I have thought over the reasons why Cookie still poops in the study or kitchen despite being spanked after reviewing the over 500 cases of toilet training reports from other puppy owners in Singapore in the past 3 years.
The most likely reasons Cookie looks for the study room or kitchen to poop are:
1. Many puppies poop within 10 minutes after eating if undistracted after eating.
But Cookie poops 30 - 60 minutes after eating. This is because he is distracted by the 8-year-old daughter's presence after breakfast and will not poop soon after eating. As you said, she takes the puppy out of the playpen assuming he has had pooped in the morning. Actually he has had pooped overnight.
2. After 30 - 60 minutes out of the playpen, Cookie needs to poop. NO way he is going into the playpen to do it although you have had changed to fresh papers. In any case, the playpen has no door for him to get to the fresh newspapers you had put in.
You will be busy preparing breakfast for the husband and children. So, Cookie dashes to his favourite corner in the study room (if the door is left open) or to the kitchen floor to poop.
Solutions:
1. Some owners open up the playpen in the morning by taking out one fencing, so that the puppy has access to the fresh newspapers (the first toilet location).
2. Other owners have playpens with a door opened so that the puppy goes in for pooping and peeing. Your playpen does not have this configuration. So there is no immediate access to the toilet location during the last 6 weeks. The puppy resorts to finding a second toilet location---the study or kitchen for pooping and outside the playpen for peeing.
In your case, it may be possible to remove the playpen fencing by storing away the fences. Close the sliding door of the balcony and make sure that Cookie poops and pee on the fresh newspapers before he is allowed out. When he gets rewarded by food treats for doing it, you can open the sliding door.
3. He pees outside his playpen. The reason is that Cookie cannot control his bladder well at 4 months of age. According to a guideline, using a formula N-1, where N=puppy's age in months, Cookie pees every 3 hourly. So he pees outside the playpen as he is not crated during the day.
I note you have put a second piece of newspapers outside the playpen in the picture.
Conclusion.
With children and a husband and possibly neighbours and in-laws visiting and interacting with the puppy, there are so many distractions affecting the success of paper-training of a new puppy in an apartment.
Cookie's natural instincts is a very clean puppy and this is what he tries to communicate to you. Now he has been 6 weeks into toilet training. In general the success in paper training in most Singapore's dog owners are around 4-8 weeks. Couples without children or distracting friends and in-laws are successful in around 2 weeks.
After writing so much, what is the solution? More spanking? I can only propose the following:
1. Take away the playpen fencing during the day. Increase the newspaper coverage of the balcony floor.
You have been correct to reduce the 100% coverage of the playpen floor during week 1 after purchase so that the puppy eliminates on the newspapers. You then reduce the newspapers to a corner of the playpen. You change soiled newspapers regularly (every hour?). In this way, you have been successful in paper-training.
2. Close the sliding door in the morning so that Cookie poops on the newspapers after breakfast before coming out to play. Give your food treat and praise once he has pooped and let him out.
3. Access to a second toilet area but no access to the whole apartment in week 2 and 3 after purchase. This was not possible or done in your case. For example, barricade the balcony and gradually let the puppy have access to more room, e.g. living and dining area. The second toilet area will have newspapers with Cookie's urine smell. This could be in the living area on week 2 and 3 after purchase.
Now it is week 6 after purchase.Close the study room door at all times. Put newspapers in the favourite spot in the kitchen. Neutralise the urine smell outside the playpen (where I note you have put newspapers) with vinegar:water 1:3. So the urine smells will only be the first toilet location. The second toilet location will be the kitchen bathroom.
4. Crated in the playpen in the balcony at night. Many owners do this because they don't want the puppy to mess up the whole apartment. All puppies find ways and means not to be crated inside the playpen after breakfast.
5. Second toilet area. Give access to the toilet area by opening up the playpen (one fence taken out after breakfast) and a second toilet area in the kitchen bathroom flooring.
The above are my tentative solutions and quick reply to your problems. Spanking will not work in this case. I guess that Cookie sprints to hide under the table or somewhere whenever you raise your hand to spank him after he has had already pooped in the study? He just does not understand why he is being spanked. Your food treats for obedience and toilet training are better motivation.I am glad that you don't permit food treats to be given anyhow but only after successful performance of training.
Each toilet-training case differs as family distractions can be sabotaging your best efforts and change the daily routine of the puppy.
Daily routine includes a time table for meals, sleep and exercise. I wish you all the best.
Best wishes.
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