19. A toilet-training instruction book is needed for Singaporeans

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The whole apartment is the toilet for the puppy.

"Has he been toilet-trained?" I asked the young lady owner who brought the Jack Russell with two older men.

The Jack Russell puppy with short legs had not been toilet-trained. The young lady owner seemed not to mind him peeing and pooping all over the apartment. The older man said: "I f... him a lot, but still he soils the whole apartment." Wow, that was strong language used in front of a over twenty-something lady. She did not blush.
"What to do to stop him?" I presume the Jack Russell had a fair amount of spanking.

Not everybody does research. If only I have one book of instruction manual for Singaporean puppy owners. The other dog owners outside the consultation room was impatient.

"Keep him in a small area e.g. a playpen in the kitchen," I advised. "Use vinegar:water 1:2 to neutralise all the urine smells on the floor tiles of the whole apartment floor including the kitchen. Put newspapers in the play pen. Closely supervise the puppy."



I could not elaborate. Definitely, a book for the local owners would be very useful. It is easier said than done. Traditional printing is expensive as there needs to be a minimum of 2000 copies. There may not be a demand for such books to be sold at the breeders, pet shops and veterinary surgeries in Singapore.

If only there is a software whereby I can print on demand decent copies, without having to go to the traditional printers who are not really interested in small volumes. Also, book sellers and established publishers may not be keen. Some software like Microsoft Word. Maybe there is one.

Readers who know about such software, e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.

18. Toilet-training the barking Cocker Spaniel outdoors

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

What the new lady owner wanted was to toilet-train the new Cocker Spaniel outdoors and to control its barking on day 3 after purchase.

Toilet training outdoors. The pet shop operator had advised against exposing the new puppy to other dogs as she had only one vaccination. Now, she is having her second vaccination at the surgery.

Is it possible to toilet-train on the grass patch of the condo? Yes, provided the puppy will not be exposed to the other dogs and there are many in this large condo most popular with Caucasians. Every evening, domestic workers bring the dogs downstairs for exercise. Is there a patch of grass not frequented by the dogs, I asked her. She shook her head.

In that case, it would be wise to quarantine the new puppy at home till the 3rd vaccination.

What's the best method of house-breaking in the condo? Basically, paper-training. Since the 10-week-old puppy did not eliminate inside her plastic crate overnight, that meant she could control her bladder and bowels overnight. At 3 months old, the period of withholding is around 2 hours but she could control over 4 hours. Therefore, crate training is best for this puppy. She considered the crate her den and would not want to soil it if possible.



Crate training.
Every hour, on the hour, bring the puppy out of the crate onto a restricted area (e.g. bathroom with 100% papers on the floor or a grass patch downstairs). Say "pee here," and praise or reward the puppy. Observe her behaviour. Gradually increase to 1-2 hours depending on her elimination behaviour.

How about barking? The puppy started to whine on day 1 and 2. At day 3, she barked when kept in the bathroom at night. What to do to prevent nuisance barking?

Too much attention had been given to the puppy after purchase. Most new puppy owners spend lots of time with the new puppy on day 1 and then expect them to sleep alone. Most puppies whine to protest.

The two pre-teen children played with her after school. She followed the lady owner at home most of the time. Therefore, she got used to human company. Shutting her in the bathroom isolated her from the social life. Dogs are social animals. Decrease play time to 30 min per session during crate training. Don't pay attention to her otherwise.

Will be interesting if this case can be followed up.

SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.

17. The playpen is the bedroom for this Schnauzer

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The Schnauzer prefers to pee or shit outside the playpen. But how does the owner let him do it?



Best to enclose playpen in a bigger enclosure. Open one end of playpen and let Schnauzer outside to pee and urinate (using newspapers with urine smell). In theory this sounds good.

SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.

15. The Jack Russell needs not hop into the Aluminium Pee Tray

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore


"How do you toilet-train this cuddly Jack Russell?" I asked this family with small pre-teen children. Jack Russells are dynamos, hyperacitve puppies and sometimes hard to toilet-train.

"He just walk into the aluminium tray to eat and drink on one side and passes motion on the newspapers on another area."

I know about this configuration. The Aluminium tray ia around 3 feet long x 3 feet wide x 3 inches high. It is sold by only one pet shop in Singapore, a most successful one. It effectively prevents the 4 pieces of fences from collapsing onto an active puppy and most important of all, it prevents urine from soiling the tiled or marble floor. An excellent innovation.

The problem is how to apply the whole set up to paper-train the puppy? This family did a good job. The 4 pieces of fences with the water bottle attached to the side were lifted up and put aside.

The tray is accessible for the puppy. Instead of making it jump into the tray, the owner cuts a gap at the corner, around 5 inches long so that the puppy can walk straight in.




"The Jack Russell cannot be let out more than 30 minutes," the daughter said. They have to watch him for signs of circling and sniffing. And not to wander too far from the toilet area. Some owners complain that the puppy pees a lot. One complains that the male puppy 4 months old pees in 2 instalments. At the age of 3 - 4 months, the puppy pees a lot. Probably the dry puppy feed may make it drink more. Or it is active and drinks much more. Therefore, it pees more.

A picture of the aluminium tray is shown below.



It was a success story for the family and the pet shop operator. It showed that his innovative idea worked but this is one example I have had encountered on the successful application of his invention. No other pet shop in Singapore ever copied his idea though. They just sell what is available - crate and 4 fences.

SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.

16. Is the barking Dachshund asking for a clean bed?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"Non-stop barking all night," the young lady owner living in a condo said. "And all night. The neighbours must be upset." What's the solution?

This new puppy was crated in a wireless cage which has a pee-tray below the cage to be toilet-trained. An older Dachshund was trained on the pee-tray and was given freedom to roam the apartment. So, the new puppy barked all the time wanting to join in the fun. He would resume barking after being scolded. He was not isolated at night as he was kept in the master bathroom. But he still barked and barked very loudly.

Is there a solution to this noise nuisance?



I suggested putting the crate inside the master bedroom. What the puppy wanted was attention and probably it knew it would receive attention if it barked.

"Could he be asking you to clean up the urine on the wire flooring as some puppies bark as they want a clean place to lie on? Maybe a towel at the side of the floor although I know it would shred it."

The couple agreed to clean up the flooring with vinegar and water 1:3. The urine might flow through the wire flooring but the stools might soil the wire flooring leaving the puppy no clean place to sleep. This was just a hypothesis. Observation of the puppy behaviour is needed as not all barking is due to wanting to come out.

2ND VISIT ON OCT 10, 2005
Couple working whole day. When home at 7 p.m, the bring the puppy to the master bathroom to pee and poop. Night time the master bathroom floor is used by the 2 dogs.

The Dachshund puppy is 80% paper-trained, using the newspaper of the older dog as a toilet area.


SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.

14. The Corgi is not afraid of the hungry ghosts

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"He just sleeps alone by himself," I was incredulous. Most new puppy owners complain of the whining and barking of puppies left alone. Here, this Australian-imported Pembroke Corgi was not bothered. He just slept by himself on the marble floor of the living area, went to the papers in the bathroom near the kitchen in the middle of the night.

"Without lights being switched on," the young lady owner said. "He is not afraid of the hungry ghosts." The mention of ghosts always give me a shiver down the spine. I don't want to be alone in the darkness of the night.

Once I was in Scotland, at 18 years old to study veterinary medicine in the Glasgow University. I visited the kind elderly Scottish couple who hosted a dinner for new foreign student arrivals to make them settled down.

After dinner which ended near midnight, I had to walk through a cemetery to catch a bus to my hostel. All alone in a suburb of Scotland. A very quiet and dark cemetery path. My heart beated very fast. The winter air was cold. I imagined a wisp of fog as apparitions popping out from the graves. I did not know how I made the 10-minute dash through this short cut.

This was the month of August 2005 and many Chinese people have had been burning paper money and offering fruits and food at various locations in Singapore. To give food and drinks and money to the hungry ghosts that appear in this Hungry Ghosts Month.



This Corgi was the perfect puppy. One of a kind. He was paper trained in less than 7 days. In the daytime, he would use the paper in the balcony area. At night, he prefers the one near the kitchen. Hard to believe.

"He herds my husband," the lady owner said.: "But not me or when my husband is alone with him." I don't know whether this Corgi is behaving like a sheep dog or is he communicating or playing tug-of-war with the husband's legs. Are they herding dogs? They are famous as the Queen's dogs. He should be an excellent companion and might be mouthing the husband. Puppies communicate by "nipping or biting", also known as mouthing. This is a common complaint of new puppy owners. Howe to prevent such bad behaviours developing into bite aggression? That is the problem for many new owners to resolve.

SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS:
READERS e-mail to me your problems or solutions. Your queries may be included in the book to help all puppy owners all over the world. E-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

SPONSORS NEEDED:
Advertisers and sponsors for this book and another book HOW YOUR PUPPY CAN LIVE LONGER?, please e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com for more info or tel: +65 9668-6468.