty-training plan ready for your new pet as soon as you bring them home. “It’s important to start young with potty training, because what we don’t want to do is establish bad habits in our pets,” said Dr. Mark Stickney, Clinical Associate Professor at  the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Once they learn one way to do something it’s hard for them to unlearn it, and any change can confuse them.” “Begin training your dog as soon as you bring it home,” said Stickney. “Take it straight outside and give it plenty of time to go potty. Stay out there with i...

One of the biggest differences between owning a cat and a dog is the responsibility that comes along with your pet needing to use the bathroom. Most cats conveniently use an indoor litter box that you have to clean once or twice a day, whereas dogs require being taken outside to do their business. Well, what if you’re a loving dog owner who has recently had to relocate to a city for work, and now you live on the 27th floor of a high-rise? Taking Fido out multiple times a day so he can relieve himself just doesn’t seem realistic, now does it? So, what options are you left with? Over the course of history, litter box training a dog hasn’t been as popular, and is typically reserved for cats. Fortunately, given how intelligent dogs are, they are more than capable of learning how to use a litter box just like their feline friends. What Does a Dog Litter Box Look Like? Dog litter box training is very similar to cat litter box training; as the concept is the same, but the execution is diff...

 To most people, the word “house-trained” refers to a dog who has been trained not to urinate or defecate indoors. For my parent’s generation, this bit of training was usually accomplished by Mom, who stayed home while the rest of the family went to work or to school. As double-income families became the norm, the home-alone dog was faced with a serious problem. By the time you add a lunch hour and commute time onto an eight-hour work day, a house dog may have to “hold it” for as long as 10 hours before someone finally comes home to let her out. Her legs are probably tightly crossed for at least the last two. From my first job as a riding instructor at a Wisconsin hunter/jumper barn, through 20 years at a California animal shelter, and now as a trainer/behaviorist, I have been blessed throughout my entire life with careers that welcomed the presence of my dogs. I never knew what a problem the home-alone housetraining issue was until I became a dog trainer and realized how many peo...

When you’re a dog owner, house training can seem almost impossible if you have a job that keeps you out of the home for long periods. Dogs can only hold it in for 6 to 8 hours, so if your job regularly keeps you out of the house for any longer, you’ll likely frequently arrive home to accidents. Like puppy pads, litter box training a dog is a practical compromise that allows you to control your dog’s potty habits and keep your home clean. Disclosure: This post has affiliate links. If you purchase something thru one of the links below, we will receive a small fee. While indoor potty training an adult dog or a puppy might seem complicated, most dogs take to the training exceptionally well. And there are plenty of advantages to litter box training a dog, too, since it gives you significantly more flexibility while saving you money compared to alternatives like pee pads. By using pee pad training methods like positive reinforcement and attractant spray, it won’t be long before you see how c...