471. New puppy barks after midnight
Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore
Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research
Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures
Why does the new puppy bark after midnight?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written: Oct 28, 2009
Updated: Nov 21, 2009 (3rd vaccination)
Case study:
Couple: Working husband and home-maker wife in her late 20s.
Miniature Dachshund, Male, 2 months, bought from the pet shop 3 days ago. I was consulted on blood appearing in the evening stools 3 evenings but not in the day stools. The puppy was fed 2 times a day as advised by the pet shop.
This case has two common complaints amongst new puppy owners, viz.:
1. Blood in stools. For the past 3 evenings, the puppy poops loose stools with blood seen but was otherwise healthy and active.
2. Barking at around 2 am - 3 am and then at 6 am.
"He is seeking attention," the young lady owner said. "We just ignored him and he would stop barking. Then at 6 am, he would bark. He wants to come out of his playpen to play.
Reality & Solutions
1. Blood in the stool. Usually due to stress (change of environment and feeding).
2. Feeding 2x a day is common recommendation by pet shop puppy sellers in Singapore. Less eating, less pooping as the puppy eats all food usually and then poops 2x/day, after eating, instead of many times. This puppy poops 2x/day.
3. "Seeking attention past midnight". Few puppy books mention about this behaviour. Actually, the puppy barks to ask the owner to change the soiled newspapers. In this case, the puppy was now restricted to a one-page width of the newspapers. He pees around every 2 hourly. He does not want to step on soiled papers but being confined in the playpen, he could only communicate with people by barking: "Please change soiled newspapers."
Solutions: Understanding canine behaviour --- All normal puppies want a clean area to eliminate and to sleep.
I propose that the owner spread 75% of the playpen flooring with newspapers at night, thus giving the puppy more clean papers and therefore no barking at 2am to 3am. 25% of the floor space is his bed towel space. The 2-month-old puppy has a weak bladder and pees every 2 hourly approximately. Will this work in practice? She will let me know when the puppy comes for his 3rd vaccination.
P.S
A pee pan with newspapers on top will be better as urine will not soil the marble floor of the living room. The puppy was not crated inside the kitchen as he barks for attention. So, the owner puts him in the living room. Ideally, the kitchen's ceramic tiled floor will be better for cleaning. Most Singapore condo kitchens barely have space for the cook and her assistant, so the puppy is housed in the living cum dining area.
UPDATE AT THE 3RD VACCINATION.
The puppy has grown up a lot and has no more blood in the stools. The young lady owner told me she had bought a grate + pee pan set which is the correct idea as the puppy was brought up on a grate + pee pan surface at the Singapore pet shop.
"Sometimes the puppy eliminates on the newspapers and sometimes in the grate + pee pan placed in the balcony", the tall and slim lady explained to me. I could see that the puppy was confused.
"Place the grate + pee pan inside the play pen (confined area). This will create less confusion during the toilet training the puppy."
Of course, this puppy will not be paper-trained, but be grate + pee pan trained in this situation.
Puppy toilet training by various new puppy owners as a research topic is a fascinating subject. I approach it like a mystery thriller if you are a reader of this genre. There is a mystery which puzzles the owner. However, the vet can't visit the scene of the crime, for practical purposes. So, he has to figure out and solve the mystery.
Toilet training solutions is an excellent means of of opening a communication channel with your new client. The vet needs to have some knowledge of puppy toilet training methods and most important, time. It takes up much time to talk about evacuation in a puppy as first-time owners are usually puzzled by the strange behaviour of the young one. Pee and poop anywhere and at any time. It is enough to pull one's hair out especially if there are two puppies. If a vet has 80 clients a day, it is extremely difficult to talk about bowel and bladder movements. His or her mind is just too tired and mechanical.
Updates are at www.toapayohvets.com
Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research
Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures
Why does the new puppy bark after midnight?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written: Oct 28, 2009
Updated: Nov 21, 2009 (3rd vaccination)
Case study:
Couple: Working husband and home-maker wife in her late 20s.
Miniature Dachshund, Male, 2 months, bought from the pet shop 3 days ago. I was consulted on blood appearing in the evening stools 3 evenings but not in the day stools. The puppy was fed 2 times a day as advised by the pet shop.
This case has two common complaints amongst new puppy owners, viz.:
1. Blood in stools. For the past 3 evenings, the puppy poops loose stools with blood seen but was otherwise healthy and active.
2. Barking at around 2 am - 3 am and then at 6 am.
"He is seeking attention," the young lady owner said. "We just ignored him and he would stop barking. Then at 6 am, he would bark. He wants to come out of his playpen to play.
Reality & Solutions
1. Blood in the stool. Usually due to stress (change of environment and feeding).
2. Feeding 2x a day is common recommendation by pet shop puppy sellers in Singapore. Less eating, less pooping as the puppy eats all food usually and then poops 2x/day, after eating, instead of many times. This puppy poops 2x/day.
3. "Seeking attention past midnight". Few puppy books mention about this behaviour. Actually, the puppy barks to ask the owner to change the soiled newspapers. In this case, the puppy was now restricted to a one-page width of the newspapers. He pees around every 2 hourly. He does not want to step on soiled papers but being confined in the playpen, he could only communicate with people by barking: "Please change soiled newspapers."
Solutions: Understanding canine behaviour --- All normal puppies want a clean area to eliminate and to sleep.
I propose that the owner spread 75% of the playpen flooring with newspapers at night, thus giving the puppy more clean papers and therefore no barking at 2am to 3am. 25% of the floor space is his bed towel space. The 2-month-old puppy has a weak bladder and pees every 2 hourly approximately. Will this work in practice? She will let me know when the puppy comes for his 3rd vaccination.
P.S
A pee pan with newspapers on top will be better as urine will not soil the marble floor of the living room. The puppy was not crated inside the kitchen as he barks for attention. So, the owner puts him in the living room. Ideally, the kitchen's ceramic tiled floor will be better for cleaning. Most Singapore condo kitchens barely have space for the cook and her assistant, so the puppy is housed in the living cum dining area.
UPDATE AT THE 3RD VACCINATION.
The puppy has grown up a lot and has no more blood in the stools. The young lady owner told me she had bought a grate + pee pan set which is the correct idea as the puppy was brought up on a grate + pee pan surface at the Singapore pet shop.
"Sometimes the puppy eliminates on the newspapers and sometimes in the grate + pee pan placed in the balcony", the tall and slim lady explained to me. I could see that the puppy was confused.
"Place the grate + pee pan inside the play pen (confined area). This will create less confusion during the toilet training the puppy."
Of course, this puppy will not be paper-trained, but be grate + pee pan trained in this situation.
Puppy toilet training by various new puppy owners as a research topic is a fascinating subject. I approach it like a mystery thriller if you are a reader of this genre. There is a mystery which puzzles the owner. However, the vet can't visit the scene of the crime, for practical purposes. So, he has to figure out and solve the mystery.
Toilet training solutions is an excellent means of of opening a communication channel with your new client. The vet needs to have some knowledge of puppy toilet training methods and most important, time. It takes up much time to talk about evacuation in a puppy as first-time owners are usually puzzled by the strange behaviour of the young one. Pee and poop anywhere and at any time. It is enough to pull one's hair out especially if there are two puppies. If a vet has 80 clients a day, it is extremely difficult to talk about bowel and bladder movements. His or her mind is just too tired and mechanical.
Updates are at www.toapayohvets.com
posted by Photography by Sing Kong Yuen | 7:48 AM
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