The Pets City » toilet training http://www.thepetscity.com Quick Tips and Information on Pets' Health, Grooming, Training, Nutrition, Supplies... Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:08:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 How To Potty Train Your Rabbit http://www.thepetscity.com/rabbits/how-to-potty-train-your-rabbit/ http://www.thepetscity.com/rabbits/how-to-potty-train-your-rabbit/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:05:01 +0000 Andrea http://www.thepetscity.com/?p=135 Rabbit are intelligent animals who can be toilet-trained. Training them is not much different than training your pet dog or cat.

Materials Needed:

  • Litter tray
  • Litter material
  • Play pen
  • A lot of patience and perseverance

Methods on Potty Training your Rabbit:

  1. Place a litter tray big enough for your rabbit in a corner of its playpen. Fill it with litter material like pin pellets—never use clay clumping cat litter as the rabbit may eat it and suffer digestive problems.
  2. Put hay into the tray as a reward for the rabbit whenever it jumps in. Speed up training by placing some of its droppings and already soiled pine pellets into the tray to associate peeing with the tray.
  3. It’s a good sign if the rabbit digs or sleeps in the tray. Praise and reward it with food when you see it using the tray. Do not yell if it pees outside. Just say “No!” firmly and bring it to the tray.
  4. Be patient. If you find droppings outside the tray, keep putting them back. Clean the tray regularly but not so often till all scent is removed. If your rabbit pees in the wrong place (e.g. the sofa), clean up completely or it will use it again

Remember, training a rabbit is like training a dog or a cat. Be patient and persist for at least a few weeks.

Related Topics

]]> http://www.thepetscity.com/rabbits/how-to-potty-train-your-rabbit/feed/ 0 How To Train Your Cat To Use The Cat Door http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-cat-door/ http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-cat-door/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:56:46 +0000 Andrea http://www.thepetscity.com/?p=132 If you mind opening the door each time your cat rings the pet door bell, then training your cat to use the cat door would be your best option.

What You Need to Consider Before Buying that Cat Door

You can find cat doors in most pet stores, online and offline. But before you do, consider these:

  • Cat doors can be installed right in your door or next to your door for a wall mounting.
  • Make sure you get the right size cat door so that it is big enough for your cat to get in and out without any difficulty. This will free you up from having to attend to your cat going in and out.To know the size of the opening, you will have to measure your cats’ height and width. When measuring the width make sure you allow at least a couple of inches more than the width of your cat. The height from the shoulders to the back of the front legs this will give the right height.

Tips on Training Your Cat To Use The Cat Door

Usually a cat will not automatically use the door without any training. You will need to train your cat to do so.

  1. Have your cat beside you while you open the cat door.
  2. Place your cat’s favorite treat on the other side of the door.
  3. Once she’s on the other side of the door, repeat step two to encourage to come indoor.

Make sure you hold the door open during the training. This allows your cat to come in and out freely with a reward of a simple small snack on each side. It may take a while for your cat to use the door without your help. But once you caught her using the cat door without your aid, remember to get her rewards for her behavior.

Do not push your cat through the door when you begin training. This will terrifies her more than encourage her to use the cat door.

Once your cat begin using the door you will experience the freedom of sleeping though the night or not having to stop what you are doing to let your cat in and out. It may be possible eliminating any future kitty litter or mess where they should not be doing.

Related Topics

]]> http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-cat-door/feed/ 0 How To Train Your Cat To Use The Door Bell http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-door-bell/ http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-door-bell/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:44:27 +0000 Andrea http://www.thepetscity.com/?p=122 Are you tired of hearing your cat meowing up a storm or scratching up the door trying to get in? There is one simple solution to this problem. That is to train your cat to use the door bell—not the human door bell but a DIY cat door bell. This training aid will help to train your cat to alert you when she’s ready to come in.

D0-It-Yourself Cat Door Bell

Materials:

  • Bell: Bells come in a variety of sizes. A small one, size of a meatball, would be the prefect for most cats. Bells are very inexpensive and can be found and purchased in many craft and DIY stores.
  • String: Almost any string, yarn, ribbon will do. The length of the string or yarn should be long enough for your cat to reach the bell without having to jump at it or use the door for support.
  • Catnip: Catnip is not essential but good to have for beginning training. Get catnip in a spray and spray a small amount of it on the string or bell. Cats love catnip and this will attract them to play with the bell.


Method:

  • Tie the string or yarn to the bell.
  • On the other end of the string, tie it to the door knob and let it hangs down.
  • Make sure the length is reachable for your cat.

Steps to Train your Cat to Use the Door Bell

  1. Bring your cat outside, facing the main door.
  2. Encourage your cat to ring the bell, once. Reward her with treat.
  3. After she rings the bell, open the door for her to go in. Reward her again.
  4. If she refuses to move, carry her in. And then reward her.

Repeat step one to three for three more times until your cat gets the message. Reinforce this behavior for 3 or 4 more days until your cat can do it without prompting. Make sure to keep the training short.

Related Topics

]]> http://www.thepetscity.com/cats/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-the-door-bell/feed/ 1