Pee pad/litter box training not going so well, help!

[Kirby's Dad]

Okay, Kirby is house broken but I would really like him to learn to use a pee pad and/or litter box either with or without litter. (right now I just have a pee pad in a litter box).

When I first got him he wasn't house broken and I made the mistake of outside training him first now he absolutley won't go in the house. I've kept him inside all day before so we can have a 'training moment' by trying to catch him going so I can put him in the litter box while he's having the "accident". But the poor little guy can hold it FOREVER, Ive kept him inside for almost 12 hours before and I know he has to go sooooo bad that it breaks my heart and I just take him outside and boy does he go immediately and for a long time.

I've introduced him to the litter box with treats and saying 'litter box', now when ever I say litter box he jumps in it expecting a treat. I also say 'go potty' and he gets all excited thinking he's going to go outside but I put him in the litter box and say go potty and he just jumps out and doesn't get it.

Now I'm taking the litter box with us outside and as soon as he starts to go I pick him up and put him in the litter box and he just stops and jumps out and looks at me like "what the hell are you doing, I was going PEE for gods sake!"

I've done this 3 or 4 times now and I'm afraid that I'm confusing the heck out of him so I stopped doing it. Should I stick with it and he'll catch on pretty soon or is this cruel and unusual doggy treatment??

Any suggestions?

[txshopper73]

They only thing I can help with is to "bump" up your thread! Hopefully, someone can help you with this.

[Kirby's Dad]

Thanks Kimberley and see I POSTED!! nag nag nag (inside joke)

[livingdustmops]

Hmmmmm inside joke with my girlfriend huh?

You might try this. Get a bleach bottle (something heavy that cannot tip over) and cover it with a pee pad (use duct tape - you guys are great with that stuff) and then place it on the pee pad. I have not tried this but they do have a product at Petsmart that makes little ones want to pee on things and maybe if he is like all the other little boys out there he will want to lift his leg on it. Once his smell is on this maybe it will encourage him to use the peeing bottle on the pee pad. You could try this outside and then start bringing it in and placing it on the pad.

Now having said all this, I do think it sends crazy signals when you are trying to do two different things and you are soooooo lucky that he is housebroken but I understand why you would like for him to be comfortable during the day.

Hope this helps.

[Kirby's Dad]

Originally Posted by livingdustmops

Hmmmmm inside joke with my girlfriend huh?

You might try this. Get a bleach bottle (something heavy that cannot tip over) and cover it with a pee pad (use duct tape - you guys are great with that stuff) and then place it on the pee pad. I have not tried this but they do have a product at Petsmart that makes little ones want to pee on things and maybe if he is like all the other little boys out there he will want to lift his leg on it. Once his smell is on this maybe it will encourage him to use the peeing bottle on the pee pad. You could try this outside and then start bringing it in and placing it on the pad.

Now having said all this, I do think it sends crazy signals when you are trying to do two different things and you are soooooo lucky that he is housebroken but I understand why you would like for him to be comfortable during the day.

Hope this helps.

LOL! Your girlfriend huh? That sounds like another inside story!!

That is a good idea about the bleach bottle, but he doesn't really lift his leg, he's a squatter when he just needs to pee. He does lift his leg on bushes or other things to mark his territory but he doesn't do that very much at all.

And I have dabbed some of his 'accidents' on the pads (before he was housebroken) and now there are some 'dribbles' on them from putting him in the litter box before he 'shuts the valve' and jumps out. So hopefully he'll catch on pretty soon that he can use the litter box whenever he wants too.

Thats a good idea about the attractant stuff, I'll try that if this method doesn't pan out. Thanks.

[doggieluv2]

gosh, I think it is great that your dog will hold it that long. He really must be truly housetrained, something that I would love to be able to say. In my opinion I would stick with the going outside only. He seems like a very reliable dog. I tried to inside train one of my dogs too and eventually gave up because he preferred the outside too. Why fight something that comes natural to some dogs.

[typerk]

Even though my dog is litter trained she is basically command trained. If I give her the command while we are outside she will go. The way we taught her was when she was going(peeing or pooing) we would say the command the whole time she was squatted doing her thing. Her command is "go potty" or "potty." The minute she stopped we would stop the command. After a week of doing this she every time she went she knew the word potty meant to go. If we are outside she still knows it but she won't go outside on her own. Give her the command outside and she goes.

I would suggest you do the same thing. Since he already goes outside on his own you can do it that way. After a week or two of doing this I would then take him to the pee pad or wherever you want him to go and use the command. I think it will work just fine, Good luck.

[Kirby's Dad]

Originally Posted by typerk

Even though my dog is litter trained she is basically command trained. If I give her the command while we are outside she will go. The way we taught her was when she was going(peeing or pooing) we would say the command the whole time she was squatted doing her thing. Her command is "go potty" or "potty." The minute she stopped we would stop the command. After a week of doing this she every time she went she knew the word potty meant to go. If we are outside she still knows it but she won't go outside on her own. Give her the command outside and she goes.

I would suggest you do the same thing. Since he already goes outside on his own you can do it that way. After a week or two of doing this I would then take him to the pee pad or wherever you want him to go and use the command. I think it will work just fine, Good luck.

Okay, thanks, that sounds like a good idea. I have been repeating 'go potty' when he's going outside and when I say it inside he runs to the door to go out, so I think he has made the connection, hopefully he'll start making the conection to the litter box and going potty.

Thanks.

[sandraj]

Why do you want him to start going inside when he is successfully outside trained? if he can hold for so long in an emergency he will be ok while you are at work. My wee girl manages between 8am and 3.30pm without a problem. We still have the odd accident inside when playing. I would love her to be as reliable as Kirby. What is the issue here? (perplexed)

[Kirby's Dad]

Originally Posted by sandraj

Why do you want him to start going inside when he is successfully outside trained? if he can hold for so long in an emergency he will be ok while you are at work. My wee girl manages between 8am and 3.30pm without a problem. We still have the odd accident inside when playing. I would love her to be as reliable as Kirby. What is the issue here? (perplexed)

Yes, I am lucky that he is so well housebroken and I wondered about the logic of wanting him to use a litter box too. But I have two reasons for wanting him to use a litter box.

1) I just think he would be happier being able to go whenever he wants too when I'm not home, I work out of the house so I'm here most of the time but there are times that he'll be alone for 8-10 hours and I know it's not comfortable for him to hold it so long.

2) I'll be buying a sailboat in the fall and will spend overnights and weekends on the boat and he'll need to learn to go to the bathroom on the boat and if he's already trained to use a litter box I can just take his litter box on the boat and he'll know what to do and where to do it (hopefully).