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Doggie Litter Box

post #1 of 13
1/30/08 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,326846,00.html

Good idea or bad idea?
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post #2 of 13
1/30/08 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
I've seen these. I think in some instances it's a great idea. Especially for people who have small dogs and live in high-rise condo/apartment buildings. However, it should be a substitute for a walk or a good old fashion run in the park.
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post #3 of 13
1/30/08 at 4:42pm
Hmmmm. Torn on this one. On one hand, there is great merit in getting yourself and your dog outside for a good walk. Forcing them to hold it on your schedule builds up self control, and gives you more control as the alpha in the house.

On the other hand. How easy would that be to just let them relieve themselves when they needed to? Or would this just be lazy on your part?

I guess I'll side with the bad idea.
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post #4 of 13
1/30/08 at 4:47pm
How would this be any different than pad training? Can someone fill me in?
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post #5 of 13
1/30/08 at 4:47pm
Thought is good .. but why make a dog go against instict >>???

I have a small dog and would NOT think of not taking her out...

I do note that those using the potty boxes have the hardest time training the dogs evan as puppys

it differs from pads by the litter being paper based thus recycled and possibley reuseable ... the box is reusable
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post #6 of 13
1/30/08 at 5:00pm
Well, my dog-niece, Jinx, votes YES! for this. She doesn't have one, but I've never seen a dog who hated to go outside as much as she does. (I think she does like going on walks, though.) She will only go outside if she really has to go to the bathroom. If you ask her if she needs to go outside, and she doesn't have to use the bathroom, she lays down and looks up worriedly at you like you're going to force her to go anyway. Sometimes she'll roll over and expose her belly. She's kind of a weirdo. She's a 50 lb. dog, so it's not like she's small. I think she'd greatly appreciate one of these things.

Tricia
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post #7 of 13
1/30/08 at 5:48pm
Hate those things. They teach a dog its acceptible to go potty in the house. Then when the dog starts going elsewhere they end up in the pound.
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post #8 of 13
1/31/08 at 12:05pm
I'm afraid that a lot of people would get one of those so they wouldn't have to bother taking their dogs for walks or a good run. Dogs need exercise, but more importantly, they need stimuli - all those interesting smells, sounds and sights they encounter on a walk.

It would be useful for a dog recovering from major surgery, or an older dog with a weak bladder.
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post #9 of 13
1/31/08 at 1:47pm
I don't know about this. I think in most instances it is an excuse to keep the dog inside all the time. With some dogs, elderly dogs or a lot of small dogs, that would be a good thing but with a lot of dogs that isn't good. I think it also is a way to make it possible for a home where no one is around for very long periods of time on a routine basis to have a dog. Again for a lot of dogs that isn't good. That's why I started with cats. I had always had dogs but when the kids went out on their own, I moved into an apartment and I now work a job with extended hours. I thought that situation was a lot better for a pair of cats. Some people in that situation who can figure out the bathroom thing would go ahead and get a dog.
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post #10 of 13
1/31/08 at 2:02pm
I think that for a large dog this is a bad idea, they definitely need walks and excercise!
On the other hand, I did try to train Comet to use a doggie litter-box when he was a puppy...it did NOT work at all, he tried to eat the pellets he was suppose to be pottying on!! I spent more time digging the pellets out of his mouth than anything else! But the only reason I tried to train him to the box, was because I lived on the third floor of an apartment building, and I did not want to climb those stairs 50 times a day.
But he has always gotten a walk every day regardless.
Final thoughts:
Great idea as long as the dog is properly trained and it is just for emergencies, bad idea if your just using it because you don't want to walk your dog.
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post #11 of 13
1/31/08 at 2:14pm
I don't see anything wrong with it as long as they still gave the dog the attention and exercise they need. To me it is the same concept as the litter box. And if it saves one dog that a family wouldn't get otherwise I definately am all for it. There are some breeds that don't like to go outside. My sister has Italian Greyhounds and in foul weather they absolutely refuse to go outside. So she uses pee pad. I don't see much difference.
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post #12 of 13
1/31/08 at 2:27pm
Thread Starter 
I have mixed feelings about this as well, which is the reason that I started this thread.

On one hand, I do think it's a good idea for smaller dogs who live in a space without much if any yard. I also know that in the bigger cities, people are pretty paranoid about letting their dog have access outside when they aren't home (we had a doggie door, but it was in a 0% crime area ). Some people I once knew had a smallish dog and they locked him up in a carrier (no, not a kennel...a CARRIER) all day while they were at work. When they got home and let him out, the poor thing had so much energy stored up he was a hyper idiot for the few hours they were home before they went to bed. What made it more sad is that they had a HUGE back yard with 6' privacy fence and he wasn't more than 2' tall. If they had an option like that, they could at least have put him in a room that was otherwise doggie-proof and let him run around that. And what people said about elderly, ill or recovering dogs really makes sense.

On the other hand, I'm afraid a whole lot of people would see this as a way to never have to walk their dog or take him outside.
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post #13 of 13
1/31/08 at 2:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anmccleod View Post
Final thoughts:
Great idea as long as the dog is properly trained and it is just for emergencies, bad idea if your just using it because you don't want to walk your dog.
I do wish there had been something like this available for our last dog, though, in his final two years. First he had major surgery to reinforce his backside (which had herniated due to his age, as fewer hormones= weak tissue), and we couldn't convince him to do his business on newspapers/pads in the house, although walking hurt him for a few weeks. Then he had prostate/kidney cancer/bladder problems, combined with arthritis, and we had to carry him up and down stairs once or twice a night, and up and down the front steps during the day, and he was a big dog (44 kg./ 97 lb. Boxer). He absolutely refused to sleep downstairs. He might have refused to use such a box, though.

Our tenants have an ancient Greyhound who is senile and has prostate problems, and a doggy litter box would have been a lot cheaper than ripping out carpeting and putting in stone tiles because of his accidents.
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