234. E-mail. Poops on the floor but pees on the puppy training pad. USA puppy?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

1. FIRST E-MAIL FROM THE USA.

An e-mail from the USA?

<.....@webtv.net> wrote:

Judy, I got a mix Maltese/Llasha Apso puppy for Christmas. I try
confining to play yard inside and put a pee pad down. She pees on the
pad but poos on the floor. If I let her loose in the house she pees on
the pad but poos on the floor. I have lined her play pen with paper and
pee pad. How long should I leave her on the paper. I take her out as
often as I can. It is cold and rainy and she doesn't like it outside.
Help!!!!! (Name of owner)


REPLY TO THE E-MAIL FROM THE USA.

Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:14:38 -0800 (PST)
From: "David Sing" View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert
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Subject: Re: toilet training
To: ...@webtv.net>

1. Some puppies do not poop on the pee pad (called puppy training pad) although they pee on them. In such cases, the urine smell of the pad did not condition them to poop on the pad. This problem has been reported by other puppy owners during the research of over 200 puppy owners in this blog.

1.1 The same problem sometimes happen in newspaper training too. The puppy will pee on the papers (sprayed with the stinking smell of puppy training liquid bought from the pet shop), but poops on the floor.

2. In your case, you may need to know when she poops. Usually this is within 30 minutes after eating, for most but not all puppies. So, you do not distract her after meals by playing with her.

2.1 Confine her in the playpen for 2 weeks or more. Let her out only under strict monitoring for signs of wanting to pee or poop. I do not know how big your play pen is to advise further? Can you send a picture?

2.2 If the playpen is small, the puppy will sleep and eat on one side (e.g. 50% clean area) and poop and pee on the other half (i.e. pee pad area). If the playpen is too big, then the puppy has too much space.

3. You still have to know the elimination times and give positive reinforcement such as watching for signs of wanting to poop. Say "Poop here", give treat and praises. Most puppies are toilet trained by 2 weeks if you train them with love and spend time with them. Let me know in 2 weeks your progress.

4. Please let me know how you came across our blog as it is mainly a Singapore-based blog. What search engine you used? Are you a blooger?

5. Please do not forget to email a picture of the puppy and the playpen for our research. I presume you are from the USA? Best wishes.



2. SECOND E-MAIL FROM THE USA.

...@webtv.net> wrote: Thanks very much for the training tips.

My play yard is 8'x8'x24". I have training pad on one side and her blanket for sleeping on the other side. We feed her there and leave her to play or rest until I take her out to pee or poo. I am waiting for about one and half hours to take
her out to poo. I don't play with her. She usually chews on toys and
sleeps. Then I take her out when she awakes. She seems to be doing
much better.

Now that I am timing her more closely, she is doing fine. Thank you for your help. She has stopped pooing in her crate that she
sleeps in at night. I have one side pee pad and the other side blanket.

She has peed but not pooed since I take her out the last thing before we
go to bed about ten o'clock.

I got your information by typing in "toilet training puppies". I only have a web tv but can get lots of information just by search. I didn't realize you were in Singapore. We live in Tennessee near Gatlingburg, USA. Thanks again. Your
information seems to work. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks.


REPLY TO 2ND E-MAIL FROM USA.

Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 12:57:34 -0800 (PST)
From: "David Sing" View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert
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Subject: Re: toilet training of puppies in Tennessee
To: ...@webtv.net>

Thanks for your feedback on toilet-training of puppies. I am still doing research on this subject for my puppy toilet training book for first-time puppy owners in Singapore for a book to educate them. I have read about webtv but Singapore does not have webtv. It must be very useful as tvs are everywhere.

One question:
What search engine you use to do the search for "toilet training puppies"? Is it Google or Yahoo or other means?

233. 7 days paper-trained. Every hour and midnight - bring Schnauzer to the toilet

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

This Miniature Schnauzer was 14 months old, coming in for his annual booster. So I asked how he was toilet-trained.

At 3 months of age, he was put inside the guest bathroom. Newspapers with the commercial urine spray was put onto the papers. He was taken to sniff the urine spray. Every hour and at midnight, the puppy was brought to the bathroom to eliminate.

Whenever he had "accidents," the owners would place his nose to smell the urine, then took him to the bathroom and said "wee wee".

In 7 days, the puppy was paper trained and slept with the owner. What an incredible story but there are other similar success of 7 days paper-trained. This was full-time toilet training and the results were good.

232. The mini-Maltese saw me and knew she had misbehaved in shredding the newspapers.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The mini-Maltese was 14 weeks old and was looked well fed. The young man asked whether I remembered she had fainted and recovered after treatment by me after he purchased this puppy at around 8 weeks of age.

There were a few cases of mini-Maltese puppies at 8 weeks old fainting or having fits. The common cause was low blood sugar as the Maltese did not eat or was too busy or tired to eat.

"How did you keept the feet of the mini-Maltese so white?" I asked the young man.

The playpen of 4 panels of fences plus newspapers is located under the rubbish chute in the older HDB apartments. In the first few days, the Maltese was soiling the whole apartment when let out of the playpen.

"I find that the 8-week-old Maltese has not developed mentally compared to a 12-week-old; so she could not be toilet-trained," the young man said. "At 12 weeks old, she just ran to the newspapers on the rubbish chute area whenever she needed to go to the toilet."

I did not dispute his observation of mental development. "How do you paper-train her?" I asked again. The puppy could not have just decided to go to the newspaper toilet area when she turns 12 weeks of age."

The young man did spend time training her. Scolding and light spanking when she had accidents. He used tissue paper to soak in the urine. He carried her onto the playpen. Then he left the tissue onto the newspaper and told her "pee here". After 1-2 weeks the puppy was paper-trained.

So, it was a whole process.

"How often she pooped a day?" I asked.

"3-4 times a day because she ate a lot. Around 3 teaspoonfuls of dry puppy food left in the feed bowl throughout the day."

For mini-Maltese, it is best to give her food all day so as to prevent low blood sugar developing. The owner was away at work and so would not be able to supervise her. If food is not restricted to twice a day, the puppy would poop more than two times a day.

"Does she shred the newspapers in the playpen?" I asked.

"Sometimes. I scolded her and lightly caned her when I see that she had shredded the newspapers after I come back from work. She knows she has done something wrong before I punish her."



Actually, the puppy could see the anger in the owner's face and reacted in fear of being punished. To human beings, the puppy "knew" she had misbehaved by shredding the newspapers. This behaviour had been reported by other owners. They attributed "guilt feelings" to puppy misbehaviour.

The owner said, "I took up the shredded newspapers and said 'cannot bite.' After some time, she never shredded newspapers."

This mini-Maltese was well looked after. There was no point in me giving my point of view of the "guilty reaction" of the mini-Maltese. It is commonly reported that the puppy cannot feel guilty for misbehaviour performed some time ago but could sense the displeasure of the returning owner.

The reason the Maltese never shred papers was that she was let out of the playpen and confined in the kitchen under supervision. Since she had more space and training, she became paper-trained fast and not confined to the small playpen.

This mini-Maltese slept by herself in the kitchen and just went to the newspapers under the rubber chute.

"Was she sleeping by herself in the first week?" I asked.

"No, the first 2 days, I took the playpen into my bedroom. It was tedious taking the playpen in and out. I just ignore her whining and she was all settled down to sleep by herself after a few days."

Free feeding instead of twice per day for 15 minutes, time spent toilet training and the use of soiled tissue papers are significant aspects of the toilet training of this mini-Maltese.

231. Pee Pan with BBQ Grill?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



The evening sunshine was there. I rushed to the pet shop to buy the pee pan to take a picture. The storm clouds covered the sun. It was too late. The Golden Retriever puppy was placed on the pee pan, but there was no bright sunlight.

I took some pictures. Left the shop with the pee pan in my car boot. Suddenly, a shaft of evening sunlight burst through the thick dark grey clouds. I jammed on my brakes to u-turn back to the pet shop to borrow the puppy for picture taking. There was no immediate u-turn. By the time, I turned at the official u-turn, the dark clouds had blanketed the sun.



The pet shop girl asked the part-timer, a short girl waiting for her "O" level results to bring the puppy for picture taking. Several drops of rain fell. Took 2 pictures. No bright sunlight. No good. I asked the girl to keep the puppy.

I have to make do what I took.

"Now, what do you describe this product?" I asked the pet shop girl.

"Pee pan," she said.

"But there is a metallic thing for the puppy to stand and pee or poop", I said. "So, it is not a pee pan alone. Check your product invoice."

She took out the invoice. It stated "Pee pan."

How do I describe the parallel metallic contraption?

The pet shop girl laughed, "Barbecue grill."

OK, I will call it Pee Pan with Grill. This is one of the products used in toilet training of the Singapore puppy. I used to call it platform wire flooring + pee tray in previous postings.

230. Position of toilet area important. 2 months only 70% paper-trained.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The owner bought 4 panels of fences to confine his male Shih Tzu, 4 months old in a playpen. He was only 70% successful in paper training him after 2 months.

In the playpen, the bed with towel is located on upper right corner. The water bottle is on lower left corner. The feedbowl is placed in the middle but taken away within 15 minutes after eating. Fed 2x/day at 7 am and 7 pm. He poops 2x per day, after eating but pees a lot. The puppy pees on the upper left corner and on the lower right corner around the bed.

Since the owner is not at home, the number of times is unknown. The puppy shred newspapers when the owner is at home. He likes clean newspapers.

The complaint is that the Shih Tzu would not consistently pee or poop on newspapers when let out of the playpen. Why? Possible reasons:

1. Distracted.

2. When taken out, owner should confine him to the papers till he pees. Watch for signs of sniffing, turning and squating. Carry him to the papers and say "Pee here." Praises and rewards.

3. Position of water bottle may be incorrect. Place it to the right corner.
This gives the left side of the playpen sufficient area for peeing.

4. Feed the puppy outside the cage or put the feedbowl in the lower right corner.

In other words, the puppy will want its sleeping and eating area to be clean. So, make this area the right half of the playpen.

5. Use vinegar:water 1:3 to neutralise all urine small inside the playpen and the floors outside. Start all over again.

6. Take out one soiled newspapers when puppy let out of playpen. Confine the puppy to the area with this soiled newspapers (on top of other papers) and make sure he pees. Or wait 15 minutes and repeat. Watch for signs and do as in Point No. 2.

I hope this recommendation works.

229. The bad breadth Fox Terrier Puppy has been pee-trayed trained.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"The Fox Terrier puppy has a bad smell," the owner who had just purchased him yesterday from a breeder said. "Not active as expected of this breed."



The puppy had a normal rectal temperature. A dry cough when I palpated the throat. I smelt the ears. No smell. The anal glands had a bit of clay brown oil but this should not cause the smell.

I opened the mouth. Gums were normal pink. Only one puppy canine teeth (longer, thin, curved in the picture) was present on its upper right side. However, he has a very bad smell in its saliva. Like that of bad breadth from people who had not brushed their teeth or drank enough water.

Why? Nobody knows. He could have an infected throat.

"How do you toilet train him?" I asked. The owner was a graduate from Strathclyde University in Glasgow. I asked him about Glasgow as I had studied there 30 years ago.

"I put him in a bathroom with a pee tray cum wire flooring top." the owner said. "Today, I noted that he did not dirty the bathroom floor. He just pooped on the extreme right of the wire flooring and slept on the clean side. I wonder how he peed?"

"Most likely he peed through the wire flooring on the right side. His sleeping area is on the left side. Just like his environment in a cage in the breeding kennel."
There should be no toilet training problem as he knows what to do.

How he got bad breadth, it is hard to say. It is a very rare case.

228. Incredible? Yorkshire poops through gap in crate to newspaper outside.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

After over 200 case studies, I thought I have heard all stories about puppy toilet training in Singapore.

In this case, the owner places a piece of newspapers on the floor outside the crate, outside the upper left corner of the crate. The left half of inside the crate is also lined with newspapers. The right half will be the soft toy bed (bottom right) and an empty space for placing the feed bowl. The feed bowl is removed after eating within few minutes.

"The Yorkshire barks when he soils the newspapers," the lady owner said. "I change them. He uses the cage as his bedroom nowadays."

Nothing surprising to me. Puppies want their den and sleeping area to be clean, by instinct.



"He can poop between the gaps of the wire crate, at the upper left corner, to pass stools on the papers outside the crate (outside the upper left corner).

She knew I find this incredible. "It is true," she said. This shows that the puppy just wants to keep its den very clean as he sleeps there. But pooping through the wire gaps of the wall of the crate and out onto the newspapers. This is incredible. I have no reason to believe she is lying.

Poops 2 x/day (normal). Pees a lot. Possibly normal as dry food makes some puppies thirsty and drinks a lot. Feed bowl not kept in crate for long time. Restricted feeding is good as puppy poops after eating twice a day. If he eats many times, he poops more times.