# Move from litter to outdoors only?



## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Does anyone have advice --- now that my Lola is 7 months and able to hold it for a few hours, would getting rid of the inside potty options help with her housetraining? She pees in the litter 100% of her indoor time. Even when I leave her alone for 3-4hours. But she hates to poop in the litter box. I have been forcing her to use it for over a week now, by penning her in, according to Tom King's advice. She will eventually go there as long as I am within 5 feet to keep an eye on her. I swear she is holding it for hours longer so she can avoid the litter box for poop. Today, as on other days, as soon as I turned my back to answer the phone, she took advantage of the moment and pooped in the middle of the den and I found her eating it! This happens whenever I look away - she is in a small area where I can see her at all times. I am hoping that we'll have better success if I teach her to simply _never_ go in the house.

Has anybody had success moving from litter or pee pads to 100% outdoor? At what age?

Thanks for any advice. You are all so helpful!


----------



## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

When someone writes a new book on the "Havanese", they need to include a whole chapter on housebreaking and 'quirks'. My dog, and many others..will NOT poop in the same place they pee. When I was first potty training her, it was a breeze getting her to pee on the pad, but poop? That's a WHOLE other story! lol UNTIL, the lightbulb went off in my head one day and I set up a separate pad for her to poop on, far removed from the PEE pad. lol, she instantly took to it, peeing on one and pooping on the other. Until, I transitioned outside and now she mainly poops outside. I do think she *prefers* it. Although, even now...she's going 90% of the time outdoors, she has one side of the yard for #1, and one side of the yard for #2. Kid you not! LOL

So, I think it will be easy for you to transition outside, atleast for #2. Hanging a ribbon with bells really has worked for many of us. The first few days, they RING RING RING like crazy, and then it settles down, for the most part 

Quirky little dogs, I tell ya! lol

Oh, and to answer your question, we transitioned to outside around 6 months old. She's 1 now, she will use the pad if it is raining outside, or inclimate weather of some sort, and occasionally at night if she chooses not to wake me up and needs to go..that's pretty rare though, most nights she holds it.

Kara


----------



## Sunnygirl (Jun 1, 2007)

My boys go outside 95% of the time. I still have two litter boxes (with non-disposable pads in them, not litter) in the house - one in the large ex-pen where they stay when we're away and one right next to the door they typically use to go outside. They use these if they need to go when we're not home and they're in the pen or if we're less than diligent about letting them out or there's an emergency (one of them had diarrhea a week ago and used the box next to the door). To be honest, I don't know how we transitioned them. I think they just transitioned themselves. They prefer going outside and they use the boxes only if they have to. The downside of the boxes, particularly the one next to the door, is that they haven't learned to tell us they need to go out. There's no bell ringing, barking or scratching at the door that goes on. If one of them needs to go out, he'll sit by the door quietly. If we don't notice him, he'll do nothing to let us know and just use the box. I've really got to work on that - I want to do the bell ringing but they always EAT the bell instead of ring it. Fortunately we let them out often enough in the ordinary course that the box use is still 5% of the tie or less.


----------



## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Sunnygirl said:


> My boys go outside 95% of the time. I still have two litter boxes (with non-disposable pads in them, not litter) in the house - one in the large ex-pen where they stay when we're away and one right next to the door they typically use to go outside. They use these if they need to go when we're not home and they're in the pen or if we're less than diligent about letting them out or there's an emergency (one of them had diarrhea a week ago and used the box next to the door). To be honest, I don't know how we transitioned them. I think they just transitioned themselves. They prefer going outside and they use the boxes only if they have to. The downside of the boxes, particularly the one next to the door, is that they haven't learned to tell us they need to go out. There's no bell ringing, barking or scratching at the door that goes on. If one of them needs to go out, he'll sit by the door quietly. If we don't notice him, he'll do nothing to let us know and just use the box. I've really got to work on that - I want to do the bell ringing but they always EAT the bell instead of ring it. Fortunately we let them out often enough in the ordinary course that the box use is still 5% of the tie or less.


My guys go outside 99% of the time as well. I have a litterbox for times when I am stuck at work etc. The litter box has been available since day one but they seem to prefer outside.
I've heard of using bells but what if they ring when I am not home....:jaw:


----------



## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Sally, I think you're supposed to put them up when you're not home. Not sure though, but that's what I'd do.


----------



## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Bugsy has been trained to a doggy door since day one and has been fully potty train/house broken since 6 months. He hated the pads and would only shred them and we couldn't train him to litter box when you also have cats trained to litter box (so I've been told). I have two doggy doors downstairs and upstairs which they use. The upstairs one has a covered cement patio and when the weather is awful, Bugsy does his business there. My two standards are weather proof. :biggrin1:


----------



## casey (Feb 3, 2008)

I totally agree with Thumperlove, they are a breed apart. My Lola (5 1/2 months)will also not poop and wet in the same place. We live in an apartment in NYC and the weather has been really cold and not condusive to spending a lot of time outside. But we have taken her out and walked blocks and blocks and she does not eliminate. As soon as we get into the house she goes right to the pad and wets. She will poop outside sometimes. She is still not on a poop schedule even though we feed her at the same times daily. We've tried bringing the pads outside, sprinkling the liquid that makes them want to go and still nothing. I just found this page, and don't know about the bell, can someone tell me about it, and if you know of a way to get her to go outside.


----------



## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

casey, I also live in NYC! :welcome: to the forum!

I had that same problem with Kubrick when he was younger (he would wait and hold it while we were out and then he would go inside on the pads). We finally broke the barrier by taking him out FIRST THING in the morning. We wouldn't even let his feet touch the floor. We would carry him outside, put him on the ground and say Go Potty (he knows this command). But even if Lola does not know this command, trust me, she needs to GO. At first Kubrick would poop no problem but pee no way. So I would wait about 5 minutes outside (notice this is NOT a walk, it's just sitting outside next to the curb). Then I would take him back up. But I wouldn't let him have free run of the house. I would put him back into his crate for another 15 minutes at which point, again, I would carry him outside. At this point he would 95% of the time go because his bladder was close to exploding. If he didn't, though, it would be back in the crate until he went outside. Now, when he did go, he would get LOTS of praise and a high value treat (like boiled chicken or hot dogs). It would be a party (so it's a good thing it was early in the morning so not a lot of stares, LOL). It took about a week of doing this and then Kubrick suddenly clicked that we LIKE it when he goes outside. So now on walks, first thing he does is eliminate. Maybe this technique will work for you!


----------

