Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Janet in Missouri

My 4 1/2 year old Maltese does not seem to be able to hold her urine for more than 4-5 hours. I have therefore been paper training her during the day while at work. Is it feasible to use kitty litter - will this cause any health problems for her? She only uses the paper when I am away and is otherwise housebroken.

DISCUSSION:

Hi! I assume you're asking about litter box training your dog because the papers get messy. I use a product called the Puppy John for my Maltese. It's a shallow plastic tray which holds opened newspapers or wee wee pads & protects your floor underneath from stains & odors. I have heard of people litter box training their dogs as well. It was something I considered at first & here's what I found out. If you use a litter box the same way you would for a cat you run the risk of the dog eiother digging in it & making a mess or tracking the litter throughout the house. Some people put a grate over a tray or litterbox & have the dog go on that. That way, urine flows through to the litter & clumps & poop can be picked up. Hopefully, some people who have actually gone the litter box route will reply. Good luck!
-Carole W.

I was just wondering how you paper trained you maltese? because we just adopted Bo Bo and he just seems to pee all over the house and not want to go on the newspaper.
-joey