What would possess someone?

Question

what would possess someone to train their dog to use litterboxes and puppy pads. i always thought dogs natural instincts were to go potty outside. do u agree with my theory. my theory is that people that r too lazy to get their butts up and let their dogs outside go out and buy a litterbox for their dog. i find it pathetic. i mean it just makes me crazy. would u ever train ur dog to use a litterbox

but y is it that difficult to crate train ur dog and then walk it every 2 to 3 hours. i mean seriously. r they really that lazy

im talking people who train their dogs to use it because they dont feel like watching them and getting their @$$es up to let the dog out.

it is natural for dogs to have space to sniff around and go to the bathroom and not have to cover it. its not natural for them to go dig in a bunch of litter and then crap and bury it. cats however do have these instincts

Answer 1

I agree with your theory.
Dogs have gotten along in apartments for as long as there have been apartments. People are lazy.

Answer 2

I knew a lady that had a little dog, she had it paper trained, because she lived in a condo. For some reason, I recall her saying something about trying to litter train it as well. We did work a lot, 12 hour shifts, but had lots of days off in between there as well. Her dog couldn't handle the 12 hour days with no potty break. I still think it was a bit strange though, I wouldn't want my dog using a pad or paper in my house. I don't care how much you clean, it would still smell. I don't think I'd have as much problem with the litterbox for a small dog, but dogs don't generally bury their poop like cats.

I think it just depends on the situation, but if people are doing it because they're too lazy to get up and walk the dog or let it outside, then they shouldn't have a dog.....

Answer 3

There's all types of people, and there's all types of dogs. I think it might not work out so well to train an energetic, exercise craving Lab to go inside on potty pads, when he really just needs to go for a mile walk. But, there's so many tiny dogs who get all the exercise they need from running around the apartment. Why not train them to go on potty pads, especially when you've got a toy breed who can only "hold it" for a couple of hours at a time? Sure, I'm positive the dog and the owner can benefit from outdoor exercise, but if the dog is happy, that's what matters.
You also might consider that an elderly person might not have the stamina to climb several flights of steps 10 or so times a day. They would benefit greatly to have a dog as a companion; why deny them that just because they can't take their dog outside.
Due to my work, I'm gone for 24 hours at a time. My dog is trained to go on a potty pad. He's a small dog, and he's happy. I agree, it's not the ideal situation, but it works for him and it works for me. A dog's natural instinct is not to potty where he sleeps. If you left it up to the dog, he'd probably potty inside, in some unused room, if he spent most of his time inside, and if he were outside at the time he felt the "urge", he'd probably potty in a corner of the yard he didn't spend much time in. The truth is that a dog can be trained to to just about anything, whether it's scratching at the door to go potty outside, or using a litterbox on the porch.

Answer 4

What if the person is elderly, as is the pet, and sometimes on bad arthritis days its just a little harder to get up and walk down the steps to the yard multiple times a day, or in harsh, or icy weather? Sometimes the dog litter box might work better for situations like that, instead of the poor person falling down icy steps accidentally and laying in the cold? I agree that if you get a dog you need to train it to go outside and not be lazy and let it go inside just because you don't feel like letting it out every couple hours, but there are always circumstances where it might just be a better solution for someone.

Answer 5

The litter box is a little crazy; however, I know many people who use puppy pads but they are mostly older people who cannot walk long distances so it's understandable. I don't think it's a big deal as long as the dogs still get enough excercise and outdoor play time.
I understand many people work long hours so they have puppy pads for their dog to use during the hours they are gone. I am home the majority of the day and have a backyard for my dogs to use, but I still take them on at least an hour walk each day.
I guess I just don't agree with you because some dogs cannot hold it very long and most people do have to work so they use puppy pads as a back-up incase their dog has to go during the day.

Answer 6

I think for people that live in a condo or apartment but work 8 hour days and cannot get home during the day to take the dog out, and if the dog is a toy breed (Yorkie, Chihuahua) that teaching it to use the litter box is a blessing for them and the dog. Much better than the dog having to be locked in a crate for 8-9 hours daily. My friend trained her mini Dachshunds to use a dog litter box when locked inside at night. She didn't use litter but just put newspaper in the bottom of the pan, so basically they were paper trained when inside the house. In these circumstances, yes, I would be thrilled to be able to train my dog to use that box while I was gone!

Answer 7

My best friend had her little dog liter box trained, but it was because he could not tolerate the extreme cold temps and he didn't do well with the salt, put down for snow. However, when the weather was good, that dog was out and about with a social life that rivals Paris Hilton.

At first, I thought she was nuts.

ETA: A lazy dog owner doesn't need a liter box to be lazy. Some stick their dogs out in the yard, walk back in the house and call it a day.

Answer 8

Funny question. I think that people today are lazy and for one reason or another there seems to be this craze that smaller toy dogs are cute and having them use a litter box is cute because they are small enough too. I don't think its cute.

Funny thing though... I have three cats and a Saint Bernard...well-- we left her home for about 8 hours one day and came home to find that she attempted to go "#2" in the litter box! She missed though by about an inch.

Maybe people are training small dogs to use litter boxes because they work long days? Who knows!

Answer 9

Some people know they will not be able to let the dog out or take it out in a timely manner (like if they are working a 12 hour day), so pads are good for them.

Also, some dogs are harder to train than others, so that is a good solution.

Sometimes it is due to laziness, but I think more often than not it is for the comfort of the dog.

Answer 10

I think it's stupid- then they ask why the dog pees on any piece of paper on the floor. We had a springer spaniel once who had been paper trained by the breeder - it peed all over my book once because I left it on the floor.

When I was working long days I had this schedule

6-6:15 breakfast
6:15-6:35- walk
6:35-7- finish getting ready
7:15- crate dog and go to work (sometimes the bf would take care of him for another 20 minutes then crate him)
12:00- let dog out at lunch- eat and give him lunch
12:20- back to work
5:00- bf home and puts dog in yard to wait for me
6:00- I get home, walk dog,
6:30- supper
10:00- little walk to pee
then bed

Some days (maybe once a month) I couldn't get home to let him out and lunch but he was fine. No reason to let him pee inside.

He has very short fur- so I knit him a sweater for the winter- if there is too much salt on the sidewalks and it aggravates his paws I will buy him little boots,

He LOVES to be outside and because he is housebroken to go out he would hate being forced to pee inside...

Answer 11

Dogs don't care where they go to the bathroom as long as they go. and as for there natural instincts to go outside for the bathroom. it becomes that way if they get used to that. other wise its natural instinct will be to go inside. I would train my dog to go in a litter box it would be better for it because now i only take it out only twice a day for the bathroom. its a Dog and i will treat it as such not like a mini human