Is it possible to train a dog to use a litterbox?
Normally this isn't an issue since dogs do their business while going on walks. Recently however, my dog seem to need to do her business more often than I take her on walks.
My normal schedule is to take her on a walk first thing in the morning before I head to work around 6:30-7am. Then I feed her and leave for work. Then I walk her again when I get home from work around 5:30pm and then feed her afterward again.
Recently my dog has been whining and waking me up around midnight to take her out. The closest grassy area that she normally does her business is about 2 blocks away and its quite bothersome to get waken up in the middle of the night to walk two blocks away and back.
Have there been cases in the past where people have trained dogs to use a litterbox like cats? Is there any sort of detrimental effects from encouraging such behavior?
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There have been dogs trained to use absorbant pads, usually as puppies.. But dogs don't bury their waste (non-dominant cats do, and in our houses we're the dominant members of the clowder), and dog waste is considerably more odorous than cat waste to begin with.
Sorry, but this remains an area where cats are better housepets.
On the other hand, dogs won't shed on the tops of your bookcases.
A quick search of for dog using toilet found several hits, maybe a better question is how do I train my dog to use the toilet? As Kashlam says in his answer, a litter box is not a viable solution for a dog, pads are often used.
But if you going to go to the effort of training, train your dog to use the toilet (and flush).
You can train a dog to use a litter tray, search doggie litter tray on Amazon and you will find several - easier than them trying to jump up on an actual toilet, however they do have their own problems.
If you don't have access to a garden and a hose it can be difficult to keep them clean. Also unless your dog is very very well trained it's not 100% fool proof. Our puppy used one from the start because we live in a flat, however often would not use it if it was a) too smelly b) too clean, and sometimes would squat over it but not quite on it!! If your dog is male and cocks his leg then they are even less useful because it will merely go up the wall anyway.
Another consideration is to change the feeding time and encourage your dog to go before bedtime, but you've probably tried that already. If you refuse to take it out in the middle of the night it will soon learn to go earlier!
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