47. Discussing toilet-training of the Labrador Retriever with the vet?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Each case varies, so there is no one-solution fits all owners.



In this case, the English lady brought a beautiful chocolate Labrador Retriever for veterinary examination after purchase. A 24-hour return guarantee if the puppy fails the examination.

"He is so handsome," she said. "Even if she fails the examination, I will not return him to the pet shop." He passed the examination.

In the condo, he chose to pee and poo under the dining table or on the wooden flooring of the bedroom. The pet shop operator had recommend her the puppy training pad. She wanted to toilet train outdoors but lived in the 19th floor of a small condo.

"The puppy shredded and ate the puppy training pads?" I was not surprised as paper shredding is a common compalint. The lady who nodded her head. "He is always hungry. I feed him fed twice a day as advised by the pet shop operator."

"3-month-olds put everything into their mouths," I replied to the young expatriate who had come to Singapore with her husband. "The puppy training pads would fill the stomach with non-nutritious foreign bodies causing stomach upset and obstruction if too much is swallowed."

So, what's my recommendation for her in toilet-training? The puppy went into a comatose-like sleep. Puppies need a lot of sleep.




TOILET LOCATION.


The couple lived in a modern condo with marble flooring in the living and dining areas and wooden flooring in the bedrooms. "The maid's room is too small for a maid," the English lady commented to me. "How can a domestic helper live in such a small space?" It was inhumane from the European culture perspective. She was not lock her puppy inside a room.

"Most modern condos have very small maid's room, sufficient for a bed and a side table," I explained. "The cost of land is high or the developer wants to make the most money. What about the balcony?"

"The balcony is even smaller. There may be hot sun and rain, causing heat stress or chilling the puppy. The kitchen is the only area for toilet-training."

1. To put the baby gate at the kitchen entrance to confine the puppy there. Put newspapers to cover the whole floor. Puppy-proof the kitchen. But this puppy is a large breed. He will chew the cabinets if nobody is around.

2. The owner has time for training the puppy. So, crate training was the ideal method. But what she wanted to do was to get the puppy to go to the toilet outside the apartment, at the ground floor garden area.



She did succeed in bringing the puppy down 19th floor of the condo in an elevator to get him to pee and poop outdoors every morning and evening. There was a fixed schedule for eating, drinking and exercise. Except on some weekends when she overslept. The details are in another blog.