400. ROOM - Stool eating American Cocker paper-trained in 3 weeks

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Freckled face. American Cocker Spaniel, F, 19 weeks old.
Consultation was for a cut below the right eye.
"Not serious," I said. "How long it takes to paper train her?"

"3 weeks," the slim pre-school teacher said. "During the first week, confined her to the kitchen and the nearby shower room. Cover whole floor with newspapers. Reduce to 1.5 area of the Straits Times. At the end of 3 weeks, she just pees and poops on the newspapers in the shower room by herself."



Sounds easy?

1. Feed twice per day.
2. Water bowl.
3. Baby gate at kitchen entrance so that the puppy can see family members. She will not feel isolated as puppies are social animals.
4. Change soiled newspapers immediately. After breakfast, afternoon and at night.
5. First week, treated by vet for kennel cough and watery stools. Took about 1 week to recover.
6. Taken out of above areas when owner is around to supervise her. Owner works.

PROBLEM
1. Will eat stools when the owner is not present.
2. When the owner is around, the owner says "No, No,". So the puppy does not eat the stools.
How to solve this stool-eating problem?

"I know it is difficult to stop the puppy eating stools. If not stopped at this age, the puppy will eat stools all the time.

"Some suggestions are:
1. Put pepper or chilli powder on the stools but not in the view of the puppy.
This was not practical.
2. Pineapple strips added to the food. Stools passed out with pineapple smell may deter the puppies?
3. Tiger Balm ointment instead of pepper or chilli?
4. Noise distraction. Throw a can with coins when the puppy eats stools?
Not practical as the owner is not around.
5. Water spray. Water pistol shot at puppy when she eats stools? Not practical.
6. Commercial anti-stool eating feed powder. Some owners claimed that success is possible when the powder is fed. So, I did not recommend it.

7. Any new inventions from Singaporeans?

No apparent solution for older dogs. For puppies, I suggest a crate with wire flooring. The stools drop through the gaps in the wire flooring to the pee pan below.

I guess the only solution is to take leave 7 days (when you have the new puppy) and train it 24 hours. Clear the stools immediately. Give a routine for the puppy in toilet training and exercise. Such time spent may be worth it. But few first-time puppy owners do that.