Is it possible to train a 4 month old mini pintcher to go in a litter box or any other suggestions?

Question

He is an in home dog and I already use doggy pads.

Answer 1

I don't recommend pad or litterboxes, more often than not they lead to house soiling issues later on. But if you simply MUST train your dog to use a litterbox, change the outside potty spot in my article to the litterbox.

How long it will take you to house train your dog depends on your dedication to the training process and your puppy's maturity and learning rate.

Things you will need to housetrain your puppy are a properly fitted crate, a collar and leash, some treats, and time and patience.

You also need to pick a spot for your puppy to go potty. Using the same spot each time will help the puppy recognize that this is where he should go, and the smell from going there other times will help him go potty faster when you take him out.

I don't recommend using doggie litter boxes or those puppy pads. If you want your dog to always go potty in the house fine, then use this article to teach them to go there. But don't complain to me when your dog starts going other places in the house. Dogs often times cannot tell the difference between a puppy pad and your expensive rug. All they know is its ok to go potty in the house so any area with a roof is fair game for elimination. Also trying to paper train a dog and then trying to switch the dog to going outside is counterproductive and confusing for the dog. Doing this will only slow the training down. So forget the puppy pads and start teaching your dog to go outside from day one. If you have already been using them throw them out and start all over from the beginning, but keep mind the process may take a little longer the second time around since once your dog has bad habits they are hard to break. Its much easier to prevent them than to correct them later.

When looking for a crate you want one that is big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. You don't want it so big that he can lay in one end and use the other end as a bathroom. If he can do this trust me he will. There are all kinds of different styles of crates: the two most common are wire and plastic. But they come in mesh, wicker, all sorts of different materials now. I would recommend choosing either a wire or plastic one, especially for puppies that like to chew. Here are some pros and cons of plastic and wire crates.

Plastic: These come in several sizes so can accommodate nearly every size of dog. They also give a more den like feeling to the dog and have less of a cage look. The disadvantage to these crates is that you may need to buy more than one to accommodate a growing puppy, and they take up more room if you want to store them even though they usually will come apart in halves for storage. There are also some newer plastic crates that will fold up similar to a wire crate.

Wire: Like the plastic crate these also come in a variety of sizes. They do look more like cages though, something that can be fixed by purchasing a cover for it. A cover will also help some dogs feel more secure in a wire crate. The advantage of these is that you can buy a size to fit your dog when it is full grown. Wire crates have dividers available for purchase so that you can make the crate fit your puppy. These also have a storage advantage in that most fold up very neatly and can be stored easily.

Next you will need to introduce your puppy to its crate. Just sticking the puppy in there without a positive introduction can be very stressful for the pup. I like to bring a new puppy home on a day off, and try to pick it up as soon as possible in the morning. This way I have all day to introduce the puppy to the crate so that by bedtime the puppy will feel pretty comfortable with its crate and shouldn't fuss to much.

Start by showing the puppy the crate and let him explore it. Next show your puppy a treat and then toss it inside. When your puppy goes in to get the treat praise him excitedly. Repeat this a few times and then end this session. If your pup won't go all the way in the crate to get the treat try throwing it closer to the door, or even outside the door and then gradually toss it farther back, until the pup goes all the way in.

After an hour or two have another session with crate. If your pup went all the way in the last time start there, if not start at the point you left off. After a couple times of going in the crate and coming right back out you can shut the door. But let the pup out after a second or two. Repeat this gradually increasing the amount of time the pup is in the crate. If you do this several times the first day by the time your ready for bed your pup should be pretty comfortable with the crate. I also like to repeat this process for a day or two after the pup comes home.

Also remember that whenever your dog is crated you need to remove any type of collar, even a buckle collar can catch on a crate and strangle a dog.

Now that you have your crate set up and your pup introduced to it you need to put your puppy on a feeding schedule. Puppies 8 wks to 6 months should be given three meals a day. After six months this can be cut down to 2 meals. Free-feeding (having food available all the time) is not recommended. It can lead to obesity and makes it harder to housetrain your puppy. Another disadvantage to this feeding method is that it will be harder for you tell if your dog is off food which can be a sign of illness. Feeding on a schedule allows you to predict when your puppy will need to go out. If you know when it went in you can predict when it will come out. You will want to divide your dog's full daily amount into three smaller meals. Give him the food and after twenty minutes take away the bowl whether there is food in it or not. Dogs will generally consume all they want in twenty minutes. Take your puppy to his potty spot about 15-20 minutes after he has finished eating. Repeat the go potty command while you are waiting for him to go. When he starts to go tell him good boy go potty, and when he has finished give him a treat and make a big fuss over him.

I'd also like to tell you how to tell if your puppy is getting to much or to little food. The recommendations on dog food bags are just a starting point. Start with that amount and then watch to see if your dog needs more or less. The way to tell is to do a rib check. You shouldn't be able to see the ribs, if you can add more food. You should be able to easily feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat, if you have trouble feeling the ribs, cut back the amount of food.

In addition to having to go out after meals your puppy will also need to go potty after he wakes up from a nap, after playing, and first thing in the morning and before bed. Signs that your puppy needs to go out: are restlessness and circling an area while sniffing. If your puppy does these things it's a safe bet to take him out. Remember though that individual dogs have their own signs of needing to go to the bathroom and you will soon pick up on these signals as well.

When you are out for potty breaks you should stand still, if he wants to play ignore him. You want him to know that it is time to go to the bathroom not time to play. If you allow him to play before he goes to the bathroom he may start to hold out on you to extend his playtime. Once he has gone to the bathroom however you can play all you want. Stay outside with your dog for about 10 minutes to wait for him to go, if he doesn't go in ten minutes just pick him up and carry him back inside matter-of-factly. No treats or playtime on the way in. When you get back into the house he will either need to be crated or watched like a hawk. Try again in ten minutes. Repeat until he goes.

Another mistake a lot of people make when they bring their new puppy home is to allow him free run of the place. This will only hurt your training and will also cause your dog to get into a lot of trouble. Young puppies need to be watched. When your puppy can't be watched he should be in his crate. This way he can't make a mistake or get into trouble.

Accidents:

The only time you can punish your puppy for having an accident in the house is if you catch him in the act. Even then it's less of a punishment and more of a redirection. If you see your puppy going to the bathroom in the house, startle him with a sharp NO and take him outside to finish the job. When he finishes outside, give him a treat and lots of praise. Back inside the house clean up the mess and use an enzymatic cleaner (such as OUT or Nature's Miracle) to remove all traces of the mess so he won't be tempted to use the same spot. Most carpet cleaners will leave traces of the mess that you can't see or smell, but your pet can.

If you find a mess after the fact, well to bad that one is your fault, you should have been watching the puppy. Simply clean it up and try to watch more carefully. If you try to scold your pup after the fact he will have no idea what you are mad about and will be confused and may even become scared of you. NEVER, NEVER rub your dogs nose in urine or feces. It is not only disgusting but it also has no training value what so ever. Hitting your dog with anything including a rolled up newspaper is also unacceptable.

Young puppies may need to use the bathroom during the night, so I advise putting the crate in your bedroom. This way if the puppy sounds restless you can take him to the bathroom. This will also make your puppy feel more secure because he is close to you. If you do need to take your puppy out in the middle of the night make sure you allow him to go to the bathroom only. No playtime for these outings. Still give him a treat and praise, but do so in a quieter manner than you would during the day. This way you won't get him all riled up the middle of night. Remember if you let him get away with playing in the middle of the night he will begin to expect it, and you don't want that. How long night time outings will last depends on the age of your puppy, and how fast his bladder matures.

It also helps to have his last meal of the day at least two hours before bed and take away his water an hour before bed. You don't want to put it in the crate with him, it would be unfair to the puppy to expect him to have a supply of water and then not have to go to the bathroom all night long. The only thing that should be in your dog's crate are a chew toy and maybe a doggie blanket. Although some pups will urinate on absorbant materials that are in their crate, if yours does remove it. Also if you see that your puppy is chewing on his blanket it should be removed. If the puppy ingests part of the blanket it could cause an intestinal blockage. If that happens emergency surgery is needed to remove the blanket from the intestines.

I know this sounds like a lot of work but that is what puppies are. They are also a lot of fun and that should make up for the work part of having a puppy. And just keep in mind that one day soon you will have a beautiful dog who is housetrained and is a joy to have around.

(Note: if you are going to use this article to train a dog that had previously been housetrained and is now having accidents, please contact your vet first. If your dog suddenly "forgets" his housetraining it can be a sign of infection, and that needs to be treated. Once you have confirmed that the dog is healthy with your vet, then refresh your dog with this article)

Answer 2

Of course it's possible, just make sure you use the litter that is made for dogs. Do not use cat litter. You basically teach it the same way as teaching it to go outside. Since he is used to doggy pads, I would suggest putting a doggy pad inside the litter box to start with. Then, start making the pad smaller in size until there is nothing left. Dogs don't smell any more than cats do. If you don't mind cleaning up the mess - go for it.

Answer 3

it is still possible to teach a Pin to use a litter box at 4 months. Note that most Pins do not like going outside in cold or wet weather as they only have a single coat they get wet and cold easily. Min Pins are also one of the hardest breeds to house train for that reason.
With direction and guidance along with a great deal of patience they can learn. Do not keep a 4 month old crated all day as it's bladder is not larger enough yet to hold it. As dogs mature their organs mature also. By crating him a little longer over a period of time he will eventually be able to hold it. Anyone who assumes a dog will not go just because it is crated especially a young one will find themselves cleaning a crate more often than not.
Be patient which is key with Miniature Pinschers.
I am a former long time breeder of Pins and currently have 10. Of which 6 are crated during the day while I am gone and do fine. Granted they are now adult dogs.

Answer 4

Good luck with that, it's not what dogs do.

BUT there is actually a new product out at petsmart and petco. You have to buy the box and the litter type filler. It's supposed to help train dogs to use the box.

Before you buy into anything like this, go to epinions.com or amazon.com to see if they have rated well by actual users.

Answer 5

First of all, you should have trained him to go outside, eventually
your house will start smelling and you could ruin your floors.
A litter box is for cats, not dogs. Dogs smell the grass, not litter.
I suggest you call or go see someone at your local Petsmart or Petco-you should feed him, than take him outside. Or get a cage for him, he will learn to hold it, till you get home from work to let him out.

Answer 6

good day, There might want to correctly be countless the reason why this can take position; *it would want to were a mistake and he change into so determined he basically went. *he's attempting to allow you to already know something has disillusioned him. (Has something replaced int he better half and children those days mutually with a clean puppy or chum?) *he's attempting to allow you to do not forget that somehting is incorrect (He might want to correctly be laid low with a UTI an infection which will be very painful for them in order to be on the secure edge i might want to pass to the vet to double examine exceptionally if he keeps going to the bathroom outdoors of his clutter tray) also you shouldnt opt to re-practice him as he will already understand what to do. yet when no longer something variations when you've been to the vet then i might want to attempt practise him again. And everytime he messes outdoors of the tray to positioned him again interior the tray in spite of if he has been. frequently scoop the tray in case you dont. perchance his brother isn't allowing him to apply the the clutter tray so get yet another one basically incase. best of success, I change into hoping that this helped finally, Please be at liberty to e-mail me once you've any questions. Regards. =^..^=

Answer 7

if you do not want him going to the bathroom on the floor, try to put him in a travel cage if there is no one home all day, as a dog will not pee where he sleeps then when you come home put him out side let him do his business your best bet is to train him to go outside take him out on a leash,that is a persons responsibility to take him out 1/2 hr after he eats .hope it helps

Answer 8

IF UR GONNA TEACH HIM/HER TO GO IN THE LITTER BOX THEN GO THE EXTRA MILE TO TEACH HIM TO GO IN THE TOILET, AND IM NOT JOKING, I THINK ITS A GOOD SUGGESTION