Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

My 4 month old Siberian Husky rarely has an accident in the house, but is having trouble perfecting the art of the litter box. We use a cat litter box, still big enough for him to stand in…
He's very good at pooping in the box, but when it comes to pees, he seems to think he just needs to put his front paws in there, which makes quite a mess.
Most days I try to use a treat to get him all the way in... should we be scolding about peeing near the box though? It's hard to catch him in the act cause we usually just push him all the way in while saying no!no!no!no! then offer praise...
Any suggestions?

>>Hi,
>>
>>My 4 month old Siberian Husky rarely has an accident in the house, but is having trouble perfecting the art of the litter box. We use a cat litter box, still big enough for him to stand in…
>>He's very good at pooping in the box, but when it comes to pees, he seems to think he just needs to put his front paws in there, which makes quite a mess.
>>Most days I try to use a treat to get him all the way in... should we be scolding about peeing near the box though? It's hard to catch him in the act cause we usually just push him all the way in while saying no!no!no!no! then offer praise...
>>Any suggestions?

>>>>>>>>>>>

Litter box training can result in lifelong accidents in the house for dogs--they do not have the instincts that make litterboxes work for cats. A dog the size of a Siberian Husky would need a much larger box if you're going to try that.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thanks for the reply!

How do you mean the litter box can cause in-house accidents?
The good news is, the litter box is outside, on his balcony. He only goes in the house when he gets excited (ie. is locked out of the bathroom during shower time)
He's very good at running outside when he needs to go though.

>>Thanks for the reply!
>>
>>How do you mean the litter box can cause in-house accidents?
>>The good news is, the litter box is outside, on his balcony. He only goes in the house when he gets excited (ie. is locked out of the bathroom during shower time)
>>He's very good at running outside when he needs to go though.

>>>>>>>>>

Outside would be fine. It's when an indoor method of housetraining (paper, pads, litterbox) is used that the dog tends to get confused. If the "potty" is always outdoors, that is much less confusing to the dog.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47