[Hedkffiz]

I never seen a dog do this. Cats yes, dog no.

The Chihuahua my boyfriend owns has taken up sleeping next to the litter box. The litter box is my cats, not hers mind you, Mimi is housebroken. When the pan is cleaned (as it is bi-weekly) she will sleep on the fresh clean sand. However I have three cats in the house, and the freshness doesn't last. So once the pan has been soiled, Mimi will sleep next to the pan.

She is welcomed on the couch, and even has her own dog bed. Should I just let this continue? No cats are bothered by it, and Mimi is not a poo eating lush.

I wonder though, as the dust that is put off by the litter sand is not good to breath....

[RichardFG435]

... and Mimi is not a poo eating lush.....

Are you sure about this? I like to take a nap after I have a little snack too.

[Erexecike]

Maybe get her her own litter box of clean sand to lay in? I don't see it as a problem, except the sanitary factor of a dog laying in soiled litter.

Some dogs just like sand! lol

[SantaClaus]

I agree, maybe she needs a litter box of her own for Christmas?

[Hedkffiz]

No, I'm sure she not eating the poo 100%

[intorkercet]

If you're worried about the dog inhaling dust from the littler, shouldn't you be even more worried about the cats?? Just a thought.
Get her a litter pan with a nice little pillow and put it near the litter box.

[SantaClaus]

Also, there are dust free brands of litter that would be better for your Chi AND your kitties.

[Hedkffiz]

I'll do that. I have a cracked pan I can't use. and a pillow she loves to no end. I'll pu the two together. It may be the raised walls perhaps? just thought of that.

My question feels like it is now tunring into an attack on how I care for my animals. I'm not worried about the cats as they are in and out, and done. Mimi spends all day next to the pan.

[intorkercet]

I'm sorry. That wasn't meant to come off as an attack on how you care for your animals. Most litters are actually perfectly safe. But if it concerns you, just switch to a littler with less dust. Keep in mind, even though the cats are in and out, they're scratching around and kicking the dust up.

[SantaClaus]

If you feel as if I was attacking you, I didn't mean for it to come at you in that way at all.

[averkif]

I just went to a continuing education course on animal behavior. One part of the course was on cat behavior (which was extremely interesting) and some of it was on feline house soiling and litter box issues. So, even though this thread is about your dog, I'd like to share a little of what I learned, if you don't mind.

Cats actually prefer clumping clay litter, simply because it is very fine and cats prefer it to be fine (like soil). The dust free litter is generally not clay litter. Also with 3 cats in the house, I'd hope you have at least 3 litter boxes in the house (rule of thumb is 1 box per cat plus 1 additional box). Proper litter box hygiene would require cleaning the litter boxes twice a day, once a day minimum. And, if anyone is really interested, cats need a bigger box than you can buy at the store. You should use storage containers (like the ones you put under the bed) and the minimum size should be 20in x 20in, but bigger than that is better. They also do not like covered litter boxes as cats in the wild do not seek out a cave to eliminate. They like to eliminate out in the open.

As for the dog, I would not allow my dog to lie in the litter box. I have 1 cat and a very small house so I have 1 litter box and it's in the second bathroom and the dogs cannot get in thanks to a baby gate.

JMHO.