# Can a dog use a litter box...



## JaimJaim1984 (Oct 29, 2006)

I'm having a hard time potty training my jack russell....I've heard you can train small dogs to use a litter box...has anyone ever heard of this?


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## mistee06 (Oct 28, 2006)

I've never heard of it...but im sure its possible...but somehow all im seeing is your jack russel looking at the poop and pouncing on it and going all crazy and getting the litter everywhere...but then again...all the JRT's ive known have been stupidly energetic!! You could definately try doing it...im sure it'd be along the same lines as paper training a dog!! good luck if you do it!!


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

I have heard of this with small dogs. 

It's a box that's much larger than a cat box, and you don't use cat litter, there is a special litter you can use just for dogs. I believe it's biodegradeable, (sp?) and is easy to clean.

When I had a hamster, he had a litter box  

If you want to go thru the extra trouble of cleaning a "dog box" everytime your dog goes, then go ahead! It's quite interesting
It's a lot of hassle..I would just train your dog to go outside! I wouldn't want my dog pooping in the house! (Hahahaha )


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## JaimJaim1984 (Oct 29, 2006)

I've tried to get her to go outside. I take her out and she goes. But then when we get back inside she will squat and pee right in front of me. I even give her treats when she goes outside! We had pee pads that she used in our house, but we just moved to an apartment and now she won't use the pads. I try to clean it up, but I know I've missed afew spots cause the apartment is starting to stink.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

have you tried umbilical cording w/ her? when you take her out give her more than one time of peeing and then when you bring her in make sure she can't go any further than your feet.....if she starts to squat, give a sharp "NO" and immediately rush her outside.....i'd keep her umbilical corded or crated inside till the behavior stops......


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## skunkstripe (Oct 28, 2006)

Why do you want her to use pee pads? I know people who live in high rise apartments like to use them because it can take such a long time to get dressed, call the elevator, get the dog out to where it is ok to go, as opposed to those of us who live out in the country who can just open the door wearing a bathrobe  
But seriously I think you might be confusing your dog? The easiest thing is to say inside = no, outside = good and stick to that. Or have you given up and that is why you want a place for her to go inside?


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## JaimJaim1984 (Oct 29, 2006)

Yea...seems easier...but not when I take the dog out ever 3 hrs yet she still goes inside. It's better to use the pads if she insists on going inside, at least its a little bit sanitary. As for being confused, I highly doubt that, she's just stubborn.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

i wouldn't say stubborn....she just knows who makes the rules in the house....trust me, stick to your guns and say "ABSOLUTELY NO WAY ARE YOU PEEING IN _MY_ HOUSE" and you'd be surprised how quickly that will change.....and lower the time frame for when she goes out; every 1 1/2 hrs or whatever.....and go to the umbilical cording/crating/NILIF program of training her....if she calls the shots on this, she'll figure out real quick that she can on other issues as well....


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

First, how old is your dog? If you are taking her out every 3 hours I am guessing she is a puppy. I have a Papillon that is almost 5 months old & I thought I wanted to paper train her b/c I would take her out and then she would come back in and pee on the floor. I tried the litter box and she would just play in it. She understood to go on the potty pads. I HAD to use them b/c with such a small dog in the beginning she physically could not hold it longer than 1 hour so she had a potty area with the pads and she was very good about it BUT she could not distinguish between potty pad & any other soft floor area sometimes. I am glad I did not force it and let it all happen naturally for her. We tried to make the outside time the best time ever. We would have treats, toys and belly rubs after an outside poop or pee. Then she stopped using the potty pads while crated up and would wait for us to take her out. I took the pads away totally at 3 1/2 months and she understands outside is the place to go but now we are working on telling us b/c we have to constantly watch her. But again, when she does go to the door we get hugs, treats, belly rubs and then out we go!!! Trust me, its hard and its frustrating but worth it. The other deciding factor for me was that we travel with our dog and if I had to think about, if I was at someone elses house would I feel comfortable with a big box of poop and pee somewhere.


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

Since you are looking for litter box training advice, I will pass along what I was told which was pick an area for her and cover the entire area with newspaper and then the litter box. Your dog will more than likely use the paper first but every day decrease the paper by a few inches until all you are left with is the box. People say it works.


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## JaimJaim1984 (Oct 29, 2006)

She will be a year old Nov 9th. Another strange thing is she is yet to go into heat! But thanks for everyones advice! And how exactly do you crate train, I'm not totally sure how.


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

You buy a crate, and put your dog in there when left alone. Sometimes people keep the in there at night while sleeping, others don't.

If your dog is doing this while you are gone, crate train. You can supervise when you ARE home.

Peepads have a special scent to them that's alluring to dogs, and encourages them to go ON the pads, instead of other places. They are called feramones (sp?) I believe


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

on the crate training....don't just put the dog in there and expect it to accept it right off the bat....some dogs do but most don't....if she doesn't like going in it you need to make it a good place for her to be...you can feed her in there, give her a special treat (chew toy w/ PB in it, etc), and if she doesn't want to go in at first you can start by tossing things in (toys, treats, etc) to entice her to go in on her own....
i do not agree w/ some peoples policy of "throw them in, close the door and let them scream it out"....a crate is supposed to be a safe haven, not a scary place.....also, as i said, you can use it when you are home but can't be right there to watch her constantly, and also to give both you and her a "break" from the stress of housebreaking....but i still HIGHLY recommend the umbilical cording....it works great


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## puppy girl (Oct 1, 2006)

yes I have heard of litter box training small dogs, but I have heard of a tall yellow poll for dogs. It is called the Pee Poll I think. Where ever the poll is, it says your dog will go to the bathroom in that spot. You should try looking it up, I know I've heard of it. Give me a update if you see this poll. 

Marzie


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## bullet (Nov 7, 2006)

Hi,
My friend has a Chihuahua who uses a litter box. So when I got my Jack Russell pup I thought I would try it... HA! She jumpped around in it played in it did everything except "use" it. I couldn't box train that dog to save my life. We eventually had to get rid of her because she was to rough with our twins who at the time were very little. 
Recently we got a begal/blue healer mix, and for the first week or 2 he was soooo good. He used that box like a champ. Then I one day out of no where he started playing in it and sleeping in it also eating in it. I'm not sure what happened, but Now that box is his bed with a blanket in it. lol! So in my experiance, NO! dogs are meant to go outside. Especially Jack Russells.


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## tony67 (12 mo ago)

JaimJaim1984 said:


> I'm having a hard time potty training my jack russell....I've heard you can train small dogs to use a litter box...has anyone ever heard of this?


I know this post is old, yet I felt impel to respond. I read through most of the responses and got a mixed feedback. I can tell you, based on my experience with different breeds of dogs, YES you can train a dog to go in a box. I trained a CHOW-PETBULL Mix to go in a box. Of course, it was easy because I got him when he was a tiny puppy and I started him quickly. As he grew up, I started moving the box outside, which he followed. Then I removed the box completely and he strictly went outside every time.
Now I have a Jack Russell. Unfortunately, she is 1 and 1/2 yr old and highly active. So I didn't get her as a puppy. It was best to get her outside from the beginning because she loves digging. Unfortunately she has had some accidents, yet mainly when the weather outside is not favorable. She hates the cold and rain. Therefore, she is more likely to have an accident during the cold days or if its raining. Something you just have to live with when it comes to this breed. It's a learning curve to know when she can't hold it anymore and then just go. Keep this in mind with your JRT, find out if she's being affected by her environment. JRT are sensitive to the climate. They love being warm and dry. In the mornings, she'll go outside very quickly just to get back inside.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Yes, this post is old, and we discourage the revival of zombie threads, as detailed in the forum rules. Please feel free to start a new thread or join in current conversations, but I'm closing this one to further replies.


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