DIY Dog Litter Box Training

Teach your dog to use a litter box! Get a litter box that can accommodate your dog and if it has a lid, cut off the top of the lid and sand the edges smooth. If needed, use a storage bin as a litter box and cut off part of one small side of the bin to make a doorway. Have your dog practice getting into and out of the box, using a command such as “use the box.” Select a litter for your dog to use, such as commercial dog litter, folded newspapers, or potty pads. Soak a piece of newspaper or paper towel in your dog’s urine and set the item in the litter box. If needed, train your dog to go to the bathroom on newspapers by laying papers on the floor and bringing your dog to the papered location whenever it needs to use the bathroom and use the same command, such as “use the box.” Praise your dog and give it a treat when it goes to the bathroom in the correct location. Once your dog is paper trained, cut off the top and bottom of a cardboard box, cut the box open along one corner and cut the box in half across the middle. Set up the box around the papered area, then gradually increase the size of the box over several days and eventually put the litter box in that location.