toilet training, house training puppies

Community education supported by www.toapayohvets.com

My Photo
Name:
Location: Singapore

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

Saturday, July 08, 2006

342. The headmaster who loved Golden Retrievers

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"He is a loner," the headmaster of a big school said. This 2-month-old Golden Retriever just sat by himself at the corner of the cage. Was he anti-social? Aren't dogs social creatures, according to most dog books?

His 6 siblings huddled and crushed together. Having great bonding. I had just vaccinated them for the first time. One of them had a white "star" marking on his forehead, just reminding me of the racehorses with white stars. One parent also had the white star on the forehead too.



"How do you toilet train and now get the parents to go to the toilet at the landing which is 5 steps below?" I asked the headmaster. The parents were very obedient as they stopped smelling me all over. A dog vet just had too many doggy smells was irresistible to dogs.

"Strong commands are the best," the headmaster said. "One authoritative command is all that takes to train the parents of the puppies to go to the correct place to eliminate."

"As for the elimination on the ceramic tiles further down the steps, all you need to do is to take the newspapers with urine and tell them to do it. In this way, they will not dirty their crates or sleeping area."

He had applied all the theories of toilet training.

"Do you approve of boarding school for local students," I asked seeing that the top floor of his school is for boarders.

"No," he emphasized. "Parents in Singapore should not just board their children in the school when they have a responsiblity to nuture them and get to know them."

It was fun to meet a headmaster who loves dogs and students as I seldom encounter one.

341. The boy asked whether the dog is right or left-handed.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The 9-year-old boy with a round face and skin as fair as a Teochew lady and who reads a lot turned his back towards me and whispered to his mum. Mum bent down. He ss..ss..into her ears.

"You can ask me the question directly to me," I said.

"He wants to know how to tell whether a dog is left or right handed?" mum reported.

I had never heard of this question and really did not know how to answer.

"I guess the dog does not hold a book or chopsticks," I replied. "So, it is hard to know."

What a stupid answer, I thought to myself.

Mum elaboarated, "My son had read in a dog training book that a dog is right handed if he offers his right paw for treats or training."

Certainly, I had not come across such a book. A very good question.

"I have no answer," I said. I noticed 3 circular wounds linked by a scratch line on the boy's left forearm.

"How you got these wounds?" I asked thinking he had been bitten by mites or bugs. 3 circles of around 4 mm in diameter linked by a red line. How it happened?

"He has sensitive skin," mum said, "Doctors do not know why, but he scratches himself till he gets other wounds."

This was news to me. The boy was holding his right hand behind his back as I lloked at his left hand placed on the stainless steel examination table. It was unusual for a boy to hide a hand.

"He scratches his left hand too," mum said. "No doctor could tell us what is the cause. The itch affects his hands and legs but no where else."

What is the cause of this itchiness? Could it be a contact dermatitis? Some skin irritation on contact with some environmental chemical? He was wearing short sleeves and could there be an environmental dust or dust mite irritating his skin?

"Are you able to use your mind to control your body?" I asked the boy. Probably he did not know what rubbish I was talking. How can a mind control the body?

"I mean telling yourself that you will not scratch to cause more wounds," I said. "Can you do that?"

He nodded. This boy would excel academically since he liked to read books at a young age. If parents could guide him well.

340. Raffles Girls Sec School or Singapore Sports School?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Saturday, Jul 9, 2006

Broad shouldered, slim and taller than her mum, brown as a chocolate bar. This Primary Six School girl, a school swimmer did not say a word when I talked to her. Her face lit up golden when mum said that The Singapore Sports School offers her a place. Yet she could qualify for the top Girls School, being top 5% of her cohort at a girl's school where students are asked to leave if they don't excel academically.

So, what school should she choose?

"Go for the top school since you can qualify," I said. "It is rare to get into Raffles. Swimming is your passion at your age. But you can still excel in swimming in Raffles if you manage your time. You will be competing with the best students. If you go to a school where the students don't have much interest in studies, you will be influenced to do below your best.

"My son's teacher in Anderson Secondary School discouraged him from studying in Raffles Junior College. Because it is stressful, they said. The environoment there may not be that great for academic excellence compared to Raffles Secondary
School which my son did not qualify.

The environment in Raffles Girls will be stressful but with good time management you should still enjoy swimming and representing the school."

"One must be more realistic," mum agreed with my views. Parents want the best for their children.

"In the real world, a graduate from Raffles compared to a neighbourhood school, assuming both are qualified for a scholarship or job - who would be given preference?" I asked her.

"Did you eat one egg a day?" I asked her as I remembered the national swimmers used to eat one egg a day to build up their body. Mum said no. She did not say a word. I wish she would express her opinions. But parents should guide the child to academic excellence, if the child can make it. I hope she choose to go to Raffles and represent the country in swimming. And that mum will let me know the good news.

Friday, July 07, 2006

339. Paper training a Golden Retriever in a HDB apartment

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore



"I wish to make an appointment to vaccinate my dog at your clinic on Monday," the tall fair slim pet shop girl said. Monday was her day off.

"Why don't I vaccinate your dog at the pet shop since I do come over?" I asked.

"No," she said. I did not ask why but would guess that she would not want to expose her dog to infections of other dogs.

"How old is the dog?" I asked.

"Over a year. I bought her when she was 6 months old, from the pet shop."


What a coincidence on this sunny and bright Friday afternoon. I had been asked how an older Golden Retrieve can be toilet trained in an apartment. See blog 338.

How did she do it and how long it took?

"CONFINEMENT" she said. "Use newspapers. Spray the toilet training aid onto the newspapers." She must have done a lot of research.

"Smack his back lightly and tell him to go to the papers when he eliminated on the floors of the kitchen. Somebody monitored him closely. It took one month to paper-train him."

"Why not buy the pee pan with grille top?" I asked her. The pet shop had such sets, aluminium and non-rusty, selling at $150 each.

"The HDB kitchen is so small" she told me. "There is just no space to put it down." Most kitchens are very small, so she was practical.

"You didn't beat the dog?" I enquired.

"No," she waved her hand. "A light smacking on his backside when he misbehaved."

Her training worked. But it took one month. As she worked full time, I presume she did not have much time to toilet train. One month is about the average, I think for paper training a puppy part-time or after working, in my survey.

338. Vet asked how a 7-month-old Golden Retriever can be toilet-trained

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

The couple in their late twenties just purchased a brown 6-month-old Retriever from the pet shop. They live in an apartment.

"How to toilet-train him?" the man asked. "He poops and pees over night in the living area or kitchen. Nowadays, he poops in the afternoon too."

It can be a large volume of stools and urine for a big breed. What's the solution?


1. CONFINEMENT

Since it is not practical to toilet train outdoors, the best way is to confine the dog in a room. I suggested the common bathroom. It can be the kitchen.

Put newspapers to cover 100% of the floor and urine sprayed newspapers at one corner. Baby gate the entrance to the bathroom. Do not let him out till he has pooped and peed, usually within an hour after eating. He was fed in the morning and evening.

NEUTRALISE urine smell in living area and kitchen with white vinegar:water 1:2.

The couple agreed to e-mail to me the success although I doubt they will as most Singaporeans are time-pressed.

2. OUTDOOOR

2.1 Before sleeping, bring the dog downstairs. Bring a piece of newspapers with his urine smell. Bring a treat. When he pees on the papers say, "Pee pee" and praise and reward him. Sounds too simple.

"He is not interested in the treat I give him. For first 3 days, he was afraid of entering the lift as he had been in the pet shop (unsold). Now he was afraid of walking down the stairs," the man said.

"It will take some time to get him socialised to human beings." I said.

2.2 Early in the morning, bring him downstairs before his breakfast and after breakfast. This may be too time consuming.

3. PEE PAN PLUS GRILLE FLOORING ON TOP. This costs $150 for one aluminium grille plus pee pan. It is actually the floor unit of a kennel. This dog had been housed in a kennel (crate) and would associate the slats and gaps of the pee pan as toilet area. It has been successfully used for big breeds and small breeds. Obviously, urine spray or newspapers soiled with dog's urine must be put on the pee pan to attract the dog to pee there.

However, the apartment kitchen is usually very small. So, it is not practical.

4. So, the confinement to a room would be the best choice.

After talking to the owners, I came across a pet shop girl with a 6-month-old Golden Retriever bought from another pet shop. She told me how she toilet trained her puppy. That will be reported in the next blog. No. 339.

337. 18-month-old grand-daughter can't say she wants to pee pee

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

I was at the pet shop vaccinating a puppy. I saw a big picture of a 3-month-old and a salt and pepper Miniature Schnauzer half hidden. I asked the grandmother at the counter whether her bright-eyed 18-month-old (picture was 3 months old when taken) had been toilet trained.

"Too young, she can't talk and tell us she wants to go to the toilet," she said. "2.5 years old will be the correct age."

"Did the doctor tell you?" I asked.

"No," she said. "She can only talk a few words. So, she is in diapers. Otherwise she will soil every part of the condo."

This age seems to be the recommended age for babies in the Western world. I just read a book "Early Potty Training" from the National Library. It seems that the Chinese population can toilet train their babies at 6 months of age. Put the baby over the wash basin and say "pss..." as part of the training. In no time, the baby is toilet trained. This is because many Chinese families cannot afford to buy diapers.

Reading widely and research is one way of gaining more knowledge of what the other cultures do. I wonder whether the Indians train their babies earlier than 2.5 years too.