272. Crate as toilet and bed for 2 Schnauzers.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"No," the bright eyed 8-year-old girl in blue ballet dress corrected her mum. "The water bottle is on the right side, not in front of the crate."

I had asked the mum to draw the layout of how the 2 Miniature Schnauzers were housed as they poop and pee on one corner of the crate within 7 days of purchase. Other owners had no such luck.

What an articulate and intelligent observant girl! She would do well in studies if properly guided by the parents.

Two towels were placed on the left side. The 2 pups cuddle together when they sleep. The towels were replaced by the feed bowl during feeding 3 times/day.

"Maybe the pups should be fed outside," I said. "Try and make the pups think that the only toilet area is the crate. As they grow bigger, they would not be able to sleep inside the crate."

But how do to that?

I suggested putting the crate inside the kitchen as the floor tiles would be easier to clean. Let the pups come out of the crate in a confined area barricaded by 3 panels of fences. Or free access to the kitchen area. But the mother frowned. All right. I guessed the kitchen was for cooking and not for pup elimination.



"The crate is put in the corner of the living area near the kitchen," the little girl said. "The kitchen has no doors."

Some apartments have no doors in the kitchen. I did not realise that.

I advised neutralising the "puppy accident areas" with vinegar:water 1:1. The little girl pointed to her watch.

"Is she late for tuition?" I asked the parents. Sundays are sometimes tuition days for some children and February is the start of the academic year.

"She has ballet class in Bishan," the mum said.

I had to abort my discussion about using the pee pan and newspapers to toilet train the two puppies. I did not want her to be late for classes. The puppies were vaccinated and the parents were about to leave.

"How about deworming?" Nurse Ann asked. I forgot about this. The parents were given the deworming tablets and had to rush for the ballet classes. There was a smaller brother who did not say much. I guessed he would learn from her sister to be as articulate and observant.