Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Litter Train A Dog?
Today I got a tiny mini dachshund puppy. She is 8 weeks old and weighs just a pound and a half. I plan to crate her when I am not home and at bedtime but am considering alternatives to taking her outside when it is so darn cold.
Have you ever litter trained a dog?
What about something like this?
Re: Litter Train A Dog?
Ehhh. We house trained our dog for about a year before house breaking her. Personally, I think it was more trouble than it was worth. She had good intentions but poor aim, the house smelled like pee, and we were always cleaning it up. Personally, we've been much happier with the dog house broken. It is actually less work, in my opnion. We take her on three walks a day and she has a command to go to the bathroom, so if it's cold, we just tell her the command and usually in less than 2 minutes she's done her business. Plus, I think it's better for both of us to get some fresh air everyday and it helps make sure we give her at least some exercise daily. Even if it's cold outside, you dog still needs excercise.
If you really want to do it, I would go for a "ugodog" with puppy pads under it and good disinfecting wipes. Stuff with the fake grass is harder to clean and thus, a better environment for bacteria to grow.
It's more confusing for the dog to learn to go on a certain place inside AND outside, than just straight housebreaking her to go outside all the time. The dog is more likely to have accidents if you bring her elsewhere, because they don't generalize well, and being okay to go inside at your house, would probably equate to it being okay to go inside elsewhere.
Don't worry about the cold. Get her a jacket or sweater and make your potty trips quick.
And dogs don't have the natural burying behavior of cats when it comes to covering their waste. Some will scratch/kick the ground behind them a few times after they go, but that's about it.
Dogs just need to learn to go outside. Period. It's the least confusing and most sanitary thing to do for yourselves.
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Lurker allert (at least on this board).
I have a mini dachshund and I live in Montana (arguably one of the coldest states in the nation) and he goes outside. We did train him to use the bathroom indoors and as pp said, he had nearly constant aim issues (you know, when the front is sooo far from the back). So we completely housebroke him, and it's much better. Even when it was -10 outside last night, he went out and did his business...in about 10 seconds flat.
This.
It's alot more rewarding in the end when you can train them to go outside. When it's cold out, I wait at the door, and our pup won't run off. She knows when I take her out, it means business. She's done in about 3 minutes. This is because of extensive hard training, but any dog can do it. I wouldn't encourage going inside thuogh.. even with puppy pads. It confuses the dog where it can and cannot go. Pick one and stick to it