I'm sure all dogs are different, but the day I brought Oliver home I plopped him in the litter box (I used cat litter... I'm not sure if that may be the reason he won't eat it) and I just waited until he went pee. At that time he was mostly sleeping, eating, and peeing (7 weeks) so every 30 minutes or so I would do the routine.... Plop and wait. Plop and wait. Needless to say, this was time consuming and hard sometimes. Because he sleeps in a crate in the bathroom with his litter box he was able to (eventually) wake up when needed and use the box. After I noticed him doing it on his own I would just praise him and give him a treat, or play fetch with him. At about 3 months he had learned where the litter box was in the house (upstairs.... in the bathroom) and one day (about three weeks ago so he was a little over 3 months) he just decided to run upstairs and use the litter box. I was so amazed and so proud. We let him roam freely around the house now. He is almost 4 months old and since that AMAZING day three weeks ago he has only had one accident. I'm not sure why or how he learned so fast-- it has a lot to do with consistancy in the beginning! It's tough- but I'd love to know what works for you! |