203. The Shih Tzu liked to pee on carpets and corners

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



Seldom do I encounter a 4-year-old asking a vet so many questions while I talked to the father. The emotional, intellectual and physical development of the 4-year-old seems to me, to be that of a 7-year-old. She should be able to care for this Shih Tzu puppy.

The toilet training had good results.

In the first week after purchase, the puppy messed up the whole house. This is a common complaint with other owners.

"What you do to toilet train him?" I asked the owner.
"Monitor him closely. Look for signs of the puppy wanting to go the toilet, put her on newspapers with the housebreaking aid sprayed on. Say 'pee here'.

If he pees on the wrong place, spank lightly on back, saying "Not pee here". Bring him to the newspapers to pee.

It takes about 2 weeks to paper-train him.

The puppy is paper-trained. Crated when the owner is at work. He will "bark" to ask to go to the newspapers.

The puppy liked to pee on the carpet. Carpet was steam-cleaned and removed.

"Puppies love soft area to pee." I said. "The carpet is like grass."
Did the steam remove the ammonia smell of carpet and the floor, so that the puppy would not be attracted to the smell to pee on it? The puppy was monitored closely and not permitted to go to the carpet. So, there was no answer to the question.

A family member crated the puppy when the owner was at work. This is quite a good idea as he is not paper-trained and cleaning up after the puppy is not some pleasant task for some family members. Small puppies like this Shih Tzu can pee everywhere in the house as it is not practical to watch him all the time.

Also, the puppy may run away through the front gate. I advised the owner to cover the lower part of the gate with wire netting.