# Litter Box Drama



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Have you thought of using a piece of real turf in the tray until she gets the idea?


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## makato (Jan 1, 2013)

fjm said:


> Have you thought of using a piece of real turf in the tray until she gets the idea?


Yes, I have thought about that, but I've read from people who have done that before that it is a great idea in theory, but there is the issue of dead grass, which can be a turn-off to dogs. There's actually a company that sends appropriately sized pieces of turf weekly or bi-weekly for dogs, but reviews say receiving live grass is hit or miss. Not sure where I'd go to buy my own small pieces. Certainly don't need a large roll!


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## LegalEagle (Nov 8, 2012)

Man, the housetraining is SOO frustrating isn't it? Quick question: do you reward your pup when she goes in the right place?


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## julietcr1 (Nov 10, 2012)

I don't know if poodles are the smartest dogs but what I found is that Sushi's intelligence is different from my other dogs and that he's got a high "emotional" intelligence. He forces me to think and find other ways to make him understand what I want from him, including using a litter when I am gone for long periods of time or when he is sick. I did the same thing for all my other dogs but for him it did not work.

The first thing you need to do is figure out why your poodle doesn't want to use the litter, it could be the smell, the feeling under his paws, the first contact he had with it, it could be anything. Once you know why he is not using it you can figure out how to teach him to use it. Poodles make us smarter;o)


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## makato (Jan 1, 2013)

LegalEagle said:


> Man, the housetraining is SOO frustrating isn't it? Quick question: do you reward your pup when she goes in the right place?


At first I didn't when we were just doing outside. I was told not to because the pups become too dependent on the treats, so I just threw a little party with lots of praise whenever she went potty outside. After I started trying to use a litter box as an alternative for her, I tried to get her to go in there with a treat as an incentive, but I thus far have not been able to reward her with a treat for going potty in the box because she has not done it. She's pretty good about going in the grass outside when I catch her in time, but utterly refuses to use her box, even if I put fresh poo in there with the potty spray and take her there when I KNOW she needs to go, treats ready and all. So stubborn!!


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## makato (Jan 1, 2013)

julietcr1 said:


> The first thing you need to do is figure out why your poodle doesn't want to use the litter, it could be the smell, the feeling under his paws, the first contact he had with it, it could be anything. Once you know why he is not using it you can figure out how to teach him to use it. Poodles make us smarter;o)


I don't think she hates her litter box, she just doesn't want it to be her potty. She takes her treats there to nibble on them, goes in there to stretch, hops around in it when she's feeling excited, etc. She just does not see it as a bathroom, despite me putting her potty scents on it. I'm not sure how to redirect that thought process or if I need to try a different kind of box, etc.


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## julietcr1 (Nov 10, 2012)

makato said:


> I don't think she hates her litter box, she just doesn't want it to be her potty. She takes her treats there to nibble on them, goes in there to stretch, hops around in it when she's feeling excited, etc. She just does not see it as a bathroom, despite me putting her potty scents on it. I'm not sure how to redirect that thought process or if I need to try a different kind of box, etc.


You can try starting from scratch with a new litter, you can make your own, I use drainage mat (tiles or runners) that I sand (it's to rough for puppies paws). I put it over a crate plastic tray with puppy pads under it. Always put urine on it before showing it to the dog. This is going to cost you nothing and you can make it the size of an existing crate tray you have already. Good luck!


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I have had a lot of foster dogs, mostly pugs, pug crosses, most recently a shih-poo. I no longer foster because we have a baby (human) in the house and I hate to say I got pretty burned out. Anyways, I had to potty train many dogs. I found what worked best for me was any time the dog was out of the crate, it was on a leash, attached to me. If there was a time I got too busy cleaning or cooking or whatever, I would put the dog back in the crate. After the dog was a little more reliable, I would use a "drag line" which was just a leash attached to a harness with the handle cut off of the leash. This way if I saw the dogs giving signs it had to "go" I could grab the leash and get him/her outside quickly. I very very slowly would give the dogs more freedom. If we had an accident I would step down their freedom for awhile. I found that many times house breaking problems were a result of way too much freedom too soon. I don't know if this is your problem, but if it were me, any time that pup was out of the crate he would be attached to me.


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