Litter box training a 12 wk old toy poodle

Question
QUESTION: Hi, we have a 12 week old toy poodle, have had him for about 4 weeks and we are trying to litter box train him. We have him in a caged 4x4 area with his crate, food & water, litter box, and many toys. Our issue is most of the time while he is in his cage he will eliminate himself next to the litterbox and not in it. Sometimes he will go in it and when we catch him we praise him for it, it just isn't the majority of the time. The first 3 weeks he gave him too much freedom in the house and we have cut that back do to him relieving himself on the carpet. We are doing our best to try and watch him and catch him having any "wrong doings" but you know how that goes. What do you suggest in getting him to actually go in the litterbox and not next to it. Even at night he will spend the entire time in the caged area, when you get up he will have peed on the floor, pooped in the litterbox and on the floor??? We sometimes think he rides the short bus. Any help would be much appreciated.

ANSWER: I have never tried to litter box train a dog, and I don't think it is a good idea.  If you want to do it, all I can suggest is using good technique substituting the box for the spot outside.  

Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
enough to avoid all accidents. There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
it up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
a crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
hazards. A wire grid in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I am now using a plastic vegetable bin with plenty of holes drilled in the bottom. It helps block off part of the crate for the smaller puppy. If you already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start out in crates as little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose in the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting the dog have its crate all its life. A crate needs to be just big enough for a dog to stretch out in.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
the less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it to the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything, praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it, and maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it, but it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine. Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the house until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older. How successful you are depends on how attentive you are.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
they go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
to going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
even gets near the door. When you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
it and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
the other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Boy I'm confused, there is info all over your site and others about litter box training toy poodles, what am I missing? Is this not a common practice?

Answer
In my profile, I don't claim to know a lot about Poodles.  Since they are used as service dogs, I know a little more about them than I would otherwise.  The trouble is, All Experts has more categories than good people to fill them.  I think the people  coming here would be better served with fewer categories.  Perhaps Beth Adams in terriers might have more small dog experience than I do and know more about litter box training.  We do have another expert signed up in Poodles now.  It is possible she might be more help on litter boxes than I am.  

I see questions here and elsewhere on litter boxes, but I don't know anybody that uses them, or how common it is.  They may be a good solution for those that live in an apartment and leave a small dog at home all day by itself.  

While I find the format here workable, in some cases, it may be difficult for somebody to find the best expert to ask a question.  Nobody knows everything.  I also don't see much of what else happens here.