Indoor Dog Litter
The use of indoor dog litter is becoming increasingly common for a variety of reasons. And SmartBedz provides an ideal solution for dog owners looking for a cost effective indoor dog litter which is natural and easy to clean.
Indoor Dog Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
This article looks at when using indoor dog litter might be appropriate, and outlines the ideal features of an indoor dog litter in terms of health, cost and environmental considerations.
Why Use an Indoor Dog Litter?
Although most dogs usually go to the toilet outside, there are circumstances where providing them with an indoor dog litter is useful or even essential. The primary reason for using an indoor dog litter is simply to provide a dog with a place to go inside the house if going outside is a problem for any reason.
The most common reason results from owners being out of the house for long periods of time, Owners who work full time are under constant pressure to get home and let out the dog for toileting. If the owner is later than usual or if the dog is ill, this sometimes compels the dog to relieve themselves inside the house. This can be distressing both to owners, who have to clear up the mess, and to dogs, who are intelligent enough to know that they should not go inside the house.
Owners with gardens may be able to provide outside access while they are out, but this isn?t always possible especially for larger dogs that would be unable to make use of a ?dog flap?. Owners may also need to restrict garden access for other reasons such as safety or possibly to avoid causing noise nuisance to neighbours. Owners who live in blocks of flats or in city centres may, as well as having no outdoor space of their own, also be restricted in where they can walk their dog and allow it to relieve themselves. Having recourse to indoor dog litter takes the pressure off humans and dogs alike.
Using indoor dog litter is also required for puppies, as they need to be kept inside for the first weeks of life for health reasons, and of course they are not toilet trained initially. So in this case, an indoor dog litter becomes essential. It is also useful as an aid to begin the toilet training process before outside toileting is possible. Older puppies who are allowed outside and may have started to use the toilet outside, may not have the required control needed for occasional outside visits and will need to use the toilet much more frequently. Having access to an indoor dog litter reduces the pressure on puppy owners to be constantly monitoring their puppy in case they need to go outside.
A further reason involves any level of illness or disability in either dog or owner which prevents going outside. If outside access cannot be arranged in a regular way for whatever reason, access to indoor dog litter can provide the solution.
What are the Features of the Ideal Indoor Dog Litter?
Ideally, choose a litter which is dust and chemical free to avoid harm to your dog. This means avoiding silica crystal or clay based litters - and especially clumping litter which contains chemicals that can cause clogging in nasal passages and digestive systems and which could harm your dog if eaten or inhaled. This is especially important for puppies and small dogs whose respiratory systems are more liable to clogging and irritation. SmartBedz litter contains no chemicals and is virtually dust free, making it completely safe for your puppy or dog even if they try to eat it.
The ideal litter needs, obviously, to be highly effective at absorbing moisture quickly, and at locking away odours. It also greatly helps if the type of litter you choose needs only daily spot cleaning and only occasionally needs to be changed completely - this makes life easier for owners as well as increasing cost-effectiveness.
SmartBedz is extra absorbent (up to 400%) and soaks up moisture rapidly preventing the formation of ammonia which is the basis of most odour problems. Stools need to be removed daily, but this is no more work than would be required if you were cleaning up after your dog outside. Very wet areas can be easily scooped out in a similar way to clumping litters.
From an environmental point of view, the ideal dog litter will be made from a renewable, organic resource, which does not require landfill disposal. Clay and silica are both non renewable and need to be mined, sometimes using strip mining methods. They are also non organic which means they can only be disposed of in landfill.
SmartBedz is made from straw, which is a quickly renewable material that biodegrades easily and makes disposal much easier. Owners with gardens can use it as compost, while owners without gardens can flush it in small quantities.
Indoor Dog Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
Where Should You Place an Indoor Dog Litter Tray?
The tray should be placed somewhere which the dog or puppy can have easy access to, but it should be placed well away from its sleeping and eating areas to avoid contamination. Many owners end up putting litter trays in the kitchen, along with food and water bowls, simply because kitchen flooring is usually easy to keep hygienic. If they must all be in the kitchen, try to place them on opposite sides or ends of the kitchen.
If the litter tray is for a puppy or small dog, make sure it is not too high for it to get into and make sure you don?t overfill it. You can also use a larger plastic box and cut an opening into one end - this gives higher sides and ensures there is less litter kicked out of the box. You will need a scoop with large holes to enable spot cleaning and avoid waste.
The size of the litter tray should be appropriate to the size of your dog - larger dogs need larger trays to enable them to stand and crouch comfortably.
Training Your Dog to Use a Litter Tray
Puppies are not normally litter trained by the time they are sold and this can take several weeks. Dogs are habitual and if left alone will generally go to the toilet in the same place so training it is just a question of time and perseverance. Lead your puppy to the litter box on a regular basis and place them on the pellets. That way they will begin to associate the feel of the pellets with where they should go to the toilet. Make sure you praise your puppy highly when it goes to the toilet in the litter box and eventually he will realise you like it when he goes in the box. At first during the night it is best to keep your puppy in a confined space, such as a cage, as puppies don?t like to live in their mess. Put your puppy in the tray after it has eaten last thing at night, again first thing in the morning and periodically during the day.
Inevitably accidents will happen and if they do make sure you clean this up quickly and thoroughly - if your puppy can still smell it then it may be tempted to go again in the same place. Don?t rub their nose in it as this can be counterproductive and they will not understand what they have done wrong.
Indoor Dog Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
How to Use SmartBedz as Your Dog Litter
Place around 50mm of SmartBedz litter in the tray. You can use either our small or large pellets for small dogs and puppies. While SmartBedz is suitable primarily for small dogs and puppies, there is no reason that it can?t also be used for larger dogs - you will simply need a larger tray.
The tray should be spot cleaned daily and solids should be removed. When spot cleaning wet areas (indicated by swollen pellets) use a scoop with 11-12mm holes. Dry pellets will fall back into the litter tray, minimising the amount of litter used.
The whole litter tray will need a complete change occasionally, but how often this is will depend on the size of the animal. The signal that a complete change is required is when spot cleaning is no longer sufficient to keep odour down - i.e. your nose will tell you! A medium sized dog might require a complete change once a month. Because of the relatively infrequent need for changing the litter, a bag of SmartBedz litter will last a long time compared to some cheaper clay based litters which require a complete change every week.
Indoor Dog Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop