<p>ignatius - thanks for including a cat tip. I have large cats. I also have large litter boxes - one for each. The bigger cat uses the covered box for some reason. But the smaller one uses the uncovered box and kicks half the litter out onto the floor. I would love to try the link you sent but I’m not handy and I don’t have tools like that. Did your son use the torch thing or the saw thing? What size box did you get? Did you have to dump 40 pounds of litter in it first thing?</p>
<p>I’d also love to see and update on the doggie. It sounds odd that he goes on the couch without taking a stance that you would surely notice.</p>
<p>^^^
He did it again this afternoon. It seems like my softest of blankets that I keep on the couch is his target… am not sure why. To be fair, today he may have done it while I was out, but I was only gone an hour and I made sure he peed before I went. Part of me is grateful that he does it on the blanket and not the couch or carpet. What’s odd, though, is that he actually slept on this blanket last night with me (H was out of town, so I slept on the couch and didn’t take him down to his crate) and made it until 5AM when he needed to go out (he got off the couch, went over to the door and scratched at it like he usually does).</p>
<p>My son used the saw thing to cut a hole in the storage box, now known as the litter box. We just used a storage box we already had. It’s about 14" inches high which was the relevant measurement for us (and about 32" long). I worried that it would be too big but the cats love it - plenty of room to walk in and take care of business. We’ve had no more accidentally peeing over the side of the box and notably less litter scattered around.</p>
<p>It did not take my son over 15-20 minutes to cut the door and make sure the sides were smooth. It did take quite a bit of litter to fill it but it scoops out easily and seems cleaner overall somehow.</p>
<p>This family is growing by leaps and bounds involving furry babies! D1 rescued a chihuahua a couple of months ago. And tonight, D2 told me she and her SO are probably going to rescue and English Cocker Spaniel tomorrow. I feel kind of bad that, when each one of them told me of their plans, my first reaction was, “NO, NO, NO!!” D1 has proven me wrong, and that she did realize what she was getting into and has really stepped up to the plate. D2 has some more convincing of me to do (not that I have any say about these matters!) as she’s really living at or below poverty level. Neither one was ever one to clean up puke or pick up dog poop while they were living here at home in high school. D1, like I said, has done fine. D2 says she knows what she’s getting into, but I have so many concerns. She and SO just moved in together about a month ago, so one of my concerns is, what happens if they break up… who gets the dog??? To be fair, they’re already talking about getting married, so a breakup is not likely. And of course, I didn’t say anything to her about that!</p>
Teri, I think you should put the blanket away for now – to the extent that the dog has control over what he is doing, he has learned that your favorite blanket is a good place to pee, and every time he pees there it reinforces the same learned behavior. In the dog’s mind, when you wash the blanket and put it back, it’s the equivalent of cleaning out a cat litter box: you’ve cleaned his “toilet” for him and put it back there for the next time he feels like using it. </p>
<p>I don’t know if your doggy will ever unlearn that behavior, but putting that and other soft blankets away for now would be a good start toward breaking the habit. (Or else you need to be consistent in making sure that the dog has no access to areas where the blankets are used).</p>
<p>
I’m surprised that you let a dog who isn’t fully housebroken have access to private areas while you are out. I think that you should either crate the dog or confine him to an area of your house where he can’t get into any trouble while you are gone.</p>
<p>Again, every single time he goes on that blanket it merely reinforces the behavior, whether you are there to catch him or not.</p>
<p>@ignatius and PhotoOp, I use a storage container for one of my cat boxes so my corgis can’t get in there and take any snacks
Several months ago on another pet thread, someone suggested a cat box that I had never hear of. It is called Tidy Cat Breeze. As a long time cat owner ( Maine Coons ) this was some of the best advice I have had regarding cat care.
The thing is amazing. No smell as long as you scoop the poop daily. No litter scatter and it has a pad that I change once a week ( kind of like a diaper under the litter tray ) The litter lasts 2-3 weeks.
My deeper cat box has the Breeze inside of it.</p>
<p>I bought the Breeze a few months ago and my cats aren’t taking to it. What’s the trick?</p>
<p>Ok…today I bought the big tub and am going to try Ignatius’s big box trick. I don’t have the means (yet) to cut the opening, so I’m going to see if my cats will just “jump in and out”. It will be a good thing that they do because that will keep my dogs out of it</p>
<p>Regarding training with treats. Our dog wouldn’t come or do anything for a treat most of the time. We could leave the dry dog food out and he would only eat as needed as well- unlike some dogs who would eat whatever was available and get fat.</p>
<p>The “big tub” litter box is working. Cats are jumping in and out, since I don’t have the means to cut the opening. Litter is staying inside except tiny bits that were on their feet. No “splashing” of litter when digging/covering. </p>
<p>I bought 20 lbs of litter and put in about half.</p>
<p>The tub I used is a 56 qt Sterlite from Target.</p>
<p>Which Litter do you think works best (smell control, etc)?</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies on litter boxes - mom, I’m impressed your cats are jumping over the sides! I think my orange tabby is far too fat to do that (has anyone ever met an orange tabby that doesn’t love to eat?). I wish I had a saw thing to do this. I am having company for Christmas and I would like to tame this problem before then.</p>
<p>Best litter by far! Cat Attract by Dr. Elsey. They even give a money back guarantee your cat won’t go anywhere else but in the litter box. It’s unscented but it actually works at keeping the smell down. Before I started using it I would get home from work every night and gag at the smell in my house. Not only of used litter but clean litter was just as bad. - And the dust coating everything in the room where the boxes are, yuck. Cat attract is 99% dust free - and it’s really true. I just need Teddy to stop digging so happily and tossing it all out!</p>
<p>I’m about to cry… D2 sent me a text message about an hour ago that the rescue dog is now theirs after a visit to the vet and a home visit from the rescue organization. This is the sad part - the vet determined the dog is deaf and has cataracts, and they’ve yet to hear him bark, so they’re naming him Tommy!</p>
<p>Makes my petty (no pun intended) pet problems seem insignificant.</p>
<p>That’s because you free-feed. The dog knows there is always food available, so won’t be motivated to do anything for a treat unless it is very high value (for examplel, bacon instead of kibble). </p>
<p>I was advised by an animal behavior consultant to stop free-feeding and also eliminate the morning feeding. Before that my dogs were picky eaters – I kept buying all sorts of different kibble to find something they would eat – and of course they weren’t interested in food for training. Turns out that a hungry dog is a also a highly motivated dog. </p>
<p>(And no, my poor darlings are not starving. They get plenty to eat, including an unlimited supply of apples this time of the year, which fall from the tree in my back yard. )</p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with incontinence in a dog following bladder surgery for stones? My pup is a week out from surgery and is having a terrible time. I am hopeful that once he is off of prednisone(for another issue) that there will be some improvement.After his stitches come out, I may have to resort to doggy diapers.</p>
<p>I hope your doggie is feeling better. I don’t have any advice, hopefully someone here will!.</p>
<p>On another note: I had recent success with my baby Yorkie’s ears. She’s now 3 months old and one of her ears wasn’t standing up at all, and the other would droop here and there. I googled this and found it’s a common problem, and the solution recommended is taping them to train them. I watched a few videos…you’re supposed to shave the ears to the skin to “lighten” the weight and to allow tape to adhere, then tape them up - a variety of taping methods were shown. </p>
<p>Well, I didn’t like the idea of shaving her ears so I decided to try pony-tail rubber bands…the thicker/softer ones. I did trim the long hairs on the ears, but left most of the hair on so her ears would still look normal. (I also didn’t like the idea of trying to pull sticky tape off her ears later)</p>
<p>I then folded her ears as shown in some videos (fold vertically so that the ears stand up skinny) and put a rubber band at the base of each ear. Chloe didn’t complain so I knew it wasn’t too tight. </p>
<p>After a couple of hours, the bands slipped off. Both ears were up. But, a few hours later, the lazy ear was coming down again. So…banded them again. The bands stayed on a few more hours…and voila…the ears have now been up for 5 or so straight days. </p>
<p>Not sure if any other puppy breeds have this issue, but if so, try this before shaving/taping.</p>
<p>teri - so nice they didn’t back down on the deaf doggy - he/she will probably make a terrific pet - although maybe not so great at deterring cat burglars. My coworker has a dog that recently went blind. I asked him what he’s doing about it - and he said nothing. The dog is happy and is adapting to his disability.</p>
