toilet training, house training puppies

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A veterinary surgeon at www.toapayohvets.com and founder of a licensed housing agency for expatriate rentals and sales at www.asiahomes.com

Saturday, November 12, 2005

147. Maltese stops whining in the study room and uses the pee tray.


Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

A clear-eyed Maltese. Strong. Made a lot of whining when kept in a playpen for first 2 days. Put into study room. Newspapers + pee tray. He was paper-trained within a week. A teenaged girl keeps him company. At night, he just goes to the study room to sleep by himself.

"Was it the home-breeder's training?" I asked.
"No," the mother said. "The home breeder had 5 pups and he had a towel for them but no newspapers."

This puppy is intelligent. Given a study room, he does not pee anywhere. The pee tray is an excellent idea, preventing soiling of the parquet floor of the study room.

146. Separated feeding and toilet area for the Husky - paper-trained by 6 weeks.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Close monitoring by somebody at home all the time. The husky is paper-trained by 6 weeks, going to the balcony. The balcony is sheltered by blinds and windows.



In this case, the feeding area (extreme left) and newspapers (extreme right) in a rectangular floor plan of the balcony are quite far apart. This encourages the puppy to be clean and paper-trained fast. The home breeder (specialised in breeding huskies) might also have started paper-training, the owner said.

145. MalteseXGolden Retriever prefers floor below sofa

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"She prefers to pee on the floor below the sofa," the lady owner said. The puppy is let out of the playpen whenever she is home. The playpen is to the right of the sofa but at the corner of the living area.

After 2 months, the puppy is 70% paper-trained.

Reasons:
1. The playpen is too small as it doubles up as sleeping area or den when the owner is not at home. This is a bigger puppy.

2. The feeding area (lower left) and the newspaper toilet area (upper left) is too close to each other. So, the puppy prefers to go to the sofa area to use as toilet to keep her den clean.

3. She barks to ask for soiled papers to be changed but sometimes the owner is not at home but is aware of this behaviour.



4. The strong urine smell on the floor below the sofa needs to be neutralised with vinegar:water 1:2 or some commercial floor cleaner. Otherwise, the puppy keeps going there. Sofa probably needs to be cleaned as well.

Some puppies need more space to be successfully paper-trained. 2 months, 70% paper-trained. It is hard to do that if the sofa area attracts the puppy or the playpen is just too small as this breed requires bigger toilet area (more newspapers) .

Friday, November 11, 2005

144. Elbow sores in a leashed Golden Retriever - under the coffee table den

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore


The Golden Retriever puppy looked good. Well fed. Until you see brownish red back paws. No complaints from the owner. A further examination on the examination table which just fits this fast growing puppy. The back of elbows has hair loss. Brownish red spots. These were elbow sores. No complaints from the owner.

The owner just wanted vaccination. However, small skin problems are best treated early. Otherwise, more itchy areas. More hair loss. The owner was advised to keep the puppy away from hiding under the bed or chairs.

Puppies love a secure area. A den where they get security and privacy. Under the bed should be an ideal idea. The puppy crawls under the bed as it is too big to walk under. The elbows get rubbed on the floor and against the side of the bed. Injuries. Inflamed area. Pains. Puppy licks. More injury of the skin behind the elbow. Elbow sores develop. Hair lost. Itchy elbows.

"But my bed is directly on the floor!" the owner said. "No space below for the Golden Retriever."

"How about under the dining chairs?" I asked.

"My chairs have no legs." the owner laughed loudly.

"Some objects where the puppy can slide under to hide?" I asked. This investigation was getting tough. The Golden Retriever grew heavier and bigger. He had to crawl like a commando under the wire fencing gap to get into the enemy territory.

But this owner had no small holes for him to cause elbow sores to develop. I had never been to his apartment. All fully tiled, so the floors were smooth. Not abrasive to cause elbow sores even if the puppy plopped onto the floor to sleep. A brand new apartment.

"There must be some gaps between the furniture?" I said.

"It might be the coffee table," the owner wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes, the puppy crawled under the coffee table to hide from the kids."

Well, that was the den. A quiet place to rest and recover from the hectic demands of play and attention from the younger children. Many puppies need such privacy but with young children, they may have difficulty getting privacy in an apartment. Puppies sleep a lot but they cannot rest if the children keep playing with them.

What's the solution to prevent elbow sores? Monitor the puppy closely and change his behaviour since it was not practical to block the bottom of the coffee table. The puppy had grown bigger and had great difficulty going under the coffee table. So he had to commando-crawl under the table now, causing elbows to hit the side of the table and being injured.


"Is she toilet-trained?" I asked.

"I just leashed him outside the bathroom." the owner said. "He goes into the bathroom where I put newspapers when he wants to pee and poop."

That was a good idea. Bigger breeds pass a lot more stools. This could be smelly. So, being close to the bathroom was best for everybody. Could she develop elbow sores by being leashed outside the bathroom for long periods of time? She had reddish brown back paws indicating itchiness due to licking



There is never an end to speculation on elbow sore formation. A book could be written about Canine Elbow Sores in Singapore!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

143. TWO PUPS. Chihuahua & Jack Russell all out-pooping each other

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The young man in the silver Mercedes 240 covered his face with 2 hands. He recalled having 2 3-month-old pups, a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell confined in the bathroom to give them more space, "My wife and I dread going home. The floor is full of pieces of poop and drops of urine. Even the walls are soiled."

"Don't you put newspapers on the floor?" I asked.
"The papers were shred to pieces," he rubbed his thumb and forefinger to show how small these pieces were.

I could not believe him.

"I observed them when I was home and they compete with each other to mark the floor. A bit of poop here. The other pup peed there. And so it went all the whole day"

I still find it hard to believe he had two pups who were like gun fighters shooting each other out at the O.K. Ranch.

I was at the countryside pet shop vaccinating pups on this fine November morning. The 10 a.m sunlight was best for photography. So, I took pictures of one pup in its wire crate and extension fencing in Case 142 and had asked how he was toilet-training 2 chihuahuas he had just bought.

Did not expect such horror stories.

"What did you do to resolve the competition?" I asked. At night, both pups slept together like the best of friends.

He gave the Jack Russell to his brother. The Jack Russell behaved and was paper-trained. The Chihuahua also behaved too.

What an unbelieveable but true story.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

142. Crate + 3 panels of fences - Ideal housing for the new puppy

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

This pet shop operator thought through what makes a puppy happy. You can see he has the ideal housing floor plan for new puppies. A wire crate with door and pee pan. The puppy pees on the wire flooring but sleeps on the rubber mats. The rubber mats are to prevent pain and tension on the small paws, according to the pet shop owner.




Only thing you must clean regularly as the puppy may pee on the rubber mats. Puppies by nature love soft areas to pee and poop and the rubber mats are ideal. In your home, soft area will be the carpet or rug.

Some intelligent puppies just rush into the crate to use it as toilet. They come out to play. In the early stages, 3 panels of fences limit their freedom otherwise the whole house will be messed up with pee and poop.

Newspapers can be spread onto the extension area bounded by the fences to paper-train. Or a puppy training pad. Your imagination is the limit.



I hope the pictures help first-time puppy owners in Singapore apartment. Many do not want to "imprison" their puppies inside a wire crate. The pee pan can also be used as a toilet area. Line with newspapers and spray a urine spray onto the papers.

Let me know if you find this set up useful by email to judy@sinpets.com

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

141. The 34.9 deg C Chihuahua & the 41.2 deg C man

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

I remember Nov 7 2005 well. It was a very good friend's birthday.

A friend under chemotherapy overseas was quarantined for over 7 days because he had a "viral" infection and was not permitted visitors. He was never given antibiotics despite the fact he had a 41 deg C fever controlled only by anti-fever injections.

Would his organs melt down? What's the fever, I message texted to him? 41.2 deg C for the past 2 days. Ice cold baths and Chinese medicine. Still the fever could not come down.

Did the doctors expect him to have no bacterial infection since his immune system had crashed due to the past 3 months of chemotherapy?

I messaged to him to be more interested in knowing his medical health and blood tests. Was his kidney and liver function normal?

"The doctor did not give me antibiotics because that is the same practice in the U.S. hospitals."

Viral infection. No antibiotics. That was one school of thought. Unnecessary use of antibiotics would lead to resistant bugs I know, although my friend would not be able to explain.

So, the fever rages. He had dry mouth. He could only breathe on oxygen tubes into his nostrils. He had fast heart beats. He had heart attackes and collapsed semi-comatose. Yet, no antibitoics.

He talked to me for less than a few seconds as he needed oxygen to breathe. "Confined to the hospital room for over 3 months. What am I doing in this world?" I could only imagine his imprisonment and solitary confinement in a hospital "prison".

It was one of those bright November evenings. Clear air. A brownish block of new Sengkang flats at Jalan Kayu shimmer under the golden rays. Deep blue skies. White clouds. There was nothing I could do for this friend overseas.



Then a phone call came from a Chihuahua owner. She had to know why her Chihuahua could not recover. Was she right to let the Chihuahua be euthanased as the puppy had diarrhoea and crying in pain over the past 2 weeks of hospitalisation? Was there some malpractice by the veterinarian or mismanagement by the pet shop operator? Was there a genetic cause for the abnormally high liver enzyme level from blood taken today before euthanasia? The puppy had been suffering for the past 2 weeks. Unable to stand and crying in the last few days. She had consulted various human doctors and vets.

Yet there was no answer.

Was she all out to sue the vets and the pet shop operator or to get their professional licence revoked? For all the grief and suffering over the past 2 weeks?
Every day was a day of no progress, just like my friend undergoing chemotherapy.

For the puppy, she could authorise euthanasia. For my friend, he had to tolerate the pain and not being able to eat food normally.

The puppy was referred to me by a pet shop operator at 11 a.m as it had collapsed. Its temperature was 34.9 degrees C. After fluid therapy and warming by the hair dryer for a long time, it was able to sit on its chest. The temperature was around 38 degrees C. Not able to stand. It was hospitalised at a veterinary centre in the afternoon but had never fully recovered. It was 2 weeks of agony for the owner.

She asked many questions I could have no answer.



"Was the chihuahua normal and eating before you sent it to the pet shop?"
"Yes," she said. "However, it had suddenly foamed in its mouth and passed out loose stools."

This 8-week-old Chihuahua could have been over-playing with the other dogs after purchase. I have seen a few of such cases of stress in the small breeds. They do not eat or forget to eat. The blood sugar level drops and they get into fits. Foaming at the mouth. Diarrhoea later on. Many cases recover if treated promptly.

In this case, the pet shop operator should have referred the puppy to the hospital instead of overnight stay with the older Chihuahua. It is best not to board less than 16-week-old Chihuahuas. You never know what will happen.

I had done a faecal parvoviral test. It was negative. One possibility was that it had fits or something affecting it. Like bigger dogs jumping on it as the owner had other adult dogs. Or falling down injuring its brain.

Nobody knows the answer.

So, I advised the owner to wait 4 weeks. Stop thinking about the puppy and if she wanted more answers and reports, to contact me 4 weeks later. That was the best solution I could offer to her.

Monday, November 07, 2005

140. The tiny Jack Russell and the rubber mats with holes and pee tray

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Within a month, this Jack Russell puppy, Female, 4 months old was paper-trained. Crate in balcony. Barricaded area. Outside the crate, rubber mats with holes put on top of newspapers. Newspapers spread onto a pee tray.



As the puppy pees a lot, this method saves changing newspapers as owner works whole day. Therefore, the puppy's feet are dry. Stools are picked up later. Usually poops 2-3 x per day, but pee can be 10X per day for this age.

This is a more economical method than using puppy training pads or adult diapers to absorb the urine. Owner is happy with her method of toilet training as recommended by a friend.

139. The Husky drinks his urine

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore


TOILET-TRAINING PROBLEMS.
The Husky puppy drinks his own urine.

"Your puppy really drinks his own urine?" I was surprised as no other puppy owner had complained to me about this behavioural problem of puppies. Stool eating was the most common complaint from puppy owners.

Puppy drinking urine? This 3-month-old Siberian Husky who had been conceived out of accident had grown up trim and long bodied and had come for the final 3rd vaccination.

He had a pastel brown colour coat with white patches and was one of the four puppies shown in this picture.

"He drank his urine before the newspaper soaked it up," the owner said. "I have searched for information about this behaviour but so far, nobody has reported this. I even bought the powder claimed to stop the dog from eating his own stools, but it is ineffective. So, what should I do now?"

"This is an intelligent Siberian Husky," I said as he was paper-trained within 7 days. The home breeder had not paper trained him at home at that time because he was with his mother and other puppies messing up the floor.

The breeder sold him at six weeks of age because he was getting too much to handle and the mother refused to suckle all four Huskies.



The buyer put him in the bathroom. He covered half of the floor area with newspapers. Two drops of the smelly toilet training aid was dropped onto the newspaper. The puppy just went to the newspaper to urinate and defecate without much training.

Now, his problem is the drinking of urine for the past six weeks.

"He sleeps in the my bedroom and will go to the toilet to urinate. Feed twice per day, 7 am and 7 pm. He poops 5 minutes later. During the day, he poops 1- 2 times. But he pees many times. Are there any drugs to resolve his problem?" the owner asked.



"No drugs," I said. Then what is the solution?

"Is it harmful to him?" the owner's wife asked.
"Yes," I said. "The urine contains the waste and toxic products. Therefore, the puppy should not be killing himself with such waste." But what is the solution? This is a behavioural problem and veterinarians are supposed to know what to do.

Solutions discussed with the owner.

1. How many sheets of newspapers used? 3 sheets insufficient to soak the urine. Use a large number to soak up the urine. If the owner can afford, use the absorbent puppy training pads or adult human diapers. These can be very costly for bigger breeds but they absorb the urine much better than newspapers.

2. He urinates many times a day, the owner said. He has his own room with newspaper, when the owner goes to work.

Can he be given water to drink for 15 minutes, twice a day. Remove the water after 15 minutes so that he will not be drinking frequently and therefore need to urinate frequently? Will this cause other problems like dehydration and heat stress?

The Siberian Husky dislikes air conditioning. This is unusual. In this case, he may be acclimatised to Singapore's hot and humid climate. Since the husky is housed inside the apartment, monitor the volume of water drank per day and restrict his drinking times.

3. Is he seeking attention from the owner? Owner will come when he hears the puppy drinking urine. Simply ignore him? This is difficult for the owner to do so.

4. Physical punishment like hitting him gently on the bum or with a rolled-up newspaper when he commences to drink urine? Not advised as this will harm the owner-dog relations.

5. Distract him with noisy cans, water gun, play with him, give him a treat as a reward when he starts to drink his urine? Take his mind away from this vice. I thought this would be the solution as it felt logical in theory. But may not be practical in practice.

Well, he drinks urine when the owner is at work too. How does the owner know? The owner said that the patch in the newspaper is smaller and therefore the puppy must have drunk the urine. This is hard to quantify. Install a video camera in the bedroom? Too expensive.

6. Add vinegar (acidic) to neutralise the smell of urine (ammonia is alkaline) on the newspapers?

7. Or add fainting salts into urine as the Husky just dislike the strong smell of fainting salts and would back away from the urine-stained newspaper? The owner offered this solution. Not practical.

8. Ultrasound collar? The collar emits an ultrasound by remote control when the dog starts drinking urine. May be expensive. No guarantee. Has anybody done this before?

9. Squirt water gun into his face when he starts to drink urine? The owner laughed and said the puppy loved water.

This is an intelligent dog. What should be done now? Restrict his water intake during the day time? Let him urinate after breakfast and then no water. Would this work?

Perhaps the best solution is crate training? Confine him to the crate for 2 hours such that he cannot soil the small space he lies in. Take him out to pass water downstairs or on the newspapers at regular times. Give praises and treats. The owner has to be full-time in training and this may not be possible.

Readers with ideas, email to judy@asiahomes.com

Source: www.asiahomes.com/singaporepets/040314urine_drinking_Husky.htm

Over 100 cases of how Singaporean and expatriate puppy owners toilet train their puppies at toapayohvets.com's blog on Research in toilet training in puppies in Singapore.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

138. the sniffing shih tzu is toilet trained by cats in 4 days

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

keyboard malfunction at National Library toa payoh. will edit later.

Unbeliveable but true. this very small shih tzu, female, 2 months old, bought 4 days ago, went to the common toilet floor to pee and poop after observing the 3 cats doing it. sleeps in mum's bedroom and whine when he wants to go to the toilet.

shreds newspapers? Only when people are reading newspapers.

nip peoples's feet or hand. No.

barks. No.

chews. No.

No crate. lst 2 days, observe sniffing, circling, put inside the toilet. rinse floor. the 3 cats also goes to the toilet floor.

took 25 pictures. 20 of them showing her sniffing the towel.

137. The Husky sprinted to the main door area & pees when released from the kitchen confinement.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

siberian Husky red/white, Male, 17 weeks. always rushes to the main door when let out of the kitchen. Lies down on floor and quickly pees before the owner can snap his finger.

routine: Papers in the kitchen. Outdoor 6 am to pee and poop. breakfast at 7 am. 7.30 apm, Outdoor again for 15 minutes. Owner goes to work. Kitchen with playpen fencing to prevent him rushing out to the living area.

"NO NEWSPAPER IN THE LIVING AREA?" I asked. the owner wants her to go to the kitchen newspapers. Only that she is obsessed with peeing behind the main door when let out of the kitchem. why?

the area has been mopped 3-4x with kiwi marble cleaner and dettol disinfectant for the past 4 weeks. still the husky pees behind the door. therefore, ammonia not neutralised. suggested vinegar + water 1:2 and let me know the results.


AFTER PURCHASE

Week 1. Kitchen. Newspapers + urine spray. Smells newspapers. Pee and poop outside the edges of papers. This is a common complaint. Papers may be too small in area or not changed (some puppies like clean newspapers).

Week 4. Kitchen + Outdoors
6 am. Wake up. Go outdoors to pee and poop.
7 am. Breakfast
7.30 am. OUtdoors 15 min to pee and poop.
Rest of the day. Owner working. Kitchen with baby gate.

However, the owner says, "When let out of the kitchen, the husky always go to the main door area to pee there. Squat down and pee fast if the owner has no time to stop him. If the owner has time to say "No," he will stop peeing. Why?

2 reasons for rushing to the main door.
Either want to go out or attracted to smell of urine in the floor tiles behind the main door.

Mop the floor 3-4 X with Kiwi marble floor cleaner and dettol for the past 4 weeks. Yet the Husky still goes to pee in this spot. Mop washed thoroughly with water. Why?

Most likely reason, the floor or door has strong ammonia smell of dog urine. Needs to neutralise such smell with vinegar:water at 1:3 and see what happens. Owner to give feedback.

136. short-legged Jack russell hates showering.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

some keyboard malfunction at National Library toa payoh, sun Nov 5, 2005.

white-haired lady with a female Jack russell 4 months old.

In the balcony, she put a wire crate with door. However the puppy uses the crate as her den. Outside the door,she blocked up a side creating a corridor. ON the corridor, she puts a pee tray with newspapers. On top of the papers, she put pieces of rubber mat with holes. In this way, the urine will pass through the mat. the puppy used the mat and kept the crate clean.

Only once when she had removed the mat to wash, the puppy had no choice but to pee onto the floor of the crate. ONe month with the puppy and she was happy with the progress.

the rubber mats can also prevent paper shredding. the pee tray prevents floor tiles from soiling. the newspapers are the least expensive of all options in housetraining.

"How many times you feed the puppy?" I asked. "recently, once a day since you had said he was overweight." water available at all times.

I advised at least two times per day.

the puppy was very clean. she was very scared of bathing and would run away.

she uses cold water and the shower.

In this case, may be better to bath this mini-Jack russell in a small basin. warm water to get her used to at first. slap warm water on her body. No shampoo. dip legs into water. then immerse body, praising the puppy.

she never thought of that. she might have not been a mother but will try this method. she uses cloth to wipe urine off the puppy's feet. this puppy looks so clean.

135. Urine marking by male Maltese

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

2.5 year-old male Maltese with clear eyes and white paws. very good looking. Normal size Maltese. Many friends wanted him for breeding but owner is afraid that breeding may affect his temperament.


Keyboard at National Library computer, toa Payoh not functioning well. sunday, 1.15 pm. some capital letters not shown in this article. will edit later. as I don't have time to separate the topics, I put it under toilet training blog.

"very difficult to give tablets," the eldery owner of a beautiful all-white male Maltese with NO eye tearing, said to me, this sunday Nov 5, 2005. so, no deworming given.

Over forty years old, she brought her Maltese for the yearly vaccination after getting a reminder card. I saw her 2 years ago. as if reading my thoughts that there were 2 veterinary clinics in her neighbourhood in serangoon north, she said, "I prefer to have my dog treated by you."

TIPS
1. GIVING TABLETS TO DOGS. i told my assistant annie to write down. In this dog, the better method is to give the tablet (crushed) hidden inside a meat ball.

"the Maltese eats only dry food," the lady said. Her teenaged daughter nodded. "He stops eating even if he has to starve once he smells medicine in the food. very hard to force his mouth open."

what to do?

ADVICE. delay dinner by one hour. crush tablet. use chopstick to hide medicine in a hollow in the meat ball. Make sure meat ball has another layer of meat so that medicine smell not obvious.

give first 2 meat balls without medicine. dog is so hungry, he will swallow fast. 3rd and 4th meat ball with dewormer.

Practise earlier without medication the same steps.

2. STOP LICKING PAWS. this Maltese does lick the front paw. However, the lady owner apply some anti-licking liquid with a towel onto the paws whenever she sees licking. It solves the problem. the maltese has 4 beautiful white paws.

3. URINE MARKING. Only one spot near the fridge. she tapes the newspapers onto the walls and covers the spot floor with newspapers. Lots of cleaning required. too close to the fridge, I said.

I suggest using a plastic board or tray to cover the wall. the male dog will lift his leg and spray onto the board. vinegar and water 1:2 to neutralise smell.
Less work than taping newspapers daily to the wall.

Maltese urine marks every where when brought downstairs. Male behaviour. can this behaviour be prevented if the dog had not been allowed to lift his legs when going downstairs. by not permitting him to go near objects to urine mark as suggested by one owner.

Neutering. Not a solution now as the dog is 2.5 years old and may not stop urine marking. Neuter at 6 months may be effective. dog does not mount on people or jump or be aggressive. Much loved by the lady owner.

134. The Jack Russell always try to escape from the "prison"

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"My puppy always try to escape from his 'prison'", the young man commented during our discussion on paper training. His short hair and his sunburnt complexion told me he was a National Service man serving his 2 years of 'imprisonment' in the military camp. Lights out usually at 11 p.m to sleep if there are no military exercises and wake up before 6 a.m. So, all young servicemen lose their freedom.



It was a pleasure to see a father and a young adult son together. Sons of this age seldom have time for their parents as they roam downtown Orchard Road, play online games like War Craft to past midnight and wake up in the afternoon. The hair dressers are young ladies at downtown saloons and hair cuts are not less than $20 per session. I guess this lifestyle applies to most of the young men in Singapore before they go for military service.



So, it is possible that he empathised with the high energy Jack Russell puppy confined inside the crate. Whenever the door of the crate is opened, he shoots out.

"There are at least 2 reasons your puppy wants to escape," I said. "All puppies want a clean area to lie down. He has not much clean area to lie down after pooping at one corner and peeing in the middle of this small crate."

The father said, "I should change to a bigger crate."

"That would be a good idea," I nodded my head. "However, you must change immediately as such crates will rust and the pet shop operator may not want it back."

But would changing to a bigger crate help?

"The puppy is being paper trained for the first time." I said. "In the pet shop, he lies on the wire flooring. He pees onto the pee tray below and stools are removed or dropped into the tray. Now, you place newspapers above the wire flooring."

The young man said, "The pet shop operator asked me to place newspapers and to spray a smelly liquid onto the newspapers to attract the puppy to pee and poop there. I had been wondering what the tray was for."


Since this puppy was still new and the young man is very keen on his puppy, I recommend another method of paper-training.

Clean up the existing tray and wire flooring. Neutralise the ammonia smell of urine with vinegar:water 1:1.

Place a towel or his old T-shirt at one corner. Buy 3 panels of fences from the pet shop. These 3 panels form a "patio" in front of the door. They form an extended outdoor area for the puppy. Spread newspapers to cover the outdoor area. Spray the urine smell onto the newspapers. So, the puppy will come out to pee and poop, but sleep and eat and drink inside his crate.

Be with the puppy for the first 7 days, even sleeping near him. Teach him to pee and poop on the newspapers by praises and treats. Leave the crate door open. See his signs of circling, whining and put him onto the newspapers.

The young man had this Saturday and Sunday and every 2 days. The young man knew what I was talking about. He had read my blog on toilet-training the puppy.




I guess the blog had not been useful for him. So, I spend time writing this article on "how to" use the wire crate to paper-train the puppy.

I hope he succeeds and that the Jack Russell treats the crate as his sanctuary and a den. Covering up the sides of the crate will make the puppy feel secure and love to go inside it to have privacy. Some favourite chew toys given to him when he goes inside. Do not punish him by confining himself as he will hate the crate. Place the crate near a location he can see people. The puppy is a sociable animal and wants to be near people. That is the second reason he wants to escape. As he grows up, he will regard the family members either as leaders or followers to be dominated. So, it is best for all family members to be leaders by teaching him consistently on how to behave.



No water after 8 p.m. Feed twice a day and take away the feed bowl after 15 minutes. Feed and exercise on time so that the puppy has a regular schedule. I hope my advice works for this young man and his father. I sense that this dynamo will have lots and lots of love.

As for the visit, no vaccination was possible as he had some coughing. Vaccinations can only be done when the puppy is healthy and coughing is not a sign of good health.

STOOL EATING.
The puppy seems to eat only the loose stools sometimes. He leaves the solid stools alone. This habit has to be stopped now. How?

Cage 60cmx43cmx54cm or 24"x16"x21". Too small to lie down on clean area.
So, the puppy wants to "escape" to keep clean. One other reason is that he wants to come out to socialise with members of the pack (human beings).

URINE SPRAY
Effective. The puppy seems to be looking for the sprayed area in the newspapers and do not pee when fresh papers are put onto the floor of the crate. The newspapers on the floor prevents stools and urine from flowing into the pee tray. In the pet shop, there will be no such papers on the floor. So, this layout is a new things to the puppy.

Try to paper-train inside the crate may be difficult as there is lack of space to get a clean area to sleep. Bigger crate or a floor extension with 3 panels of fences outside the gate.