Please Read need help with Litter Box Training
 

Hi everyone, my name is Sondra Barker and I recently got an adorbale Yorshire/Silky Terrier mix. She's only 6 weeks old.

Right now I am trying to litter box train her. I've never had a puppy before so I am not sure what to expect,

Right now we have her in a large crate with her bed on one side and her litter box on the other side. When either me or my boyfriend is not physically with her, holding and playing with her, we keep her in her crate.

She does go potty in the litter box when she is in her crate, but if we put her on the hard wood floor she will pee right away. So we can only really play with her on the bed, couch and in our arms for her not to go to the bathroom.
Should I just keep her in the crate the rest of the time.

Also just today she all of a sudden started sleeping in her litter box when we had her in the crate. I've tried leaving a feces in there to let her know it's the potty and also tried putting a papertowel with her urine so she knows its the potty, but it doesn't make a diference she'll sniff it and then sleep right next to it? Any idea on what might be happening or what to do? Should I be happy that she comfortable with the litter box or work on correcting the behavoir before she thinks the litter box is a bed, and then wont use it as a potty?

Thanks so much for your help, any advice on litter box training would be much apreciated=)
Sondra Barker

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9720/goober63ri.jpg

I can't believe that the breeder let her go at such a young age. I think that has a lot to do with it. Maybe when she's a little older, she won't sleep where she's suppose to potty.

Any other idea out there?

I am sure that there are lots of people here who can give you great advice. I just wanted to welcome you to YT and wish you luck. Unfortunatly, I failed miserably at litter box training. My Deb would lay in her box too. She used it when in her pen, but had no concept of using it any other time. I am diligently working on getting her to go outside now....and with many helpful hints from fellow yorkie talkers.....we are making great improvements. Hopefully someone can help you in the same way. GOOD LUCK!!!

Your puppy sure is cute!! I agree, that her young age might have to do with it. Do you have the opportunity to teach her to go outside? I know it's possible to paper train/and litter box train, but I've always had better luck teaching puppies to go outside, and that everything inside is off limits bathroom wise. Keep us posted, good luck!

Thanks for your replies everyone.

I talked to a women who litter box trains all her puppies, it took me a while to find her. She told me that it's normal for puppies as young as mine to show this type of behavior because they have not fully developed into not wanting to sleep where they make their mess. She said it will pass, as she had a couple of puppies who did the same.

On a positive note, she always goes in the litter box when she's in her crate so thats good. She's not turned off by using the litter box, obviously because the little Goober sleeps in it lol. If she cannot learn litter box training this way, then I am going to try using the paper training method, where you start off by paper training and then put the paper in the litter box. Either way I'm going to be consistant until it works, she's so young so I can't expect too much.

I also just taught her the "sit" command and I am amazed at how fast she picked it up, for only a six week old puppy mommy's proud=)

Thanks again guys, and thanks for welcoming my new puppy and I!

Sondra Barker
Essential Skincare

Glad you found someone who could help you litter train her. I am considering doing the same when I get my puppy. That or either puppy pads. If you go to www.purina.com they have some short videos you can download that may help. I watched them and they are alot about why you need to buy their product, but some of them give some good tips. Good luck!