A litter box for dogs? Has the world gone crazy? No, but you might if you have to pick up another pile of dog remains from your living room carpet. Indoor dog litter boxes make a lot of sense; especially if you live urban areas where having your dog outdoors is not an option. Here are 5 reasons you should consider an indoor dog litter box.

Economics

Puppy diaper pads aren’t cheap. A year supply of puppy pee pads can run you $450. Patio potty systems can easily run you over a grand. That’s serious change that can be invested with better alternatives. An indoor dog litter box will only cost you $50 a year. They’re affordable, tough, and provide a sanitary site for you dog. Save your carpet and wallet by investing in a dog litter box for your home.

Convenience

When you come home from a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is clean up a dog’s mess. With an indoor dog litter box, the mess is easily contained and quick to clean up. Your dog’s remains settle easily on the top of the grates of the litter box, so clean up is easy and mess free. Simply replace the newspaper from within the dog litter box, for a fresh setting for you dog.

Cleanliness

When dogs start to lose their control, they frequently face health problems that can be further antagonized by contamination caused by standing in their own filth. An indoor dog litter box features a raised screen so that the urine is absorbed below while your puppy’s feet stay nice and dry. It’s healthy and clean, saving your dog the indecency of standing in his or her own waste while you’re away. The pad easily absorbs the mess, with the bottom replaced for easy cleanup.

Artificial grass can be very difficult to clean up. Often, the cleanup falls to the wayside, leaving your puppy to suffer.

Design

Indoor dog litter boxes don’t look like a toilet. In fact, your friends may even mistake one for a yoga mat. Unlike puppy pads that scream puppy potty, an indoor dog litter box doesn’t look like a bathroom device at all, except to your dog. Keep it clean, and the potty will blend into the rest of your home. You can keep it in the living room, hallway or kitchen.

Environmentally friendly

Using a dog litter box vs. dog diapers or pee pee pads will minimize the your affect on the environment. Puppy diapers fill up landfills and leak waste. An indoor dog litter box, on the other hand, can last a long time, so you aren’t contributing any pollution to the environment. An indoor dog litter box is an earth friendly alternative.

As dogs get older, they lose their abilities to control themselves, and in results accidents occur. Accidents can also happen as a result of diseases, infection or other physical problems. You may have to work late at the office often, and can’t get home in time. Don’t blame yourself or your dog. Place a dog litter box within your home to reduce the frequency of these accidents.

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Dogs are wonderful, but their messes are not. When your dog skips out on its housebreaking duties, the mess it leaves catches you between rage and guilt. You’re upset that your animal friend has left you a “gift” that smells and stains your carpet, but caught wondering if you forgot about the walk or came home from work too late. Perhaps you’re furry friend is getting up there in years, and these bathroom problems are just a sign of the times. You almost feel guilty that your dog is growing old.

Whether you are away from home frequently or your pooch’s bathroom habits have gone senile, there are solutions beyond a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle. An indoor dog litter box may be the perfect solution. Messes get isolated without staining the carpet and are easy to clean up. You don’t have to come home boiling and frustrated every time you find a mess. Your pooch can be comfortable while you’re gone without making a mess.

The following are a few benefits of an indoor dog litter box solution.

A litter box is more economical and environmentally responsible than “puppy diapers.”

Those puppy pads add up, not only on your monthly budget, but also on the size of trash you contribute to a landfill that will last thousands of years. Similar to baby diapers, puppy pads don’t easily break down. They’ll be around about as long as the Egyptian Pyramids, but don’t contribute the same legacy. Plus, they’ll cost you a small pharaoh’s ransom over a few years. A year’s supply of puppy pads costs more than $400. Add it up over several years, and you’re paying the price of a quality used car just so your puppy can go to the bathroom. You’d be better of buying them a 1987 Toyota and letting them have their way with the bucket seats.

A litter box keeps it clean.

You can get puppy litter boxes with specialized designs that make the whole process very sanitary, both for you as well as the puppy. The bottom is raised yet absorbent so your dog’s feet stay dry and clean. Solid messes are easily cleaned up, leaving no stain. They are convenient, making it easy to clean up after you’ve gotten home from a tired day’s work.

Puppy potties don’t look like a bathroom.

A puppy litter box doesn’t even look like itself. Much different than what you’d get for a cat, puppy litter boxes don’t scream bathroom. Assuming it’s clean, a guest would look at it and probably wonder what it’s for. It looks more like an exercise mat, although you might want to explain yourself before any houseguest sits down to do yoga. A puppy litter box doesn’t look offensive. It fits inside a house comfortably. Since it’s easy to clean, you can keep it from smelling and looking disgusting. They are also durable if used outdoors, even in the rain, sleet or snow. A good dog litter box can last for years, saving you money on pee pads and contributing less to a landfill while fitting the natural environment of your home.

Saves your dog the embarrassment and you a one-sided argument.

You may not be able to get home from work on time, or your dog may be suffering problems due to age or other health problems. Messes happen. An indoor dog litter box prevents them from happening, giving the dog a clean way to do its business in peace. If you had to go, would you want to cross your legs all day until your dog decided to come home? Give your puppy a chance to relax without contributing to permanent carpet stains and owner guilt complexes that rage in the night.

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Owning a dog can be wonderful. Dogs are basically 4 year olds that never grow up, so you never have to worry about the cost of college. However, you do have to worry about them soiling the rug. Constant dog doo and urine stains on the carpet are enough to sour even the world’s biggest dog lover. Pooch messes can ruin a home, souring your living area with the noxious smell of a disgusting dog pound.

Sometimes a dog that messes up the house isn’t the result of poor training or a bad upbringing, but a serious medical condition. Infections, bladder stones, colitis, diabetes, cancer, parasites, and inflammatory diseases can all be the real reason your pooch is soiling the carpet, which no amount of training, finger shaking or pet treats will cure.

If your dog suddenly and surprisingly starts urinating indoors, it may be the result of a bladder infection. It’s always best to check with a vet if the behavior is new and not just the result of bad habits. Like humans, dogs can be cured of infections with proper medical care. When an infection is the source of the problem, clearing the infection is the key to getting your pet to use the proper facilities.

Also, it’s fairly common for older, spayed females to dribble. You can easily fix this with applied dosages of estrogen. Often, you can get away with tapering the dosages off after a few months after your pet’s hormonal system reaches a balance, although some dogs may require estrogen treatments for the rest of their lives.

Inflammatory bowel disease is often confused with irritable bowel syndrome because the results on the rug are similar. Unlike IBS which can be caused by stress, however, inflammatory bowel disease is the result of inflamed cells in the bowels, and the treatment is completely different. The source of the inflammation may be bacterial, dietary or parasitic. Removing these conditions should return the dog’s system to normal.

Worms and other parasites waste the dog’s body of nutrients and energy. As the pooch’s body struggles to rid itself of the parasites, it will go to the bathroom frequently, often uncontrollably. Consult a vet to see how to rid the parasites. Often, antibiotics and worm removal are key to curing the animal and returning it’s potty use to normal.

Kidney or bladder stones can also lead to frequent urination which the dog cannot control. Consult a vet to see how to rid the stones. If a dog is left inside, a proper indoor dog toilet method may be necessary, giving the dog a proper place to do his or her business without soiling your rug.

If a dog is suffering from cancer, failure to control its potty habits is often the first sign. Have the animal screened to detect problems early.

Failure to control its bowels may be a dog’s first sign of diabetes. Consult a vet to make sure. Like humans, animal diabetes can be treated with proper diet and exercise. You may have to buy special food. Indoor dog potties may be necessary to give the dog a proper place to go where the messes can be easily cleaned and maintained.

Bathroom problems may also be the result of a neurological disorder. This can be confirmed through blood work, radiographs and other tests. It’s fairly common in older dogs. In these cases, indoor puppy potties can be very helpful, giving the dog an easy accessible place to do his business that’s easy for you to clean up too.

If you have a housebreaking problem that doesn’t just seem behavioral, have the dog checked by a vet. Often, the reason is more medical than behavioral. By treating the medical condition, you get to the source of the problem, often eliminating it so the dog returns to normal bathroom behavior. Enjoy your relationship with your dog more by eliminating housebreaking problems at the source. Indoor puppy toilets can be an easy facility for your dog to use if he can’t control himself.

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Like children, you need to get your puppies young to raise them right. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By properly socializing your puppy from an early age, you can teach it important socializing behaviors it can carry for the rest of its life. Starting with a puppy is like beginning with a blank page. The first behaviors you teach it are crucial. With proper socialization, you can avoid serious behavior problems such as shyness, timidity and aggression.

Once a puppy has all its shots at about 16 weeks of age, it’s important to socialize it with other friendly dogs, as well as acclimate the puppy to environments outside of the home and property through regular walks on a leash.

If you raise your puppy in the country or a suburban environment, it’s best to gradually acclimate him to traffic noise, crowds of people and other everyday life situations he’ll experience in more populated areas. Starting at 8 to 10 weeks of age, a weekly visit to town can be very helpful in getting your puppy used to busier areas. This can be very helpful at preventing environmental phobias.

When socializing with other dogs, keep in mind that puppies with fewer than 3 or 4 series of vaccinations should avoid contact with other unfamiliar dogs. It may be best to carry them in a crate or a Sherpa bag to make sure they don’t make too early contact with other dogs that may subject them to disease.

If your puppy shows early signs of timidity, it’s best to gradually introduce him to new and unfamiliar people so he can learn confidence and trust. Visitors should avoid sudden movements to touch the puppy as this can increase his fear and inclination to react aggressively. Make sure the introduction is gradual and passive, allowing your puppy to first sniff the hand through a gentle means. Avoid eye contract and confrontational body language. Visitors should crouch near the floor with the body facing away from the puppy, holding their hand to the side while offering the puppy a treat. Allow the puppy to first take the treat from their hand, rather than forcing the treat onto the puppy.

If the puppy is shy, resist the temptation to coddle or treat the puppy like a “poor baby.” The visitor should always remain encouraging, friendly and upbeat.

It’s very crucial the puppy learn to socialize with his own kind. By only socializing with humans, your puppy can learn problematic behaviors when around other dogs, leading to anxiety or aggression.
If your puppy is timid around other dogs but fully immunized, begin with socializing the puppy around other friendly easy-going puppies and dogs. Beginning to medium sized puppies work best, gradually working towards bigger dogs as the puppy learns confidence and comfort. Notice the puppy’s body language as it interacts with other dogs. If your puppy is especially timid, one day play sessions work best.

There are easy to recognize signs that your puppy is stressed. Panting when it’s not hot or the puppy is not thirsty is one sign of an overly anxious puppy. Timidity shown by running away, shirking or hiding in your arms is another sign of fear. This is natural in the beginning and should go away as the puppy is better socialized with humans and other dogs.

Yawning repeatedly is another sign of a possible nervous tick. Other dogs may become more hyperactive, running around and barking excessively. It’s similar to how some people may become overly anxious and talk or fidget nervously. Some dogs may tend to withdraw as they are overwhelmed by the situation.

Be patient and gradual with your puppy, but start early. Like humans, the building blocks of behavior in puppies are laid at an early age. It’s important to establish a solid foundation for a well-adjusted and healthy dog for years to come.

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Potty training your puppy can be hard if you’re a first-time owner, and even if you’ve had dogs in the past, potty training is still one of the most challenging parts of house training your pet. Every pup has its own personality, and the things you do to train it must cater to your puppy’s specific habits.However, there are a few simple tips that can make the whole process a whole lot easier. All of them have, as their underlying principle, the idea of consistency. Dog training is about getting your pet into a habit. A consistent routine is what is going to accustom your dog to relieving itself in the same place every time. Here are 10 simple tips to potty training your puppy that will keep both of you happy.

1. Dog Toilet Features. If you’re using a dog toilet, make sure that it (a) is easy to clean, (b) has a splash back, (c) has a post for your puppy to aim at, and (c) is large enough so that your pup doesn’t out-grow it so quickly.
2. Praise is the Key. Praise can go a long way in training your puppy. If it uses the dog toilet correctly, or if it does anything else that you want it to do again, for that matter, don’t forget to give it lots of praise. Doing so will ensure that your puppy will want to keep going outside when it has to, instead of just using your carpet or coffee table as a toilet.
3. Watch for Signs and Act Quickly. If you see that your pup is turning in circles or starting to crouch down like it wants to use the toilet, quickly grab your dog and lead/carry it outside. Place him where you want him to go every time. Your pup will realize soon that this is where you want it to go. Eventually it will start using that spot on its own. The key is to keep alert for signs that it wants to go.
4. Keep a Strict Feeding Schedule. Make sure that you feed your puppy at the same times every day. A consistent meal schedule will make it so that your dog has regular, predictable bowel movements. Obviously this will be immensely helpful during the potty training process.
5. Indoor Toilet: Use Newspaper. This is tip is mostly for you, the owner. It is much cheaper and just as effective to use newspaper under the grill of your indoor dog toilet, rather than a gel or litter-type products sold at pet shops.
6. Deodorize Unwanted Accident Spots. If your pup goes potty in an unwanted spot, clean it up as quickly as possible and deodorize it. This will get rid of the smell that your dog associates with going potty and will prevent your puppy form going back to that spot.
7. Play with your Pup in Accident Spots. This is related to number six. Because dogs tend not to use the toilet in spots that they associate with eating and playing, it is important to not only clean accident spots thoroughly but also to feed your puppy and play with it anywhere where there’s been an accident.
8. Frequent Attention. Give your puppy lots and lots of attention during this crucial training period. It will allow you catch accidents before they happen and will strengthen the bond between you and your pup, which will make potty training process easier and more enjoyable.
9. Restrict House Access. For the sake of keeping your house as clean as possible, restrict house access until your pup is fully potty trained. Baby gates and tile floors are recommended.
10. Keep Training Consistent. As mentioned in the introduction, consistency is key. If you’re leaving your dog with a dog-sitter or a relative for portions of the day, make sure that they use the same training methods as you. Otherwise, the pup will be confused and it will take much longer to train it properly.

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Petaluma, CA – The crowd at the Sonoma-Marin Fair this past Friday chanted “Pabst, Pabst”, while the judges of the 2009 World’s Ugliest Dog contest made their final deliberations. The two final contenders were the crowd favorite Pabst (a boxer-mix shelter dog) and Rascal, a Chinese Crested and former champion of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest.  Given that the Chinese Crested breed has held dominion over the title for over seven years and that it accounted for over 50% of this year’s contestants in the pedigree class, many people were surprised when the boxer-mix was named the winner.

Among those surprised by the outcome was Pabst’s owner and contest first-timer Miles Egstad, of Citrus Heights, California. “I don’t think he’s that ugly,” said Egstad of his boxer-mix, whose most distinguishable feature is his large under-bite. But it was Pabst’s sweet personality that won the crowd over, and perhaps convinced the judges to break from tradition.

Egstad, 25, says his dog’s name comes from the fact that he has a “bitter beer face”. Egstad became aware of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest when he saw it on television. His friends urged him to enter Pabst, and as a consequence Egstad is now a couple thousand dollars richer. Pabst swept in all three rounds of the dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair, earning $100 for mutt class, $500 for runoff in the pedigree class, and $1000 for World’s Ugliest Dog.

On top of that, contest sponsor House of Dog added another $1000 in prize money, a table of expensive dog collars, lashes and bowls and a modeling contract for Pabst, which the World’s Ugliest Dog signed with his paw. Grace Chon, the event photographer, conducted a professional photo shoot.

Pabst was a shelter dog when Egstad adopted him three years ago. This year marked the first time that a so-called “mutt” has won the contest. Karen Halligan, one of the contest judges and a veterinarian famous for her roles in the television series Groomer Has It, Dog Tales, Animal Rescue 911 and Dogs 101, performed screenings to ensure that all competing dogs were healthy. As judge Brian Sobel stated, the contest was meant for “dogs who are naturally ugly.”

The show was filmed by Dogs 101 and will air this fall on the Animal Planet television network. The local humane society was also present at the contest, bringing along its adoption wagon. The World’s Ugliest Dog contest has been trademarked by the Sonoma-Marin Fair and this year marks its 21st anniversary.

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You brought home a cute little puppy, you showered him with new toys, and you did your initial cuddling, but now it is time to get down to business; I’m talking about training your puppy, and one of the first commands for him to learn is “sit.”There are many ways to start training your puppy to sit, but the two most popular are the Click and Treat Method and the Compulsory Method.  Here is a summary of the two methods:

Click and Treat Method

This method is based on the concepts of classical conditioning.  Without getting into the whole theory behind Pavlov’s Dog, the Click and Treat Method is centered upon the idea that a dog can be trained to sit with only positive reinforcement and without a leash or collar and, most important, with no force.  All you need is a basic clicker which you can purchase at any animal supply store.Here is how it works.

1. You must begin by establishing a connection between the treat and the clicker.  You do this by giving the dog many treats while you click the clicker over and over again.  He will get the idea that when he hears the clicker, he will be rewarded.
2. Then stop giving the dog treats until he has directed his attention to you.  When you get his attention, present a treat and click the clicker as you give your dog a treat.
3. Now hold a treat chest level so that he has to face his attention upward.  This should force him to naturally take a sitting position in order to direct his attention to the treat.  As soon as he sits, click the clicker and give him the treat.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 several times until it seems as though he has caught onto the idea that he will be rewarded for this behavior in correlation to the clicking.
5. Now add the “sit” command to the routine and continue to keep doing this over and over.
6. Eventually, you will be able to remove the click and rely on the sit command alone.

The keys to success with the Click and Treat Method are patience and an open mind that your dog will be able to be conditioned into understanding commands.  Once you have successfully accomplished the “sit” command, you should be able to use this method for other tricks as well.

Compulsory Method

Unlike the Click and Treat Method, the more traditional Compulsory Method is a method of coercion where you enforce instead of reward your dog’s behavior.

This method is simple.  Basically, you push down on the dog’s rump section, forcing him into a sit position, while saying the “sit” command.  If your dog lies down when pushing on his rump section, you may need to gently pull up on his chin while pushing down his rump section in order to get him into a sitting position.  You must repeat this several times until he realizes that he will be forced into the position if he doesn’t take the position on his own.  He will eventually start to take the sit position on command because he knows this is a behavior you will enforce.

Choke collars have been known to be used with this method as a way to enforce the “sit” command.  Using the choke collar, an owner would use the same steps only they will use the collar to pull up with just enough for the dog to sit, but not enough to make him stand.  If the dog begins to stand, the choke collar will be uncomfortable, making them take the sit position.  Though, using a choke collar, especially when used incorrectly, can cause the dog to fear the use of a leash and may also cause the dog to become nervous and/or aggressive.

Overall, whichever method you use when training your puppy, it is important that you remain consistent and be patient.

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Traditionally, dog training techniques worked on the basis of the reward vs. punishment dynamic, with punishment being the more prevalent teaching tool. Harsh sanctions against unwanted behavior were the norm. But in recent years, the dog training world has been experiencing a rapid shift from the old training techniques to more positive, reward-based methods.

As defined by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), dog-friendly training is “training that utilizes primarily positive reinforcement; secondarily negative punishment, and only occasionally, rarely, and/or as a last resort includes positive punishment and/or negative reinforcement.” Positive dog training seeks to use training methods that are not detrimental to the owner’s relationship with his or her dog. This means thinking in terms of rewards, not punishment, as the main tool for shaping your pet’s behavior and using learning devices that avoid physical pain, intimidation or fear.

The reason positive training methods have gained popularity is because they work. Their success lies in the fact that, like people, and nearly all other animals, dogs will keep doing things that are rewarding and stop doing things that result in no rewards or are outright ignored. No punishment is required. Just the lack of a reward is, most of the time, enough.

The trick is not to have lots of treats at hand all the time, but rather to control the outcome of your dog’s behavior. If take this bit of dog training advice and use it every day, you will quickly be able to lead your dog towards the desire behavior.

How it works

The two concepts under which positive dog training techniques function are associative learning and operant conditioning.

Associative learning says that if two things consistently happen at the same time, we eventually start expecting one as soon as we see or experience the other. This is sometimes referred to as Pavlovian conditioning, a term that derived from psychologist Ivan Pavlov’s famous experiments with dogs. In his research, Pavlov conditioned a group of canines to salivate at the sound of a metronome, because they came to associate the sound with the appearance of meat powder.

Operant conditioning, the other concept underlying the positive dog training method, involves the use of consequences as a means to modify canine behavior. Rewarding desired behavior and ignoring undesired behavior results in the near complete elimination of unwanted behavior.

One of the reasons that positive training is so effective is because it separates learning the behavior from learning the command. By associating stimulus with desired behavior, positive dog training lets the dog learn a behavior first. Then, a verbal command can be added. By breaking down the process of learning, positive training creates easy benchmarks for both dog and owner.

In traditional dog training, people tried to teach the desired behavior by saying the verbal command while physically forcing the dog to perform the desired behavior. Methods of traditional training often require the use of violence, via choke collars, prong collars and electric shocks. The idea was to use pain to coerce dogs into adopting a behavior.

This is not only painful for the dogs, but it is also a lot less effective than positive dog training techniques.

Effectiveness of Positive Dog Training

Most trainers today agree that positive dog training techniques are more effective than traditional training methods. Positive techniques tend to have better timing and focus more on specific behaviors, which helps accelerate the training process.

Corporal punishment and coercion, on the other hand, will often lead to a dog becoming aggressive and violent. Additionally, the use of pain increases a dog’s stress levels and actually impairs its ability to learn. Not to mention the fact that physical intimidation will break a dog’s spirit and make him a lot less confident around other animals and crowds.

Positive dog training eliminates the use of pain and physical coercion. This creates a stronger bond between owner and dog, as the animal will look to its owner for leadership and will look forward to performing desired behavior.

For tips on housebreaking a puppy please visit our puppy training page. 

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Funny online dog videos. We all watch them. You might not spend hours of leisure time actively looking for them (or maybe you do… actually for a lot of people this is their primary source of entertainment), but if they happen to pop across your screen while you’re surfing the internet, it’s hard not to click play. Dogs are a constant source of amusement for owners and a reminder that playing and fun are essential and much-needed parts of our everyday life. So if you’re a dog lover, and are looking to kill some time at work or otherwise enjoy a laugh or two, here’s a list of the funniest dog videos online.

1. Mishaps

People getting hurt can be incredibly funny, provided the end result is not overly gruesome. For some reason, when dogs are involved, it’s even funnier. This video is a compilation composed in large part of unfortunate canine-human collisions and other spatial miscalculations. 

2. Canine schizophrenia?

I’m pretty sure this dog needs some kind of psychiatric help. He has assigned his left hind leg a personality of its own. I’m not sure Cesar Millan can do much good here.

3. Dog sleep-crying

It sounds like this dog is crying in his sleep, but he might be dreaming that he’s a turkey or some kind of chicken. He seems terribly embarrassed when he wakes up.

4. Dogs falling asleep

Videos of extremely fatigued pets are so popular that they’ve spawned their own YouTube film genre. Kind of sadistic, if you ask me. Here are a few of the funniest dog-falling-asleep videos for your amusement.

5. Bizkit

Bizkit’s sleep walking/running video is relatively famous on YouTube. The fact that it got actual air-time on various local news channels throughout the country is almost as funny.

6. Another study in dog-human relations

And how they can go terribly awry. A very entertaining compilation that is somewhat painful to watch at parts.

7.  The Anti-Drug Dog

You’ve probably seen the anti-drug commercial on TV where a very disappointed canine tells his marijuana-smoking teenage owner that he is disappointed in her. “You’re not the same when you smoke,” says the dog. “I miss my friend.” The people at College Humor have taken the concept and pushed it into new, even funnier heights.

8. Dog Babysitting

Golden Retrievers have a reputation for being good with children, but there has to be some kind of boiling point. The baby’s laughter is really what makes this video.

9. Shoplifting Dog

This story was featured on CNN. Several times.

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