Litter Box Training Your Dog

Even though this may seem kind of odd for most dog owners, when you litter box train an animal it is wise to have a toy dog handy - if for some reason you have to leave your dog at home for a few hours at a time. This is a technique that several dog owners who live in small apartments or dog owners who live in cold climates do to avoid their tiny dogs from the need to go outdoors. Most dog breeds like the Chihuahua, Italian Greyhound and the Chinese Crested are considered to be extremely sensitive to a cold environment and rainy weather. These dogs can become cold very easily so it is important to having an indoor bathroom is crucial.

Training your pet dog to use a litter box can be quite difficult if the dog has been housetrained. Now, for animals that have never been housetrained to use a litter box is not as hard, however, it will take a little bit of work and patience. One of the first steps is to purchase a litter box that is not too big for your dog so that he can get in and out of it with ease. You can actually use a cat litter boxes, but if you have a small puppy you just might have to cut down the sides of the litter box so he can step in and out of the box. Make sure that you place the litter box up in the area such that is located in a visible location. Make sure that you allow your dog to play in his litter box and practice stepping in and out of it.

Make sure that you look for signs of anxiousness – that means that he needs to go outdoors. Take your dog to his litter box and put them on the inside. If your dog leaps out just put them back into the box until they actually go to the potty. You can take out his waste material. Make sure that you never disinfect the litter box. Your dog will be able to scent that this is where he went to the potty before and will to return to it when he needs to go to the potty.

Also, make sure that you purchase puppy pads that can be purchased at any online pet store. Purchase one that has an attractant in the pad that prompts your dog to go to the potty on the actual pad. Put the pads inside of the litter box and go over the steps above once again. Don’t forget to give your dog plenty of praise and treats for using the potty in the right place.

Don’t forget that dog's do not cover their waste like cats do. Dogs normally step in their potty waste and track it all through a home. So, daily cleaning of the litter box will be imperative to avoid this incident from happening. If you own a cat and a dog, you should purchase separate litter boxes because either your cat or dog will more than likely to take full control of the litter box.