Ricco the Fruit Bat: Calm Down and Use the Cat Box

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of training a small dog, nicknamed "The Fruit Bat," to use a litter box after a traumatic incident. Participants share experiences, suggestions, and humorous anecdotes related to pet behavior and training methods.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes an incident where the dog urinated in the cat's litter box but became scared after being startled, leading to a reluctance to use it again.
  • Some participants express surprise at the idea of training a dog to use a litter box, with one clarifying that "The Fruit Bat" is a Japanese Chin dog, not an actual fruit bat.
  • Suggestions include waiting for the dog to urgently need to go, using positive reinforcement, and possibly relocating the litter box to change the dog's association with it.
  • Another participant proposes using a different litter box with a different smell to help the dog overcome its fear.
  • Humorous anecdotes are shared about dogs and their potty habits, including a suggestion to train the dog to pee faster instead of using a litter box.
  • One participant recounts a similar experience with another dog that had behavioral issues related to food and location, suggesting that encouragement and treats helped resolve the issue.
  • Some participants jokingly suggest unconventional methods, such as pouring beer to encourage the dog to use the litter box.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of opinions and suggestions, with no clear consensus on the best approach to retrain the dog to use the litter box. Multiple competing views remain regarding training techniques and the dog's behavior.

Contextual Notes

Some suggestions rely on assumptions about the dog's behavior and preferences, and there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of various proposed methods. The discussion reflects a mix of serious advice and lighthearted commentary.

Evo
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Last night I heard the sound of Ricco (the Fruit Bat) urinating on something in the distance, that unmistakable staccato sound of him letting the urine fly. Instinctively I screamed and ran toward the sound. He was using the cat's litter box. I scared him half to death and now he won't go near it. :frown: I've been kicking myself ever since.

I tried all night to calm him down, going to the cat box and praising him and feeding him pieces of my yummy garlic dill cheese that he loves every time I touched the cat box and told him what a good boy he was.

How can I undo the damage and get him to use the cat box again? The windchill outside is 5 degrees. I WANT HIM TO USE THE CAT BOX!
 
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Greg Bernhardt said:
wait, what? you trained a fruit bat to use a litter box? :cool:
He's a liitle Japanese Chin dog, smaller than a cat, he eats fruit and has been nicknamed "The Fruit Bat", he looks like a gremlin.
 
Evo said:
He's a liitle Japanese Chin dog, smaller than a cat, he eats fruit and has been nicknamed "The Fruit Bat", he looks like a gremlin.

ahhhhh ok hehe, those dogs have beady eyes :)
 
The Fruit Bat

ricco63yz.jpg
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
haha, did you just get him?
No, my older daughter gave him to me a few years ago.
 
Maybe you should wait until he really has to go really urgently, set him in the litter box and stick his front paws in some warm water... Then if he let's go, give him some NutriCal, a couple of sweet golden raisins, and a classic Lassie DVD as a reward.
 
turbo-1 said:
Maybe you should wait until he really has to go really urgently, set him in the litter box and stick his front paws in some warm water... Then if he let's go, give him some NutriCal, a couple of sweet golden raisins, and a classic Lassie DVD as a reward.
:smile:
 
  • #10
That's really interesting that he did that. I wonder if he has ever done that before when you weren't around.
 
  • #11
Were you actually training him to use the litterbox, or was it an accidental discovery?

Maybe you could put a litterbox in a new location, and see if he'll use it in the new location? He might just associate the location as bad, not the litterbox.
 
  • #12
Perhaps try a different litter box - of his own, as opposed to the cat's. Different smell - different location.

Traumatic associations are difficult to change.


Or call Cesar Millan - the Dog Whisperer.
http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #13
One 20 below zero morning in Omaha, a local radio show had a call-in contest to see whose dog could go pee and get back in the house the fastest. The caller had to be on the phone during the dog's potty run (to validate the feat, but mostly for entertainment). The funniest was the dog that peed all the way to the door as the owner dragged it by the collar, but it was disqualified since it didn't actually wait until it got outside.

In other words, instead of using a litter box, just train Fruit Bat to pee faster.
 
  • #14
He learned it on his own, apparently from watching the cat. I think it was his first time, but now some of the patterns in the box make sense, so maybe he's done it before.

He hasn't gone near the cat box since last night. :cry:
 
  • #15
Give him some time - perhaps a week. You might gently transport him to the litter box when he seems like he needs to go, and then reward him - not necessarily with food - but with some other positive response.

Remember you are the alpha female in the house.
 
  • #16
The snow has crusted over with ice and the ground drops off to a ledge then down into the ravine. He just went out, started sliding down to the ravine edge and had a real problem trying to make his way back to the door. I'm going to have to find his leash so I don't lose him. If he goes over the edge, there's no way I can rescue him. I can certainly slide off into the ravine, but I'll never make it back out.
 
  • #17
BobG said:
One 20 below zero morning in Omaha, a local radio show had a call-in contest to see whose dog could go pee and get back in the house the fastest. The caller had to be on the phone during the dog's potty run (to validate the feat, but mostly for entertainment). The funniest was the dog that peed all the way to the door as the owner dragged it by the collar, but it was disqualified since it didn't actually wait until it got outside.

In other words, instead of using a litter box, just train Fruit Bat to pee faster.
Oh he's peeing faster and shorter, we're going out about every 10 minutes to do a single squirt, then back inside.
 
  • #18
Evo said:
The snow has crusted over with ice and the ground drops off to a ledge then down into the ravine. He just went out, started sliding down to the ravine edge and had a real problem trying to make his way back to the door. I'm going to have to find his leash so I don't lose him. If he goes over the edge, there's no way I can rescue him. I can certainly slide off into the ravine, but I'll never make it back out.
You don't need a leash for that little peanut! A shoe-string will do. Get a spool of nylon cord, tie it to his collar, and let the Fruit Bat out and stay warm and dry inside the house. If he drops out of sight, reel him back in. In fact, you could have even more fun if you got a a lively little fishing rod, hooked a sling-swivel to his collar and reeled him back in when necessary. Wheeeeeee!
 
  • #19
Evo said:
Oh he's peeing faster and shorter, we're going out about every 10 minutes to do a single squirt, then back inside.

I know someone whose dog would do that, or flat out refuse to go out in the cold. She had to get him little boots and a jacket, and it solved the problem entirely.

turbo-1 said:
You don't need a leash for that little peanut! A shoe-string will do. Get a spool of nylon cord, tie it to his collar, and let the Fruit Bat out and stay warm and dry inside the house. If he drops out of sight, reel him back in. In fact, you could have even more fun if you got a a lively little fishing rod, hooked a sling-swivel to his collar and reeled him back in when necessary. Wheeeeeee!

:smile:
 
  • #20
Evo said:
He's a liitle Japanese Chin dog, smaller than a cat, he eats fruit and has been nicknamed "The Fruit Bat", he looks like a gremlin.
Good thing you clarified, because I was going to suggest you try a large moustrap...
 
  • #21
He's a liitle Japanese Chin dog.
It doesn't have much of a chin...
 
  • #22
We had a similar thing happen with Bun. She got it in her head that because she's not supposed to eat Einstein's food [at nearly 17 years of age he get special food], she wasn't supposed to eat in the house at all. Between that and her *****y sister she had literally been run off and was living in my office. But we were able to get her to return to the kitchen and the proper food bowls with treats and verbal encouragement.
 
  • #23
Evo said:
How can I undo the damage and get him to use the cat box again? The windchill outside is 5 degrees. I WANT HIM TO USE THE CAT BOX!
Pour him a little beer then place the vessel on the sand.

If it doesn't work at least he'd be a happy canine for an hour or so. :smile:

You know, it might work...
 
  • #24
EnumaElish said:
Pour him a little beer then place the vessel on the sand.

If it doesn't work at least he'd be a happy canine for an hour or so. :smile:

You know, it might work...
Dogs do love ethanol. This might work. My sister and brother in law had a golden retriever b.i.t.c.h (damned censor!) that would act clumsy and tip over beers for the chance to clean them up. She was the daughter of a Canadian Field Trials Champion, and she had a dozen healthy pups her first time out, so maybe a little beer helped. She was perhaps the most trainable dog I have ever known, letting me do more with little interactions with her than I could not have done with other dogs. Ochre was a dog that was so sensitive that it seemed like our interactions were complex, like talking. I never had to work to gain her attention - it was always eye-to-eye, and we established rules/language in minutes or seconds. Golden Retrievers smile and shake when they are happy (stay away from that tail!) and when they connect, they are the happiest dogs in the world.
 
  • #25
turbo-1 said:
Dogs do love ethanol. This might work. My sister and brother in law had a golden retriever b.i.t.c.h (damned censor!) that would act clumsy and tip over beers for the chance to clean them up. She was the daughter of a Canadian Field Trials Champion, and she had a dozen healthy pups her first time out, so maybe a little beer helped. She was perhaps the most trainable dog I have ever known, letting me do more with little interactions with her than I could not have done with other dogs. Ochre was a dog that was so sensitive that it seemed like our interactions were complex, like talking. I never had to work to gain her attention - it was always eye-to-eye, and we established rules/language in minutes or seconds. Golden Retrievers smile and shake when they are happy (stay away from that tail!) and when they connect, they are the happiest dogs in the world.
For having a peanut sized brain, this little dog is probably smarter than any dog I've owned. He definitely has a very strong personality and a very LONG memory.

The dogs were bred for emperors as a companion dog, but holy cow, talk about a feisty companion! He's already Lord of the Cats. He has a Rasputin like hold over any cat he meets. Get him drunk huh? That ought to be funny.
 
  • #26
turbo-1 said:
You don't need a leash for that little peanut! A shoe-string will do. Get a spool of nylon cord, tie it to his collar, and let the Fruit Bat out and stay warm and dry inside the house. If he drops out of sight, reel him back in. In fact, you could have even more fun if you got a a lively little fishing rod, hooked a sling-swivel to his collar and reeled him back in when necessary. Wheeeeeee!

:smile: I can just see Evo fly-casting her little dog from the porch. :smile:
 
  • #27
Math Is Hard said:
:smile: I can just see Evo fly-casting her little dog from the porch. :smile:
Or maybe a very light spin-casting outfit...how do we set the drag if we want to retrieve the dog but not burn him out so he can be safely tossed back? :rolleyes:
 
  • #28
Awww poor little guy{he's just adorable}, he must be so confused now. I think with time and a few good treats, he will get over the fear. And yes Evo, your not to go anywhere near that ravine, even in good weather.
 
  • #29
Sorry to be the pedantic one, but aren't we technically talking about a "Dog Box" in this case?:biggrin:
 
  • #30
Use calm, assertive dominance. Be the pack leader.[/Spanish accent]
 

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