Potty Training Maltese

Question
I live in an apartment on the third floor.  My husband and I work very long hours so we built a 10X10 patch of grass on the balcony so that our dog has a place to do his business while we are gone.

He refuses to use the grass as a bathroom. Instead he eats the grass. My cat on the other hand has stopped using her litter box and only uses the yard.

Please help..


Answer
Well, you put grass where it will eventually die--on a 3rd story balcony. I have never seen grass grow into concrete unless there are severe cracks in the concrete (which at that time you might be feeling unstable on that balcony!) Your grass is going to die, and the dog already senses it. He is either speeding up the process by eating it or is having some stomach problems (dogs eat grass when they have stomach problems, just so you know.) With your very long hours, are you sure that the dog is completely fed (dog food not people food! Maltese are prone to digestive problems!) or is he starving himself because he misses you? Lots of dogs won't eat unless the owner is home, including mine. That is why maltese are not recommended for people who have small children or work very, very long hours. Perhaps a time change at work will help. If you and your husband do shifts, maybe one of you can do a day shift and the other can do a night shift. It is hard, but it can be done in a marriage...my aunt and uncle do this exact thing and they had lots of different pets over the years. One person would consistently be home.

I want to tell you to go to the 1st floor apartments for a balcony (no sky-eye views, sorry!). At least there might be SOME chance that the grass will mingle with the real grass on the ground outside of the apartment. This is a really tough issue for you guys, I can tell--but something has got to give here. Have you considered renting a condo or townhome or even buying one? There's usually a yard involved in one of these, so it would be best for a dog. If you are not financially ready for this, you don't have too many options left.

I don't do questions about cats, but lots of cats will do their own thing anyways. Your cat seems to be trying to fertilize the dying grass to give it hope while the dog seems to think the grass is going to die in the end anyways. Also, the dog may think that he doesn't want to do business where the cat does his business. I really don't know what goes on in a dog's head, so I really can't pinpoint your problem too much here.

Your idea was smart (the grass on the balcony), but it does have to be maintained, mowed, and actually grow! Putting a palate of grass down doesn't make it a yard. The grass will die unless you made 3" of soil and then grass palates but that would be very disgusting when you open the back door of the apartment. Ewwww! Nice try, though!

As for apartments, many apartment dog owners litter box train their small dogs--especially maltese dogs. This shouldn't be a problem for your dog. Why not put the dog and the cat's litterboxes outside (do this gradually; one inch a day towards the door.)? Both are different in size and purpose...the cat seems to enjoy the outside and the dog might, too, if he has the right area.


So, all in all, move to a 1st floor apartment, move to a condo or townhome, or litter box train your dog.

I wish you lots of luck on this very unique situation of yours! Thanks for the question, and I hope I've helped you!