85. Toilet training child compared to puppy.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

1. The right time. Toddlers empty their bladders often up to the age of 20 months. Each child is different. Puppies pee a lot up to the age of 5 months (in research done at Toa Payoh Vets). Each puppy is different.



2. Is your child ready? Depending on emotional and physical development.
2.1 He wants you to change his soiled nappy.
2.2 Grunts or squats when he has a bowel movement.
2.3 Has bowel movements at regular times, e.g. after breakfast.
2.4 Stays dry for a couple of hours each day.

Compared to puppies. New puppies are purchased from 8 weeks old generally and toilet training begins on the first day.

2.5 Whines or barks asking you to change the soiled newspapers. Sometimes after midnight, makes noises wanting you to change the soiled papers but you mistake him for wanting your company.
2.6 Sniffing, circling and looking for an area to pee and poop. May have favourite spots.
2.7. Passes poop after meals within an hour of eating.
2.8 Not dirtying its cage if it is used as a den but wants to go outside the cage to use the toilet. Will pee on the floor if the soiled papers are not changed.


Tips
3. Lots of praise when successful. (applies to puppies. Give treats)
4. Expect accidents during training and learning. (Same in puppies).
5. Never force a child to sit on the potty. (Never force puppies to smell own stools or pee?)
6. It takes longer for a child to learn to stay dry at night. (Withhold water after dinner to encourage the puppy to control its bladder).
7. Not to be angry when there are accidents. (Same with puppies. They run away when they see you are angry or growls at you to protect themselves).
8. Boys take longer to be toilet trained.



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84. The Golden Retriever has Itchy thighs

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

A Golden Retriever shaved just does not look like the real thing. "He had the same skin problems when he was young," the lady owner said. "After treatment, he was OK. Now, after boarding at a boarding kennel, the same itchy thighs and armpits appear. I had to get him clipped."



The skin below the body of the Golden Retriever was sensitive. Treatment would cure this problem.

"How do you house-train him?" I asked as the dog is now one-year-old. Paper-training in the living area using the commercial urine aid. He lived indoors up to 5 months of age. Then, the family built a stainless steel kennel with roof and a dog house for him in the backyard. He now eliminates on a corner of the tiled backyard. Stainless steel kennels cost more but they should not be rusty if not scratched.

Now, I have another idea for my real estate friends. "Buy a ground-floor apartment. You have place to house your big dogs." Most Chinese dislike ground-floor apartments because residents do throw litter onto their backyard or they wish to have more privacy. Keep the lower part of the puppy dry as they tend to get infected if moist as Singapore's hot and humid climate encourages skin infections.



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83. Washing-machined rugs but the Boston Terrier still pees on 2/4 rugs.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"I used the same procedures on my first dog, a Miniature Schnauzer," the young man with all hair shaven and a nose ring said. "Soil the tissue paper with the puppy's poo or pee and smear it at the junction between the wall and the floor of the shower room. My Boston Terrier was paper-trained within 7 days."



So simple as that? He noticed my incredulous look. "Well, you must praise her a lot." the young man elaborated."Begin by putting her nose to smell the toilet location. Say 'pee here'" He must have spent time training the puppy to be able to paper-train in 7 days.

"When the Boston Terrier made noises at night," the owner said. "I did not know at first that she wanted to go to the shower room to relieve herself. I realised later and she always go there."

"Did you give her treats for doing what you want her to?" I was impressed that he had 100% success rate. His first dog, a Miniature Schnauzer was paper-trained similarly. He could reproduce the same results with a new puppy.

"No treats. Lots of praises."

As to why he thought of this uniquely Singapore method, I did not ask him. "Was your Miniature Schnauzer a male dog?" He nodded his head. Male dogs do lift their legs and pee on the wall and I presumed he had got the idea of toilet training from observation of male dogs. It was a pity I did not ask him how he thought of this procedure which is rarely if ever mentioned in house-training books for dogs.

"The Boston Terrier still pees on 2 out of 4 rugs," the owner volunteered this information "I used the washing machine to wash them thoroughly."

Why would the Boston Terrier be attracted to the 2 rugs? Why not all 4? She is paper-trained. The newspapers covering the shower room had been reduced to one piece instead of 100% coverage of the floor.

The owner was puzzled. "There is something attracting the Boston Terrier to pee on the rugs," I said. "Did you neutralise the urine smell on the floor under the rugs?" He shook his head. Dogs have a strong sense of smell and would go to the same spots to pee. They also like soft rugs and carpets.

I hope the young man now has the answer to his problem.



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82. The dog trainer to the mother's rescue

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"I kept phoning the pet shop operator who sold me the puppy for advices, but his suggestions were not useful" I must have hit a raw nerve when I asked the over fifty-year-old mother how the white Miniature Schnauzer was toilet-trained in the apartment during the 3rd vaccination. "The puppy was making the whole apartment smelly." His grown up daughter was silent.



Some mothers or mothers-in-laws are left with the puppy while the grown up children work the whole day. This mother was at a loss at to what to do with this Miniature Schnauzer who soiled the whole apartment. Urine smell can be very over-powering for the first-time puppy owner although the noses get de-sensitised. Most complaints would be from visitors and that would affect the pride of a house-proud mum.

"What happened?" I asked. She seemed much happier now.

"The pet shop operator was not too patient with me. He recommended a dog trainer to me."

Why the pet shop operator not do that in the first place? It was hard for the mother to know what to do.

"What did the trainer advise?" I asked her.

"Put the puppy inside the carrier crate and take him out every 2-3 hourly to the newspapers in the playpen."

"Is it effective?"

"Yes," the mother looked a picture of calm. "It was worth the $300 fees paid to the trainer." If only there was a hot-line for such people or a Society of Toilet-Training Puppies in Singapore.



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81. Professional dog trainer's advices on toilet-training

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



The owner had excellent advices from a professional dog trainer and was able to paper-train the Jack Russell puppy in 7 days.

The puppy was confined to a small area in the bathroom and the adjoining area. The 4 pieces of fences normally used to form a playpen were stretched out to barricade the kitchen area adjoining the bathroom.

This formed a large rectangular floor plan with the bathroom at the top 1/3 and the kitchen the lower 2/3 of the rectangle.

In the restricted kitchen area, the bed is placed in the kitchen area on the lower right corner. The feed and water bowls are placed on the upper right corner, near the entrance to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, the dog trainer advised spreading two sheets of newspapers to cover the the floor, not just 1 sheet. "Two pieces?" I asked again.

"The bathroom floor is more spacious than some apartment bathrooms" the owner said.

The puppy was fed 3 times a day at 7 a.m, noon and 7 p.m with dry dog food and 1/4 canned food. The owner spent time with the puppy. He sprayed the urine training aid onto the newspapers. Whenever the papers are soilded, he cleaned up the soiled papers.

"7 to 8 times per day" the young man said. "I encourage the puppy to use the papers."

Watch for signs of sniffing, circling and bring the puppy to the papers. Lavish praise when she does the correct thing. With this close personalised training, the puppy was paper-trained in 7 days.

The female Jack Russell was 2 months and 3 weeks old or nearly 3 months old. A 3-month old puppy would be able to control her bladder every 2 hourly as a guideline. So, changing newspapers 7 - 8 times a day, during the 12 waking hours of the owner seem to verify the guideline. I did not ask the owner whether he was attentive to the puppy overnight too.

"Did you need to neutralise the kitchen floor?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I just use a piece of cloth with water to clean the floor as I do not wish to use chemicals. Chemicals may poison the puppy. In any case, the puppy does not pee or poop on the kitchen floor."

"I also do not beat the puppy," he said. "Beating her promotes aggressiveness or she would run away on seeing me."

He had the puppy for only 7 days and it was paper-trained. Hard to believe but true.



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80. The Siberian Husky peed after being reprimanded?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore




Do puppies take revenge after being scolded for misbehaviour? Barking, jumping onto people or the sofa were unacceptable behaviours. The young owners of this 4-month-old wolf gray male Siberian Husky noted that after being scolded or lightly spanked with a rolled up newspaper for misbehaviour, the Husky would pee on the floor on purpose. This happened one to two times a day. Sometimes the owners thought it was due to excitement.

"Does the Husky pee on the same spot in the apartment?" I asked. The puppy was confined to the living area and the adjoining kitchen and had been with the owner for the past 4 weeks. He always had the freedom to move around since the day of purchase.

"No," the young lady who e-mailed to me the lovely picture of her puppy at home in the playpen shook her head. "I intend to use vinegar:water mixture 1:1 to deordourise the soiled floor tiles and then clean with Dettol."

The owners had the puppy for over 4 weeks. If he peed 1-2 times per day on the floor tiles in the living and kitchen area, I would say that the whole area had urine smell and cleaning up with floor cleaning solutions might not be effective.



So, is this a case of revenge of the wolf gray puppy or not? It seemed to occur after a reprimand. Most of the time, the Husky would go to pee on the newspapers inside a crate (see picture).

"I have got a pee tray," the owner said. "No time to use it yet." A pee tray prevents the urine from soiling the floor tiles and causing the apartment to be smelly. Newspapers are put on the pee tray and the paper-trained puppy would use the pee tray.

There was something missing in this case. Did the Husky pee on purpose or not? He passes stools 2-3 times a day on the papers and there was no complaint.

Yet, there was something missing in the management of this case. What is the missing piece of jig saw puzzle?

I looked at the picture. The Husky had grown bigger and the playpen looked small at 3 feet x 3 feet or 9 sq. ft. It should be 18 sq. ft but that would occupy too much space. There might not be sufficient space for him to pee comfortably.

"Do you change the soiled newspapers frequently?" I asked the young lady. The couple was busy working and so I wondered whether a family member at home would have the time or knew the fact that puppies are naturally clean. If the papers are soiled, the Husky would have no choice but to pee on the floor tiles. Some puppies just would not pee on a soiled paper even if it was just one pee. So, he peed outside. At 4 months old, he could control his bladder around 3 hourly. There would be the times he would pee outside the papers on the floor tiles to avoid dirtying himself.

The owners thought that the family member seldom changed the newspapers. This could be the missing piece in the jig saw puzzle.

So, the solution might be to change the papers whenever they are soiled. Put the second sheet of the soiled newspapers in two other areas in the living and dining areas. Continue to neutralise the strong urine smell on the floor tiles of the kitchen and living area.

As for the playpen, the fences could be taken away as it is too small for the Husky. The pee tray could be used.

The male puppy is growing up fast. As he matures after 6 months of age, he will lift up his leg to pee on the walls or the sofa set. This natural male behaviour would cause the apartment to smell of urine again. A solution by some owners who do not wish to neuter their male dogs is to put a plastic board against the wall so that urine will not soil the wall. However, the Husky is a big breed and will have a larger amount of urine.

Perhaps, the better solution is to toilet train him outdoors. This means another training schedule. But time is always short for the working couple.



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79. House-training: The Dog Owner's manual

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The dog owner's manual. Dr David Brunner and Sam Stall. 2004.

The following is reviewed from:

House-training
1. Always use the same door and spot.
See signs - bring to the spot. If it uses the spot, praise lavishly, perhaps offer a treat.
Leash to prevent it from straying.
Regularly, clear away faeces.

2. Mix 50% white vinegar with 50% water will remove urine smells but this will not remove the odour of stools.
3. Do not punish.
4. Be attentive. Catch it in the middle of soiling the floor or carpet.

The book is available for loan from the National Library, Singapore.



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78. RSPCA: Housing & House-training

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

RSPCA PET GUIDE. Care for your puppy. 3rd Edition. 2004. Collins. www.collins.co.uk.

The following is from the Care for you puppy.

HOUSING
The need for privacy - a place in the house and a kennel or outhouse in the garden. Puppy bed free of draughts, heat, rain.
Playpens - at night and during day, indoor or outdoor.
Flooring - washable floor. deodorise. newspapers.
The puppy's bed. Rigid plastic. Not chewed by puppy.
Playthings. Swallowing.
An outdoor kennel. Dry. Large breeds outdoor kennel.
Kennel design. weatherproof, draughtproof, well-ventilated. Raised 10 cm off the gound to allow ventilation underneath and to prevent damp penetration. Roof shoulb be pitched to shed rain. Eaves overhang sufficiently to carry water away from the walls. Big enough to allow the adult dog freedom of movement. Door 1.5xwidth of adult dog.
Good bed. Toys and chews.
Siting. Away from prevailing wind and out of the heat of the midday sun. Puppy can see home activity.

HOUSE-TRAINING
On first day, start training. Anticipate their needs. Weather, take out when it wakes up, after eating or drinking. Praise according to performance.

Spread newspapers on the floor. Praise when papers are used. Move papers towards outside door and garden. Discard them. Some pups take >3 months to learn bladder control.

The book is available for loan from the National Library, Singapore.



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77. Toilet-train the Cocker Spaniel for his girl friend?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

In case 76, the girl friend asked whether he would toilet-train her Cocker Spaniel given to her by a friend? It would be difficult for him.

The girlfriend worked. She lived in an apartment and had a wire crate with flooring and pee tray as well as a playpen with 4 fences.

What to do? One solution.

1. Neutralise all urine smells in the crate and playpen and flooring with vinegar:water 1:3 first.

2. Let the puppy be confined in the crate first for the first 7 days.

3. A few days later, let it out in a bigger area using 3 pieces of the fences to barricade the extended area.

4. Put newspapers with soiled urine onto the extended area. Try and paper-train the puppy.



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76. Corgi pushes playpen, stepping on his stools

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

6 pieces of fences to form a playpen. Covered 100% newspapers on day 1. Put a towel bed on day 3. No use. The Corgi just pushes the playpen along and he stpped on the stools.



The young man spent 7 days full time monitoring him and training him. The puppy preferred the marble floor of the living area rather than the newspapers and towel bed. 2 spots in the dining area are used as his toilet areas.

The owner puts newspapers on the 2 spots but the Corgi peed and pooped on the edges of the newspapers. This is a common complaint of Singaporean owners. Could the papers be too small or the Corgi not aiming to please (the owner)?

At night, the owner was exhausted. The Corgi did not use the papers but peed and pooped on the 2 spots in the living area of the house as during the daytime.

The Corgi whined the first night alone but was ignored. Subsequently, he slept alone in the living area downstairs in the house.

The owner's lady friend asked if he could toilet-train her Cocker Spaniel for her too? She had a playpen and also a crate with wire flooring and pee tray. He would not want to do that as it was exhausting.



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75. Crate training and soft smelly stools of the Golden Retriever

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



The owner has the correct idea in crate training. The puppy has been with the family for only 7 days.

However, soft stools may sabotage the training as the intestines are upset despite just dry puppy food and water. No supplements and other additions. Stress and new feeding management do cause loose stools in the first 7 days. Deworming advised.





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74. The kitchen is like a football field to the small breed.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore




To the small breeds and puppies, the kitchen is like a football field. Where is the toilet? So, it pees and poops everywhere. Confine in small area for first 2 weeks.



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73. The older Husky does not share the toilet tray

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



Probably territorial behaviour. Urine marking to define his own area. There was another case (black Schnauzer)in earlier reports. The more than one year older dog does not permit the young one to share the same toilet area. This is the second comment by owners with 2 dogs but in this case, the age gap is 1 month.




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72. Give command and let puppy smell newspaper

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Persistent and time in teaching the herding breed. Paper-trained within 4 weeks. Will rush to the kitchen's pee tray even in the dark.





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71. The stool-eating Silkie - negative reinforcement?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

In this case, the owner has the good fortune that the Silkie does not poop inside the crate which is her den and that she poops two times a day only, outside the crate. So, he can stop her bad habit and train her not to eat stools.



She will scratch the door or bark to be let out. Rushes to the master bathroom toilet to do her business. If the owner is not watching, she will eat her stools. Monitoring and a light spanking reduces her incidence of copropphagia. Most dog authors do not advocate physical punishment (classified as negative reinforcement) for inappropriate behaviour but there is a place for light spanking and loud commands to stop the bad behaviour. In this case, treats may or may not distract and motivate the Silkie but it can be considered as positive reinforcement.

There are dogs over 2 years old, still eating their own stools. A difficult habit to correct if not done at a very young impressionable age of 3 - 4 months old.



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