is it possible to litter box train a tiny dog?

Question

can a dog(yorkshire terrier)/ 5 lbs be litter trained. He is 4 and has been very diffi cult to house train. I'm wondering if a litter box may be better for him.

I do walk the dog-----sometimes over an hour a day and he still wants to poo on the floor. Jerk!

Answer 1

I have four chihuahuas, 3.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds, 5.0 pounds and 7 pounds. They have all been litter box trained. I live in New England and they hate the cold so it works out well. I also don't have to worry when I am away all day because they don't have to hold it they can use their box. Purina makes a dog litter box and it's called second nature. You can get them at Petco but can find them online as well. There are several different sizes and even though my dogs and your dog would fit the toy size box I would recommend you get the standard size. It gives them a little more room and if your dog lifts his leg then it's even better because the toy size has lower sides. They have special dog litter for the pan and those wee pads are available. I use simple newspaper. I fold it out so it goes up the sides a bit and then lay down another one for absorbing in the flat part for absorption. I found newspaper to be easy because you can burn it in the woodstove if you have one, remove the poop and flush it and then compost the remaining newspaper or simply throw it all away. I was lucky and I didn't have much of a difficult time litter box training my dogs. When people say you can't train a dog new tricks they are wrong, dogs no matter what their age have the ability to learn you just need to have patience and most importantly persistance. Here's some things you should do: don't let your dog have free run of the house until he knows where to potty, people often make this mistake when training a dog. If you are not going to be at home or it's a night when you are sleeping keep your dog in one room, such as a kitchen area or bathroom. Somewhere it is easy to clean up accidents. Put the box in the room with the dog obviously. When you are around you can let the dog have more room but keep a watchful eye over him so he will not have accidents. When you get the box make a big deal out of it, put the dog in the box every fifteen to twenty minutes, tell him to go potty or whatever word you use for that (but stick to the same word), praise the dog, if he jumps right out put him back in a couple of times and then let him go. If you see him having an accident put him immediantly in the box and tell him to go potty. Repetition is the only way your dog is going to learn where to go, it's the same as if you were training him to go outside. I won't lie to you and tell you it will be easy because as you said he's been difficult to potty train. If you stick with it you should have good results. My dogs use their boxes as they need (I have four because I have four dogs). Some people have turned up their nose at me telling them my dogs are litter box trained because I guess they think it's gross or something but I will tell you it's better then cat boxes any day of the week. Also don't use cat litter, dogs will sometimes eat it and there is a lot of dust in cat litter (not good for small dogs). Also, you can go to petco or some other pet supply place and look for a spray that is supposed to attract dogs to pee in that area where it is sprayed (I didn't have to use it but it's worth a try if he's being difficult). I love that my dogs are box trained, it's been much easier for me, worry free when I leave them and when they get older and can't hold it very long they will be all set. Remember patience and persistance.

Answer 2

Yes, and it works quite well for some people. Purina makes a litter called Second Nature (I think)-- if you go to their website, there is lots of good info about using dog litter and training your dog to use a litter box. This is especially helpful for people who have small dogs and work long hours. But if he isn't house trained, litter training might not go any better unless you get to the underlying cause. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

it's possible. especially since the dog is small, then it would be fine. try training him this way: evry about 1-2 hours, (especially 10-15 min after eating a meal) take him and put him in the litter box and constantly say go potty. in the beginning, this may be aggrivating (because he may take long to go) but eventually he'll go. whenevr he does go, constantly say good boy! with an enthusiastic tone. give him lots a praise nad definetely a treat he loves. after a while, he'll know what he's supposed to do and he should be trained. and make sure you get the largest and sturdiest box possible to find. and as for the litter, just use regular cat litter, knowing for sure that it should be ok if dogs use it. good luck with this :)

Answer 4

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMRPV

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 5

Yes, it's possible to train them to use a litter box. I had a small dog and she used the box, no problem. We just used cat litter.

Answer 6

yes, it is [possible to luitter box train a small dog. In fact, they even make litter just for dogs. It just takes a lot of time and patience, but If you live in an aprtment it makes lfe easier.

Answer 7

YES!! And a lot of ppl do this. You can also try in addition to or try it before but there is a produt called wee wee (i think) and it is a house breaking aid. You spray it or use drops where you want the animal to use the bathroom. I always suggest it to my customers either having this problem or if they just got a new puppy. You can get it at any PetLand and I think Petsmart or PetCo should have it too.

Answer 8

It's possible, but most dogs don't like it. Dogs don't like to be around their own droppings, and to ask him to go in a box that is inside his home and may already have the last batch of droppings in it is unnatural and upsetting for them. Yorkies are notoriously difficult to housebreak, but I would keep working on him going outdoors and steer clear of litter boxes.

Answer 9

Yes, I've done it with a chihuahua. I put his poop in the litter box and took frequent trips to it and added 2 ounces of human adult male urine. The testosterone attracts both sexes and works well! Have a great day.

Answer 10

I had a tea- cup poodle that trained himself to the cats litter box