133. Crate training for a barking puppy

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The new puppy behaves quietly, whines or barks and scratch the playpen or crate to ask to be released.

Many first-time owners simply open the door to let the puppy out to avoid noise nuisance to neighbours living in apartments. So, the puppy knows that if he makes a lot of noises he gets freedom. However, case No. 132 has a different problem. The puppy accepts being crated (the confinement in the playpen) when the owners go to work. He does not whine or bark. He only makes noises when he knows somebody is at home as he does not want to be inside the playpen.



Picture of a Siberian Husky in a playpen. Some playpens have a door so that the puppy can come out. This one does not have a door. Note the incorrect position of the water bottle, being too low for a standing Husky to drink water.

He is a bigger Shih Tzu. He climbs out of the playpen. In trying, he falls on his back. In that case, the owner needs to take him out when they are at home in case the puppy injuries his back on falling down.

A lot of climbing and barking to get out. In this way, there is no peace in the house when somebody is in, unless he is taken out. He sleeps in the bedroom, so there is no problem at night as he is not crated (which includes confinement in the playpen).

Is there a less expensive solution to this problem of whining, barking, climbing or scratching to be released from the playpen, other than bringing him to puppy day care when one of the owners who is at home during the day need to fully focus on studying for an important examination?

One way is by training. Always ask the puppy to "sit" or "down" before allowing him to come out of the playpen. Give him a reward or praise when he "sits" or "down". Put soft cushions in case the climbing puppy falls on his back. Place his favourite chew toy inside the playpen.

Train for less than 5 minutes per session a day as the puppy gets bored if you drag on.

Sit outside the playpen to train him in the above-mentioned steps. Avoid sweeping the floor or other activity. If this is not possible, put him in a more isolated part of the house.

When he is comfortable inside the playpen, leave him for 5 minutes alone but he knows you are inside the house. Return and praise him. Give him a treat and take him out. Increase the time of confinement and make him comfortable.

In conclusion, do not teach the puppy to whine, bark, climb or scratch to be released from the crate or playpen. If possible, let the dog out before he behaves in this way. This method needs a lot of time to train the puppy. So, puppy day care may be the answer if you do not have time to do it.

One risk of exposing the puppy to other dogs in the puppy day care is that the puppy is not fully vaccinated against the parvoviral and distemper viral diseases if he does not have 3 vaccinations. With 3 vaccinations, he needs to wait 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination to be protected. With puppies more than 4 months of age, 2 vaccinations are needed. With imported puppies, 2 vaccinations are needed in Singapore.

Crate training is safer for your new puppy. You must do it within the first few days. However, some owners may not be aware of how to crate train. Therefore, the choice of puppy day care may be the answer as in Case 132. Toddlers go to day care in Singapore, why not puppies?

A bout of dry coughing a few days after purchase. The source of infection may be from the Seller or the puppy day care centre. Nobody knows.

132. Puppy day care

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

A very sweet-natured Shih Tzu. 2nd vaccination was postponed as he had some coughing.
He had been to day care at a puppy-care place before. Vaccination would not protect him till 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination.

The home breeder had paper-trained him, so it was easy. A cushion and newspapers at the side of the bed. He will not pee on the newspapers if soiled. Sometimes he poops behind the door.





Not allowed to get out of the bedroom as other members of the family might step on his urine. It was easy to run out of newspapers. Maybe a puppy training pad (more absorbent but cost some money) would be ideal for this situation as the pad can be used for 2 days in most cases reported by other puppy owners.

Puppy had to go for day care as one member of the family was studying for final examinations. Puppy might distract.

Interesting situation. Coughing due to virus/bacteria after being placed out at puppy care or from home-breeder's place? So far, puppy was still active.

A puppy is fully protected only 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination. Many owners do not know this.

131. Urine marking by male Shih Tzu

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

One tip from an owner to prevent urine marking is to disallow the male dog to walk near vertical objects like lamp-posts or trees when going outside. He may observe other male dogs doing urine marking and will do this.



In this case, the male dog does not urine mark at home. However, he sprays urine on new objects like a new bag.

The retained canine teeth should have dropped off by 7 months of age. If not, consult your vet to remove them as they block the eruption of the permanent canine teeth.

130. A coughing Yorkshire puppy and a Maltese in a playpen

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



2 puppies bought in less than a week with the Maltese bought 2 days earlier. The Yorkshire Terrier barks loudly if kept alone. So, both are housed in a bigger playpen with 6 panels of fences in a rectangular floor plan.

At the front, the water feed bowls are placed as the puppies keep jumping infront for attention. In the back, middle one third, a big puppy training pad is placed.

The Maltese will use the pad if the playpen is left open for him to gain entry. The Yorkshire use the pad 80% of the time.

As pads are highly absorbent, the puppies may use them more. Puppies do not like dirty toilet areas. Pads have a urine attractant, so puppies use them to pee and poop, in theory. In the first week, expect the puppies to step all over their poop.

As for vaccination, the puppies need to be observed for over 2 weeks. The Yorkshire Terrier coughed like an old man. The Maltese was all right. Even though vaccination is due, no vaccination is done as the Maltese may be infected.

Separating the Yorkshire from the Maltese may be difficult as the owners have no other rooms. In this case, one of the owners stay at home to do the toilet training. Will be good to follow up.

129. SECOND CHANCE : Adopt an older dog

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

An attractive animal shelter ad on a bus shelter appeals to me as I walked around the road facing the iconic National Library Building near Bugis subway.



The sunlight was bright at 9.30 a.m. I took 3 shots. Fortunately one came out presentable.

128. The younger Scottish Terrier is attracted to the living area while older Westie can't resist the front door area

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Only 2 days after purchase, the Scottish Terrier learns fast to use the pee tray as the toilet area. The tray had urine smell as the older Westie was using it.

Before the arrival of the new puppy, the Westie needed 2 pee trays as he passes large amounts of urine. He would not pass water on the soiled tray. The young couple works and nobody is around to change newspapers. Hence 2 pee trays are the solution.



Now, the new puppy needs one of the pee trays and is given the Aluminium tray which surrounds the playpen. So, thicker layers of newspapers must be used as one solution for the Westie. The Westie is paper trained.

When the couple is at home, the playpen's panel of 4 fences is taken away. The Scottish Terrier goes to the papers in the pee tray to pee for 80% of the time. This is good as he is only 2 days with the owner.

The problem is that the Westie tends to pee behind the main door occasionaly and when the owner is NOT at home. "He is lazy to go to the kitchen", the owner said.

"No," I said. "He is frightened of being caned by you for peeing behind the main door."

The young man nodded his head. He had obstructed the area behind the main door with the Aluminium pee tray before the arrival of the Scottish Terrier and the Westie did not go to the area to pee. However, he still does it when the owner is not around.

The ideal solution is to neutralise the floor's ammonia smell of dog urine with an effective floor cleaner, like vinegar:water 1:3 or a commercial product from the pet shop.

The young couple is worried about the dogs licking the floor and poisoning themselves. So the best solution is to mop the floor a lot of times with water to get rid of the urine smell. Make sure the mop is not itself full of dog urine smell due to regular mopping. Use a new mop or flush the mop with lots of water.

Will this work? A follow up will be best.

127. Day 1, the younger Shih Tzu poops on newspaers

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

On first day of purchase, the Shih Tzu poops on the newspapers. Now, 2 weeks with the owner, she still goes to the papers. Poops 2-3 X/day. Fed 2X/day. Take away feed bowl after 10 minutes. Ate all food. Water bottle provides water. Watched for signs of circling and sniffing, opened bedroom door (if puppy inside). She would rush to the newspapers in the kitchen.

Now, the puppy pees on newspapers 80% but elsewhere and on kitchen floor 20% of the time. What to do?



Older Shih Tzu paper trained. The 4 panels of fences of the playpen are kept when the owner is at home. So the older Shih Tzu is paper-trained on newspapers. The younger one learns from the older dog in this case, to use newspapers.

Restricted confinement in the kitchen is a key to success. But the owners need to neutralise the ammonia smell of urine on the floor tiles or parquet floors as puppies are attracted by scent to pee on the same areas.

Using Dettol disinfectant as floor cleaner. This is common in Singapore as there is brand awareness and marketing. Is it effective in neutralising dog urine odour? Needs to check whether it neutralises ammonia. Feedback from readers to judy@toapayohvets.com will be most appreciated.