Doggy Liter -vs- Outside training?

Question

I am thinking of adopting a dog... and wanted to know if anyone can give their input or experience on doggy liter training. I work and go to school, so on some days she/he may be home longer then other days by themselves. But I am concerned as to whether the doggy liter box is going to stink up my house... is it a good alternative?

Answer 1

I use the "potty pads"  Put I have heard of using litter boxes if the dog is small enough.  If you clean it every day it should not stink.  I like the pads because I can just wrap everything up and throw it away.  (use it on tile.  

My preference has always been to train for outside and during the day I would leave the dogs outside with shelter and food and water when I was at work.  When I came home they would come inside with me.  However, like you this is now not an option.  My dog is too small to go outside unattended as we have coyotes and hawks in the area that she would look awful delicious to.  

I also do not always know what time I will return home from work and I don't think that it is fair to ask my dog to hold it til Whenever.  

I know that I definitely could not hold it all day how can I expect her to.

She goes outside when I am home with the pads as backup for when I am gone.  

Answer 2

Well the dilema is that sometimes if a dog goes potty in the house in a litter box, they sometimes think they can go potty any place in the house.  If you don't have a fenced yard, than I would go with the litter box method.  I guess since your dog will already be trained, you should follow the method the previous owner used.  That would be less confusing to the dog.  

Answer 3

FOr you I vote for a doggy door if you have a fenced in backyard otherwise I would wait to adopt until you are out of school.

Good luck

Answer 4

Don't do this. It only confuses the dog about where to go potty, outside or inside? As a puppy you want to take your dog out every 1-2hrs when you're home. Make sure to always give lots of praise during and after they go potty outside. WHen you have to leave during the day, crate/kennel your dog. Make sure the crate is large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lay out comfortably. Crating will keep your dog from going potty in it because they don't want to go in an area that's small that they are in. Most dogs even grow to love their kennels as "their room." You can kennel a dog for a whole work time period (8hrs) but make sure when you get home to immediately let them outside and make sure you give them lots of exercise and crating can cause energy build up. Once you're dog is a few months older you can try confining them to 1 room and see how they behave. My dogs both were crated and once older I let them have very large crates because I knew they wouldn't go in them. But now they have been crate free and allowed to roam the whole house since they proved that they don't go potty inside and don't destroy things. I also make sure though to play with them outside alot and give them tons of attention.

Answer 5

i think you should only outside train her because it would be more work to have a litter box and you said your self you're a busy person.  would you think of instead putting her in a crate until shes doggy trained completly. we have a dog and we can keep him in a crate for a while without him pooping or peeing in it.  good luck!