# Brand of pellets to use in litter box?



## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

Hi, I just joined the group. My puppy, Dixie, is 12 weeks old. Dixie is my first dog--I've always been a cat person and have three male cats, one of which likes her. Dixie is a cute little dog, but she has been a lesson in patience. 

Her litter box training is going well--she uses her boxes 95% of the time. The boxes I'm using are orchid humidity trays lined with puppy training pads topped with newspaper. I'd like to migrate to the paper pellets I've read about. What brand of the pellets do you use? Are they the same as those used for post-operative cats? Also, any recommendation on litter boxes? As you know, her little legs are so short that she can't get in my cat litter boxes.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

We used the recycled newspaper pellets for several years before we switched to wood pellets. We've been using wood pellets for I don't know how many years now.

Get the pine pellets made to use in horse stalls at Tractor Supply. 5 or 6 dollars per 40 pound bag, and far superior in every way to the paper pellets.

Purina used to sell litter boxes for dogs, but they are off the market now. We get plastic boxes from Walmart, and I cut down one side with a red hot utility blade knife, heated with a propane torch.


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

*Thanks!*

There's a Tractor Supply in Rock Hill, SC, which isn't far from here.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

It will take a lot of work to teach one that wasn't started on pellets early. In fact, I haven't heard of a single person having success at teaching an older puppy. We start them at 3 weeks.

I do wish you good luck though.


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up. I'll give it a whirl, though. I'll start by putting the pellets on top of newspaper shreds and then gradually increase the number of pellets. I'll let you know how it goes. So far, this destructive little creature has needed a lot more work and monitoring than I bargained for. And yes, I got her from a backyard breeder who raises multiple breeds. But what's done is done.

Outdoor potty training will not be happening in the near future, or perhaps ever, because my property backs up to a pasture and a woodland area. I have all sorts of wild animals in my backyard, not to mention swarms of mosquitoes.


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## jmombo (Jul 7, 2013)

I use the pine pellets also. I started them in the ex pen with the girls when I brought them home. Even without any prior experience, they took to them right away, without incident. My older hav, Miggy, is 5 months old and has only pottied outside since we first brought him home. But, I just saw him use the litter box the other day. I guess he was having too much fun playing inside, to want to go out. They are smart dogs... I'm sure Dixie will pick up on it. BTW, the pine is nice. It doesn't hold odor!!


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## jmombo (Jul 7, 2013)

Also, you mention the cat's litter box being too high. I use the rabbit pan from Tractor Supply. It has low sides, is big enough for your pup to do her potty dance and fits perfect in the ex pens!!! I think it was about $15. You can pick it up when you pick up the pellets! HTH and Congrats on your new puppy!!!


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

Thanks for the info and pix! I got the pellets yesterday and put them mostly to the side of the newspapers, for now. Dixie seems unperturbed by their addition. I also found a low-sided box. Plus that, I discovered that the cats' Boda Dome litter box --without the dome top-- works well for short legs because it has a ramp leading up to the box. The Boda box is small in diameter, but it seems to be okay for her puppy size. The gently sloping ramp would even work well for a mouse-size puppy. PetSmart sells them.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

CatWoman said:


> Thanks for the info and pix! I got the pellets yesterday and put them mostly to the side of the newspapers, for now. Dixie seems unperturbed by their addition. I also found a low-sided box. Plus that, I discovered that the cats' Boda Dome litter box --without the dome top-- works well for short legs because it has a ramp leading up to the box. The Boda box is small in diameter, but it seems to be okay for her puppy size. The gently sloping ramp would even work well for a mouse-size puppy. PetSmart sells them.


One word of caution about the smaller litter box... We had a smaller box for Kodi when he was a puppy too. He was being REALLY reliable about using it until... all of a sudden, he wasn't we started finding poops near, but outside the box. I watched him getting ready to poop, and realized immediately that as he grew, so did his "potty dance" circle. he was no longer able to make the whole circle inside the box. As a result, he pooped where ever he was on the circle when the moment came, sometimes inside the box, sometimes outside. We changed to a box big enough that he can circle at adult size without leaving the box, and never had another problem. :thumb:


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

Thanks, Krandall. That explains why the little Tootsie Rolls are beside and not in the small trays. Now I wish I had bought the rabbit box. It looked awfully big at the store, too big for the LR, but it would fit in the bedroom playpen. Looks as if another trip to Tractor Supply is in my future. It is a cool store, though. Lots of good gardening tools.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

CatWoman said:


> Thanks, Krandall. That explains why the little Tootsie Rolls are beside and not in the small trays. Now I wish I had bought the rabbit box. It looked awfully big at the store, too big for the LR, but it would fit in the bedroom playpen. Looks as if another trip to Tractor Supply is in my future. It is a cool store, though. Lots of good gardening tools.


I LOVE TS!!! They are JUST starting to come into our area. I keep hoping they'll open one near us!


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## jmombo (Jul 7, 2013)

krandall said:


> I LOVE TS!!! They are JUST starting to come into our area. I keep hoping they'll open one near us!


Me too!!!


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

*She's using the pellets!!*

Dixie is using the pine pellets in her new litter box. For now, the pellets are just in her playpen litter box. This might have been a quick success because Dixie had nowhere else to go potty while in her playpen.

Her playpen is 3 x 6, with a shower curtain lining the bottom of the playpen. When I first got Dixie at 7 weeks old, (she's 12 weeks now), I put her bed at one end of the playpen, blankets in the middle, and the litter box--with puppy pad on the bottom and newspapers on top--at the other end. She used it right off the bat.

So, as preparation for using the pellets in her box, I removed the blankets in the enclosure. Her only potty choice was her bed or the litter box. Then I gradually added the pellets and removed newspapers from her litter box. This morning, there are only pellets and a puppy pad in the litter box. She is using the litter box just fine. I remove the solids and the liquids just make the bottom pellets turn into sawdust.

When I have Dixie out of her playpen and running around in the living room, I still have her newspaper/puppy pad box there. I will gradually replace it with pellets when I get a larger box.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Great!!! You did it the best way.

Go to a dollar store and get a little dustpan to scoop the sawdust out with. They come with a little whisk broom that snaps in the handle. Pam hasn't found anything that works any better anywhere else. Just sweep the good litter aside from the sawdust with the dustpan, and scoop out the sawdust.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

That's fantastic that you have been able to transition her, and so quickly!!!


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## CatWoman (Sep 8, 2013)

So far, the only accident seems to be one puddle of pee next to the litter box. Other than that, Dixie is using the litter box. I've yet to put pellets in the living room litter box because I've got a carpenter working in the house and don't want her out of her playpen while he's here. And I don't want her to associate the change in litter with loud noise. 

I noticed that Dixie has had a pine pellet in her mouth a couple of times. I'm assuming that eating a pellet or two will not harm her. There is a product for cats called Feline Pine, and if a cat eats a pellet part while cleaning her paws, it doesn't hurt the cat, so I assume that pine litter safe for dogs, too.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I think all our dogs have eaten a couple here and there... I haven't heard of a problem yet. The only thing I'd watch for is if she REALLY goes after them. Kodi did that once when he had a tummy problem caused by something else. (like a dog eating tons of grass because they don't feel well) THAT'S not good, because they do swell. So I do keep an eye on Kodi, and if he looks like he's got a tummy problem, I cover the litter box with a grate (that came with it) that allows him to pee through it, but he can't access the litter.


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

Zelda has started "eating" the litter recently. But I put that in quotes because I realized she's just playing with them. She doesn't actually swallow it. I've started finding them all over the house. Hopefully this is just a phase. I try to find her better activities to do when I notice it.

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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

RoutineAvocado said:


> Zelda has started "eating" the litter recently. But I put that in quotes because I realized she's just playing with them. She doesn't actually swallow it. I've started finding them all over the house. Hopefully this is just a phase. I try to find her better activities to do when I notice it.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Kodi went through a phase of carrying them around and dropping them too. They HURT when you step on them in bare feet!!!


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