Toilet Training an apartment living Golden Retriever

DRAFT


Thank you for reply. Rocky looks slim and fit. Many GR grow much fatter after neutering. Keep up good work.

----- Original Message ----
From: ...singnet.com.sg>
To: Dr Sing KY
Sent: Saturday, 16 February 2008 6:16:45
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training

Dr Sing,
My replies below.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 6:15 AM
To: ...@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Re: Rocky's Toilet Training

Really appreciate your kind feedback. What a great pet Rocky is.
1. Can I know why you do not get Rocky to eliminate in the guest bathroom floor?
> The bathroom floor is usually wet, and we have a rather spacious kitchen, therefore we decided to use the kitchen corner instead.
2. Do you put newspapers in a pee pan?
> No. We laid the newspaper on the floor directly. Did not use any pee pan because he is not comfortable with it. We ever tried and realised he was not willing to step in.
3. Do you change the soiled papers every time he pees?
> Yes we'd lay another layer of fresh newspapers to cover/soak it up and clear everything, then put fresh ones again.
4. How many times you change the papers?
> We usually get it changed once its soiled.
5. Is it possible to email me an updated picture of Rocky?
> See attached. I only have this picture with me now.
6. What is his weight?
> About 28kg
7. Has he put on weight since the neutering?
> No.

Your detailed answers are very useful to prospective owners with big breed dogs in apartments.
Many thanks again.

----- Original Message ----
From: ...@singnet.com.sg>
To: Dr Sing KY
Sent: Monday, 4 February 2008 11:30:25
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi Dr Sing,

Happy New Year.
Please see my reply below.



-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 6:59 AM
To: ...@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi
1. Happy New Year.

2. I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. You brought Rocky to Toa Payoh Vets around July 7, 2006. I am still doing research on toilet training of puppies in Singapore and need some updates on your success with Rocky to help other dog owners.

3. I hope you have some time to update me on whether Rocky is now paper-trained?
3.1 Does he goes to eliminate on newspapers 100% in the kitchen area ? Or is his toilet area another place?
> Yes he now eliminates 100% on newspapers in the kitchen area only.
3.2 How many times is he fed?
Thank yo for reply. Rocky looks slim and fit. Many GR grow much fatter after neutering. Keep up good work.
----- Original Message ----
From: ...@singnet.com.sg>
To: Dr Sing KY
Sent: Saturday, 16 February 2008 6:16:45
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training

Dr Sing,
My replies below.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 6:15 AM
To: ...@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Re: Rocky's Toilet Training

Really appreciate your kind feedback. What a great pet Rocky is.
1. Can I know why you do not get Rocky to eliminate in the guest bathroom floor?
> The bathroom floor is usually wet, and we have a rather spacious kitchen, therefore we decided to use the kitchen corner instead.
2. Do you put newspapers in a pee pan?
> No. We laid the newspaper on the floor directly. Did not use any pee pan because he is not comfortable with it. We ever tried and realised he was not willing to step in.
3. Do you change the soiled papers every time he pees?
> Yes we'd lay another layer of fresh newspapers to cover/soak it up and clear everything, then put fresh ones again.
4. How many times you change the papers?
> We usually get it changed once its soiled.
5. Is it possible to email me an updated picture of Rocky?
> See attached. I only have this picture with me now.
6. What is his weight?
> About 28kg
7. Has he put on weight since the neutering?
> No.

Your detailed answers are very useful to prospective owners with big breed dogs in apartments.
Many thanks again.

----- Original Message ----
From: ...@singnet.com.sg>
To: Dr Sing KY
Sent: Monday, 4 February 2008 11:30:25
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi Dr Sing,

Happy New Year.
Please see my reply below.



-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 6:59 AM
To: ...@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi
1. Happy New Year.

2. I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. You brought Rocky to Toa Payoh Vets around July 7, 2006. I am still doing research on toilet training of puppies in Singapore and need some updates on your success with Rocky to help other dog owners.

3. I hope you have some time to update me on whether Rocky is now paper-trained?
3.1 Does he goes to eliminate on newspapers 100% in the kitchen area ? Or is his toilet area another place?
> Yes he now eliminates 100% on newspapers in the kitchen area only.
3.2 How many times is he fed?
> Twice daily.
3.3 Does he get canned food as well as dry food?
> Mainly dry food. Occassionally (probably once fortnightly) a mixture of dry + canned food.
3.4 What time is he fed?
> Around 7am and 7pm.
3.5 Is the feed given the whole day or for a short time of 20 minutes?
> He finishes up his food within a short time, so we have no problem with this.
3.6 Does he pee and poo within 30 minutes of being fed?
> Yes he does most of the time.
3.7 Does he eliminate outdoors?
> Yes sometimes he does when we bring him out for walks. But we did not intentionally bring him out to train him to eliminate outdoors.
3.8 How many times does he pee and poop for one day (24 hours)?
> Pee 5-6 times. Poop 2-3 times.
3.9 Any accidents - eliminate on non-approved toilet areas?
> No. Only eliminate on newspapers in kitchen. He will not do it without newspapers either. He will wait till the newspapers are laid.
3.10 Does Rocky urine-mark -- pee a bit here and there on vertical surfaces?
> At home, never. I used to see him marking at the beach or park, but I noticed he hardly do it after neutering.
3.11 Is Rocky neutered?
> Yes. In Oct 2007.

Your feedback will be most appreciated. Best wishes for the new year! > Twice daily.
3.3 Does he get canned food as well as dry food?
> Mainly dry food. Occassionally (probably once fortnightly) a mixture of dry + canned food.
3.4 What time is he fed?
> Around 7am and 7pm.
3.5 Is the feed given the whole day or for a short time of 20 minutes?
> He finishes up his food within a short time, so we have no problem with this.
3.6 Does he pee and poo within 30 minutes of being fed?
> Yes he does most of the time.
3.7 Does he eliminate outdoors?
> Yes sometimes he does when we bring him out for walks. But we did not intentionally bring him out to train him to eliminate outdoors.
3.8 How many times does he pee and poop for one day (24 hours)?
> Pee 5-6 times. Poop 2-3 times.
3.9 Any accidents - eliminate on non-approved toilet areas?
> No. Only eliminate on newspapers in kitchen. He will not do it without newspapers either. He will wait till the newspapers are laid.
3.10 Does Rocky urine-mark -- pee a bit here and there on vertical surfaces?
> At home, never. I used to see him marking at the beach or park, but I noticed he hardly do it after neutering.
3.11 Is Rocky neutered?
> Yes. In Oct 2007.

Your feedback will be most appreciated. Best wishes for the new year!


-----------------------------------------------------

Monday, February 4, 2008
130. Follow Up: Successful paper-training a Golden Retriever living in a Singapore apartment

HISTORY:

July 7, 2006. Golden Retriever, Male, 7 months. Pees and poos everywhere inside the apartment. What to do? Dr Sing advised confinement and paper-training using positive reinforcement training.

Feb 5, 2008. Dr Sing followed up. Owner replied indicated that the dog is 100% successfully paper-trained. I hope this write up will benefit busy urban dwellers and owners trying to toilet train large breeds living in apartments.


----- Original Message ----
From: <...@singnet.com.sg>
To: Dr Sing KY
Sent: Monday, 4 February 2008 11:30:25
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi Dr Sing,

Happy New Year.
Please see my reply below.

(Name of owner)

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 6:59 AM
To: ...@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Rocky's Toilet Training

Hi
1. Happy New Year.

2. I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. You brought Rocky to Toa Payoh Vets around July 7, 2006. I am still doing research on toilet training of puppies in Singapore and need some updates on your success with Rocky to help other dog owners.

3. I hope you have some time to update me on whether Rocky is now paper-trained?
3.1 Does he goes to eliminate on newspapers 100% in the kitchen area ? Or is his toilet area another place?
> Yes he now eliminates 100% on newspapers in the kitchen area only.

3.2 How many times is he fed?
> Twice daily.

3.3 Does he get canned food as well as dry food?
> Mainly dry food. Occassionally (probably once fortnightly) a mixture of dry + canned food.

3.4 What time is he fed?
> Around 7am and 7pm.

3.5 Is the feed given the whole day or for a short time of 20 minutes?
> He finishes up his food within a short time, so we have no problem with this.

3.6 Does he pee and poo within 30 minutes of being fed?
> Yes he does most of the time.

3.7 Does he eliminate outdoors?
> Yes sometimes he does when we bring him out for walks. But we did not intentionally bring him out to train him to eliminate outdoors.

3.8 How many times does he pee and poop for one day (24 hours)?
> Pee 5-6 times. Poop 2-3 times.

3.9 Any accidents - eliminate on non-approved toilet areas?
> No. Only eliminate on newspapers in kitchen. He will not do it without newspapers either. He will wait till the newspapers are laid.

3.10 Does Rocky urine-mark -- pee a bit here and there on vertical surfaces?
> At home, never. I used to see him marking at the beach or park, but I noticed he hardly do it after neutering.

3.11 Is Rocky neutered?
Yes. In Oct 2007.

Your feedback will be most appreciated. Best wishes for the new year!


Conclusion:

A busy working young couple. They take time to train the Golden Retriever.
I advised confinement to a small space (in the kitchen) and praise and give food treats on success. It takes some time (probably 4 weeks) to paper train him but once it is done, he is a great pet to be with.

Fortunately he was not easily bribed by food treats for successfully eliminating on newspapers, according to the owners.

In this case, it will be preferred that the big dog go to the guest bathroom to eliminate. Or a pee tray is used to hold the newspapers in the kitchen. To transfer toilet area to bathroom, slowly shift the papers to the bathroom from the kitchen.

I did not ask the owner why the kitchen was used. Sometimes owners are not aware of the preferred toilet location to be the guest bathroom. Or the bathroom is not available for the dog as there may be guests.


Replace soiled newspapers frequently --- an important factor in successful toilet training as most dogs and puppies dislike dirtying their paws and will avoid soiled papers. Some dogs bark to tell the owners to change. Others bark and get scolded for being a noise nuisance. So they give up communicating with the owner and eliminates outside the papers in the nearby areas.



PREVIOUS POST IN 2006
Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore


The following report from the owner of Rocky confirmed that the "older" puppy (e.g. 7 months old) can be paper-trained if the owner knows how to do it. The puppy is into adolescence and is known to be "rebellious" and has a mind of his own at 7 months of age.

However, with time spent on training him, knowledge that he wants a fresh and clean toilet area, praise and treats, the following case was successfully paper-trained in around 2 weeks.

Basically, the puppy just wants a CLEAN toilet area to pee and poop.

Otherwise, he will avoid the soiled newspapers and poop elsewhere. In the first year of my research, owners complain that the puppy will usually "miss" its target (newspapers) and pee "outside" the newspapers.

The reason is that the papers have been soiled and the puppy is loathe to step onto them unless they are quickly replaced. Some puppies will "bark" to let the owner know that the papers must be changed after elimination, according to owners who tell me.

Some puppies do not provide feedback or the owners are not at home the whole day. Possibly, the owner is inside the crate and has stepped on soiled newspapers (in the petshop -- not sold early or the owner's crate). So, the puppy is used to soiled newspapers after some time.



I have no time to edit, but will do it in the new book.
The e-mail is as follows:

Monday, July 31, 2006
DRAFT - Why the puppy does not poop on newspapers



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-MAIL REPLY FROM DOG OWNER --- JULY 10, 2006.

> Dog owner wrote:
>
> Dear Dr Sing,
> We went to your clinic last Friday (7 Jul) with our
> 7-mth old Golden Retriever, Rocky for his 3rd vaccination and sought
> your advice on how to toilet-train him.
> After some thoughts on your suggestions, we decided
> to start off with neutralising his urine and poo smells in the house
> with white vinegar and water.
> On that same evening, we neutralised the entire living room and part of
> the kitchen area, leaving the unneutralised part of the kitchen as his
> intended toilet area (the spot that he frequents most). Then covered
> that area with fresh newspapers and some soiled ones. That weekend, we tried confining him to that specific kitchen area after his meals and monitored him, also tried bringing him
Out for walks and kept asking him to pee/poo, but were not successful.

> He did not pee/poo (on the toilet area)
> as we wanted him to. We gave up, but continued neutralising the floors
> every night as he still eliminates randomly at those 2 areas.
> On Tuesday (11 Jul) evening,
> that the methods weren't working, we saw him pee-ing right in the
> centre of the newspapers. We quickly praised him and offered him a
> treat. This time, he took the treat happily and ran off chewing it.
> Initially we thought he had learnt to eliminate there, but later at
> night, we found his poo on the kitchen floor. The following days, as we
> continued with neutralising, we saw some improvement. We observed
> he has stopped eliminating in the living room, and does it only in
> the kitchen area, however, he only pees on newspapers, still poo
> everywhere in the kitchen.
> Last night we've decided not to neutralise the floors. This morning, to
> our surprise, we saw both his pee and poo on the papers. We're very
> happy to see that, and we'll continue to monitor him closely until he's
> really stable and makes no mistakes. Will update you again on his progress.
> Really appreciate your help and professional advice.
>
> Thanks,
Dog Owner.

E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING --- JULY 16, 2006.

> Sunday July 16, 2006. E-mail reply from Dr Sing
NLB Toa Payoh Library 10.30am.
>
> My computer is infested with viruses. It shut down and re-started
> several times earlier. After that it shut down completely. So, I am
> using the NLB library to reply to you. It is hard to
> find real computer experts in Singapore who can resolve this problem
> without having to re-format the whole hard disk.
>
> I am very grateful for your contribution to my research and a book on
> Singapore puppy toilet training.
>
> In reply:
>
> 1. My research and reading of other reports. It appears that white
> vinegar is effective only to neutralise the ammonia smell of puppy
> urine. Acid plus alkaline = water (NO MORE URINE SMELL), to put it simply.
> So, the puppy can't find the elimination area with his nose (to detect urine smell).
>
> I presume you used the same mop or had not rinsed off the urine smell
> thoroughly, so the puppy could detect the "accident" areas for the first
> few days. Corners or edges of doors may still have traces of urine. The
> sense of smell is very acute in the canine. However, after a few days of
> your hard work, you probably wiped out all urine
> smell. So, the puppy goes to the newspapers. I presume you did not use
> the soiled newspapers (2nd layer) but the floor is OK too.
>
> 2. White vinegar is said to have no effect on the poop as it does not smell of ammonia.
>
> 3. So your success later may be due to your monitoring and praises. Your
> puppy probably now expecting treat. Some will sit and wait for it after
> peeing. A few owners tell me that some even pee less but more often to
> get treats. I hope your puppy does not think this way.
>
> 4. Poop after feeding times. If you can have a regular schedule of feeding and exercise, without distraction of playing
> immediately after eating, you may be successful. Signs of elimination
> like sniffing, squatting and circling - bring puppy to newspapers.
> Praise and reward.
>
> 5. Will be most grateful if you let me know your progress in the pooping
> training aspect. It is from such case studies that I am able to advise
> as each situation and each puppy behaves differently.
>


E-MAIL REPLY FROM DOG OWNERR --- JULY 2006.
>
July 30, 2006 e-mail to Dr Sing>

> Dr Sing,
>
> We're still working on Rocky's poop training. Did not really have enough time to monitor him for the past 2 weeks due to our work schedules.
> We will continue with your suggestion in Point 4 below.
>
> Thankfully Rocky does not seem to expect treats after peeing. He just
> walks away. He has no problem with peeing on newspapers, i don't
> understand why he could not poo on the papers as well. So far only once or twice he pooped on papers, the
> rest of the times are done on the kitchen floor.
>
> We still do use vinegar to mop the kitchen floor on
> alternate nights. You mentioned in Point 2 that white vinegar has no
> effect on poop. Do you mean that white vinegar can only nuetralise
> urine smell, but not poop smell?
> Is there anything we can do to remove the poop smell?
>
> Hope your computer is fine now.
>
> Thanks,


E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING --- JULY 2006.

Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 e-mail reply.
04:32:18 +0800 (CST)
From: "Dr Sing KY" Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book
Subject: RE: Rocky's Toilet Training - Pooping on floor.


Thanks for feedback.

1. Most likely reason Rocky does not want to poop on the newspapers more often may be due to at least 2 reasons:

1.1 The papers had not been changed. Most dogs do not like to step on soiled newspapers as they are clean creatures. So, he chose the floor.

1.2 The papered area is too small. I remember he is a Golden Retriever. Correct me if I am mistaken. You may need to have double or triple the areas covered by the
newspapers or buy a big pee pan (to put newspapers on).

2. In many cases, vinegar:water mixture does not eliminate the smell of poop because the poop is not ammonical.

3. In your case, you said you had not much time. I
presume you had no time to change the newspapers more
often and no time to bring him downstairs. There is no
fixed schedule for exercise after eating. If that is
true, then he has no opportunity to poop 15-30 minutes
after eating (as most dogs do) on newspapers under
your training and supervision. You probably had gone
to work or are too tired to bring him downstairs. I do
not know the real situation.

4. If you want your puppy to poop on newspapers, you
need to SPEND TIME to train him to do so. WATCH for
signs of wanting to poop and bringing him to the CLEAN
newspapers for the first 2 weeks. Praise, pat and
reward with treats on success.

Otherwise, it is very difficult for him to know what
you want.

5. Let me know once your pooping training is
successful.

posted by kongsing | 4:41 AM
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UPDATE AND FOLLOW UP IN JUNE 6, 2007

E-MAIL FROM DR SING ON MAY 16, 2007

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:03 AM
To: drsing@toapayohvets.com
Subject: 2007 Update:: Rocky's Toilet Training - Pooping on floor.


Hi

I hope all are well at home. It is nearly a year since
we corresponded. I have finalising my research on
puppy toilet training in Singapore.

Is it possible for you to update me on how you have
toilet trained Rocky?

1. How long it takes to paper-train him successfully
(i.e. use newspapers all the time to pee and poop).

2. How you stop him from pooping on the floor? This
seems to be a common complaint amongst singapore's dog
owners.

3. How many times he pees and poops/day now?

4. How often you feed him and has he got water
available 24 hrs a day?

3. A picture of Rocky?

DOG OWNER'S REPLY IN JUN 2007

E-MAIL ON JUN 6, 2007

Subject: RE: 2007 Update:: Rocky's Toilet Training - Pooping on floor.
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 00:48:17 +0800


Hi Dr Sing,

Thanks for following up with us.
Here's my reply and some updates.

1. Rocky (golden retriever) took about a week's time to understand and
getting use to doing his business on the newspapers. He was about 7 mth
old then. We used his soiled newspapers to indicate the toilet area,
monitoring and confining him to the toilet area after his meals until
he
reliefs himself, when done correctly give praise and occasional treats.

2. We observed that he usually pees first then poop, and after peeing
on
the newspapers, he would not step on them anymore, so he ended up
pooping on the floor near the newspapers. From then on, we took effort
to clear the soiled newspapers after he pee and replace with fresh
ones,
and so this problem was solved.

3. He poops twice a day within an hour after meals. As for pee, several
times a day.

4. We feed him twice daily, morning and evening. Fresh water is
available 24hrs.

5. Attached is a picture of Rocky.



All the best to your research and new book.

Regards,
(Name of Rocky's owner).

13. Success in toilet training - Female submissive urination dogs wear pads for toilet training.

DRAFT COPY

The relevant sentences of this lengthy e-mail, as regards my research on toilet training is in bold letters.


Feb 13, 2008
Hi

1. Thank you for your best wishes for the New Year. I hope you have a good year too.

2. Based on your dog's history, lack of dysuria (difficulty in urination) and no blood seen in the urine, it is possible that your dog may be having her heat even though it is less than the usual 6 monthly cycle. Not all dogs have heat exactly at 6 monthly interval. There are variations from 3-monthly to 12-monthly. I had an owner telling me her female Pomerania dog had heat at 19th year of age, which is unusual.

3. The womb of an old dog undergoes changes. I presume your dog has never given birth before. In many cases, the lining of the womb of some maiden old dogs change to become "cystic". Bacteria infection comes in. Vaginal discharge is no more the bright red blood. This condition is called pyometra. Pyometra is classified into open or closed pyometra (no vaginal or very little discharge).

Vaginal discharge continues to flow out. Colour of discharge varies. Usually when the unobservant owner sees it, it is sticky, yellowish. The female dog is good at licking off the discharge, so many owners misses the problem till the dog does not eat, becomes inactive and has too much vaginal discharge all over the floor.

4. As to spaying of the senior dog, what is the reason for your vet to stop at the 8th year? Does it mean he does not operate on any dog once they reach 8 years of age, including emergency and sick ones?

5. Every owner has to be aware of the anaesthetic risk of death during the surgery of the old dog. Obviously, an old dog that is not eating and sick is a poor risk. I hope I have answered all your questions.


----- Original Message ----
From: ...singnet.com.sg>
To: drsing@toapayohvets.com
Sent: Tuesday, 12 February 2008 1:08:01
Subject: RE: Spaying of Senior Dog

Dear Dr. Sing,

Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a wonderful Chinese New Year with your family and friends.

As you may recall, I wrote to you last October about spaying my senior dog,XXX. I've appended our most recent correspondence below.

XXX will be 9 years old this year. She had her menses from 23 September 2007 onwards and it lasted for around 19 days. 2 weeks after the time I thought her menses had stopped, I noticed some spotting. I brought her to the vet and as it was difficult for us to get a urine sample, the vet did a physical exam of her and thought that she was most probably having some kind of bacterial infection. She was prescribed 2 kinds of medication (I don't remember the names now), one was to stop the bleeding, and the other one was antibiotics to treat whatever the suspected bacteria infection might be. I have consulted my vet a couple of times about whether or not to spay XXX, and while he gave me the pros and cons, he did mention that their clinic drew the line at 8 years for spaying female dogs, so they won't consider doing that for her. Anyway, there were no other symptoms and XXX didn't seem uncomfortable in any way. The spotting went away.

Then around 2 days ago I noticed some bloody discharge from XXX's vagina. She licks herself there more often, but again doesn't behave any differently. The discharge is a very watery bloody fluid, and it isn't so much that it stains a lot, at least for now. It is barely 5 months since her last menses. Can this be her menses again? I read online that dogs sometimes have menses every 6 months, but my hubby recalls that XXX has menses only once a year, and sometimes she doesn't bleed at all, so he thinks she missed her cycle.

What could this mean? Can it be some kind of urinary tract infection? But the blood isn't in her urine and XXX doesn't seem to be straining when she urinates. She still goes to her newspapers as usual.

I would really appreciate your kind advice. Thank you once again.

Best regards,
Name



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----Original Message-----
From: Dr Sing KY [mailto:ezyvets@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 6:27 PM
To: ....@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Re: Spaying of Senior Dog

Good evening to you. See my reply in CAPITALS BELOW.

...@singnet.com.sg> wrote:

Good morning Dr. Sing:

Here's what I meant to say about my dog wetting herself..

> HOW TO GO TO THE PEE TRAY WHEN SHE CANNOT PEE ONTO IT?
> SHE HAS A PAD, REMEMBER?
>
> > But she didn't like feeling the wetness in the pants
> > after she did that, after a few times, she learned.

( From this case study, the success to the toilet training method for the older dog - Let the older dog wear pad for say, some 3 hours. As the dog does not like the wetness of the pad, she will control her bladder till the pad is taken out and she pees on the newspapers. Say "pee here" and praise.

This method appears to be successful for older male dogs too, according to my groomer, Mark who seldom wants to share his toilet training secrets with me as this is his livelihood!"

>
> CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT. YOU MEAN
> SHE CAN STILL PEE ON THE PEE TRAY WITH PADS ON?

--> I understand she has more frequent urination during her menses, and she used to not be able to wait till I took off her pants during those times I thought she would pee, so she would just squat down and pee when she has the pants on. But when she saw that she would have to wear the wet pad for a while until I changed her, she learned to wait till I took off her pants and then she knew it was okay for her to pee.

Finally, here's the last part of my previous email that was truncated.

3) Separation Anxiety

My dog follows me around the house but doesn't disturb me when I'm home. When we take naps or sleep at night, she has her own bed on our bedroom floor. She doesn't disturb us, but just wants to be around us (me). The thing is we have to leave her alone during the day when we are working, so she is often alone in the balcony behind the closed sliding glass doors for 8 hours or so until I come home in the evenings. She senses we have returned even from the time we come out of the carpark which is right in front of our block and starts barking continuously when we are coming up the steps.


The barking usually stops when we enter our flat and then my husband scolds her for being noisy.
DID SHE TURN ON HER BACK AND PEES A FEW DROPS WHEN SCOLDED BY THE HUSBAND?


However, there are times when I come home alone and she doesn't bark at all until I have entered the house, and even then it is just a few barks sort of like greeting me, not continuous or very distressed sounding like when my husband and I come home.

BARKING BEHAVIOUR IS FORMED FROM YOUR AND YOUR HUSBAND'S REACTIONS DURING THE PAST e.g. barking for attention and getting attention/rewards/praises.

HARD TO ANALYSE WHY YOUR DOG BARKS DIFFERENTLY IN DIFFERENT ENCOUNTERS.

When I turn around to face her, she will always be wagging her tail furiously, begging to come out.

What do you think about her barking behaviour?

SHE MAY DISLIKE STRONG-WILLED MAN LIKE YOUR HUSBAND AND/OR THE MALE GENDER.
DURING HER FEAR IMPRINT PERIOD (IMPRESSIONABLE TIME), she had a bad experience with the male gender (e.g. naughty boys pulling her tail etc.). So, she behaves angrily at males.

I had an interesting case similar to your situation. I had written one such case at:
http://bekindtopets.blogspot.com/2007/09/61-small-but-all-male-homo-sapiens.html



Why does it seem that she behaves differently when it is my husband and us coming home, or me coming home alone?

SOME BARKING RESPONSES YOU GAVE PREVIOUSLY HAVE HAD BEEN REINFORCED BY YOU AND HUSBAND, ACCOUNTING FOR THE PRESENT TYPE OF BARKING BEHAVIOUR. Hard to tell. Seems like attention-getting type of bark.

Since she regards my husband as the dominant leader, why does she bark more when it's him coming back?

SUBMISSIVE FEMALE DOGS DON'T BARK AT DOMINANT LEADERS usually. She will turn on her back and pees.

She doesn't bark when my husband come home alone and I'm already at home with her.

HARD TO EXPLAIN. SHE MAY BE PRE-OCCUPIED OR DISTRACTED BY YOUR ATTENTION.

Once again, I really appreciate your generous and wonderful advice. This means a lot to pet owners like myself who want to understand their dogs more.

I look forward to hearing from you once again. Have a great day.

Thank you so much and best regards,
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--- Dr Sing KY wrote:

> I guess you do lots of writing in your present career.
> Are you a writer or in the mass communication
> business?
> My replies to you are in CAPITAL LETTERS BELOW.
>
> --- .... wrote:
>
> > Dear Dr. Sing:
> >
> > Thank you so much for your kind advice on the
> > situation, especially your taking time to answer my
> > email before rushing to work this morning.
> >
> > Here are my thoughts on your very systematic pros &
> > cons of whether or not to spay my dog.
> >
> > YES.
> > > 1. Prevention of breast cancers and womb
> > infections,
> > > but not all intact female dogs get this problem.
> > Only
> > > that the probability is higher for intact females.
> >
> > I will ensure that my dog gets regular checkups at
> > the vet. Only issue now is finding one vet/clinic
> > we will stick to since my dog hasn't gone to the vet
> > in so many years haha!
> >
> > > 2. Unwanted puppies/dogs being put to sleep or
> > > abandoned. This does not apply to your situation.
> >
> >
> > I will try every means possible to make sure my dog
> > isn't accidentally mated. I would of course love to
> > have her puppies, but I think she's too old to go
> > through pregnancy at this age.
>
> FEMALE DOGS OVER 6 YEARS OLD ARE ADVISED NOT TO BREED,
> GENERALLY.
> >
> > Are female dogs fertile only when they are on heat?
>
> YES.
>
> > Do they have urges and want to mate when they are
> > not on heat?
>
> NO. SOME 'MATING' BEHAVIOUR SEEN COULD BE DUE TO
> DOMINANCE BEHAVIOUR.
>
>
> If my dog gets humped by a male dog
> > (whether or not she wants it) when she is not on
> > heat, will she get pregnant?
> >
> NO
>
> > > 3. Dirtying the house with blood stains every 6
> > > months. This problem does not bother you.
> >
> > Yes, I let my dog run about the house even when she
> > is having her menses. Only thing is I wipe her
> > before she sits down on her bed, but all these
> > problems are solved with the sanitary pants.
> > Amazing thing is one night she managed to get the
> > pants off! This is the kind with a buckle strap and
> > the pants/buckle were intact next to her bed the
> > next morning haha! I didn't scold her or anything
> > but kept the pants on and took them off only when
> > she has her food or needs to relieve herself, so she
> > learned very fast. She struggled when I tried to
> > put on the pants at first, but later on, she would
> > even stand still to let me strap on the pants!!
> >
> GOOD TEACHER. YOU MUST BE GIVING HER LOTS OF PRAISES
> AS REWARDS.
>
> > > 4. Urine marking making the residence smell
> > strongly
> > > of urine. Very rare in female dogs. Your sounds
> > like a
> > > submissive urination case and not an alpha female.
> > > Does she pee when excited or greeting you?
> >
> > Oh she is the sweetest and gentlest dog. She doesnt
> > even struggle when you try something new on her e.g.
> > tying her hair. Last night she won over our
> > long-time lady friend who has been terrified of dogs
> > all her life, but our friend was so smitten was our
> > dog that she took so many pictures together so that
> > she can use it as her handphone wallpaper.
> >
> > My dog is very afraid of my husband because he uses
> > a loud and disciplinary tone when he talks to her.
> > Nowadays he isn't fierce to her anymore, but she is
> > still a little scared of him, so she often pees when
> > he is trying to pick her up to put her back in the
> > balcony.
>
> SUBMISSIVE URINATION. YOUR DOG WANTS TO APPEASE YOUR
> HUSBAND SO THAT SHE WILL NOT BE BITTEN (THIS IS WHAT
> SHE WILL DO IF SHE LIVES IN THE PACK OF DOGS. YOUR
> HUSBAND IS HER PACK LEADER. You may be the subordinate
> or at most an equal. )
>
> No problems with me though ... I know she
> > won't follow me when she knows I need to go to work,
> > so we have to put her in the balcony, so I just pick
> > her up and hold her all the way from upstairs to
> > downstairs balcony, with lots of hugs and patting of
> > course.
> >
> > Oh I must share with you this about her toilet
> > training. We sleep in the upstairs bedroom and her
> > urine area is downstairs in the balcony. When I
> > wake up to go to work in the morning, I used to have
> > to carry her from her bed, put her in the balcony,
> > close the sliding doors, and make sure she has
> > relieved herself before letting her out again.
> > Nowadays she knows when I have got out of bed, but
> > she stays in her bed. I go downstairs to do my
> > stuff and soon enough I hear her running down the
> > stairs, she usually comes to see where I am, and
> > then either she runs herself to the balcony or I
> > tell her verbally to go pee pee, she runs to
> > balcony, pees, comes out, and waits for me to wipe
> > her. Then she will wait for me to go back up
> > together to the bedroom.
> >
> > There are times when the dog has run up herself to
> > rest in her bed and wait there for me when we have
> > guests at our place till very late at night.
>
> SEEMS TO BE TOILET TRAINED. SHOULD BE AT 8 YEARS OR
> SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG.
> >
> > > 5. Skin disease affected by hormonal imbalance.
> >
> > I will monitor her skin condition. Not a problem
> > since I was terrified of dogs all my life until I
> > decided to take care of her, so I read up online
> > about grooming dogs and so now I groom her myself
> > and bathe her weekly.
>
> I GUESS YOU WERE BITTEN/LEAPT UPON BY A DOG WHEN YOU
> WERE YOUNG.
> >
> > > 6. False pregnancy. Dog gets moody, aggressive,
> > not
> > > eating and other behaviour.
> >
> > I didn't sense any change in her temperament during
> > her recent heat. Only thing was more frequent
> > urination and she even wet the pad in the sanitary
> > pants without bothering to go to her urine tray.
>
> HOW TO GO TO THE PEE TRAY WHEN SHE CANNOT PEE ONTO IT?
> SHE HAS A PAD, REMEMBER?
>
> > But she didn't like feeling the wetness in the pants
> > after she did that, after a few times, she learned.
>
> CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT. YOU MEAN
> SHE CAN STILL PEE ON THE PEE TRAY WITH PADS ON?
> >
> > For her, the motivation is what she needs to do in
> > order to be let out to be with us, so she tries her
> > best to learn the behaviour expected of her ...
> >
>
>
>
> > > NO.
> > > 1. Breast cancer and infection of the womb can be
> > > detected if you take the trouble every week to
> > check
> > > your dog and get her examined by your vet 6
> > monthly
> > > during the senior years.
> >
> > OK I will make sure my dog gets regular checkups.
>
> OBSERVE FOR CHANGE OF BLOOD COLOUR AND CONSISTENTCY.
> USUALLY BAD VAGINAL DISCHARGE IS YELLOWISH, STARCHY
> AND SMELLY IN PYOMETRA (WOMB INFECTION).
> >
> > > Or at least yearly. As puppies, there is plenty of
> > > attention. As older dogs, many owners just forget
> > > about them, esp. their dental infections and other
> > > problems.
> >
> > My dog does have bad breath. I heard that most older
> > dogs have bad breath. I am just starting to get her
> > used to brushing teeth, but it's not easy training
> > such an old dog ha ha! Other than toothpaste, are
> > the dental water products (those that you add to
> > their water) any help in preventing bad breath?
>
> YOUR DOG NEEDS DENTAL SCALING AND CHECK UP BY YOUR
> VET.
>
> I wonder how people in the past managed this when they
> > didn't have the habit of brushing their dogs' teeth,
> > yet the dog lived till old age ...
> >
> > > NO TIME FOR YOUR DOG - PYOMETERA (womb infection)
> > in
> > > older female dogs.
> >
> > This is my main concern that made me think seriously
> > about whether or not to spay my dog.
> >
> > However I believe I can decide now that you've
> > kindly laid out the pros and cons for me. I don't
> > think I'll spay my dog, but I'll be extra diligent
> > in monitoring her condition.
> >
> > There are a few more questions I would like to check
> > with you though:
> >
> > 1) My dog tears often and has dried-up eye shit
> > along her fur from the eyes all the way down to
> > almost the nose.
> >
> > Is tearing common?
>
> YES, IN SOME BREEDS LIKE THE POODLES AND MALTESE.
> >
> > 2) She also pants a lot sometimes. If at home, she
> > tends to want to sit on the floor under the fan. So
> > I guess she pants at those times because she's hot.
> > However, there are times when I hold her in the
> > front passenger seat and she snuggles up to me, the
> > aircon is on but we can hear her panting. Why would
> > that be since the aircon is on and she shouldn't be
> > hot? She didn't seem distressed or anything. And
> > after a while she would seem to be ok.
>
> ANXIETY PROBABLY
> >
> > 3) Separation Anxiety
> >
> > My dog follows me around the house but doesn't
> > disturb me when I'm home. When we take naps or
> > sleep at night, she has her own bed on the floor in
> > our bedroom. Again she doesn't disturb us, but just
> > wants to be around us (me). The thing is we have to
> > leave her alone during the day when we are working,
> > so she is often alone in the balcony behind the
> > closed sliding glass doors for 8 hours or so until I
> > come home in the evenings. She senses we have
> > returned even from the time we come out of the
> > carpark which is right in front of our block and
> > starts barking continuously when we are coming up
> > the steps. The barking usually stops when we enter
> > our flat and then my husband scolds her for being
> > noisy.
> >
> > However, there are times when I come home alone and
> > she doesn't bark at all until I have entered the
> > house, and even then it is just a few barks, not
> > continuous
> === message truncated ===
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> IT.
>
>
>
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12. Success in toilet training -- floor grate with pee pan.

"Believe me, all sorts of masking tape had been used to ensure that the Miniature Schnauzer cannot shred the newspapers," the young man said. Half of the playpen floor was covered with newspapers which are taped at all 4 sides. Still the puppy shreds them. So, paper training was not possible for one month.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I bought a floor grate with pee pan below from another pet shop. Put urine smell on the pee pan and put the whole set inside the playpen. Now the puppy just eliminate on the floor grate. No more dirty paws," the owner was satisfied with the solution.

Shredding papers is a common complaint of many pups home alone. In this case, the floor grate with pee pan resolves the problem.

The owner remarked, "The Miniature Schnauzer would stand upright, front legs against the playpen to poop onto the floor grate. Is this normal?"

"No," I said. "A pup will squat to eliminate. He does not want to step onto the soiled floor grate."

"I don't think so," the owner thought it was part of the personality of the puppy or breed to stand and poo.



It is difficult for the puppy to communicate with us that he does not want to dirty his paws. The urine in the floor grate may be soiled, according to his highly developed sense of smell. The owner would not think so as the urine would have had flowed into the pee pan.

"The only support for my saying this is that another owner with the same situation and breed has the same behaviour of the puppy standing upright against the playpen panel to poop onto the floor grate."

It is a pity I don't have the pictures.

11. Success in toileting training 2 sibling pups: Show them where to go constantly

"How's the toilet training of 2 siblings?" I asked as the couple brought in one cocker spaniel X poodle with a big swollen nictitans glands almost popped out of the 3rd eyelid.

"After 2 weeks of indiscriminate elimination in the kitchen, the 2 siblings now go to the crate with the pee pan below. We put newspapers on the pee pan and sprayed some urine smell onto the papers. Now they go to the crate to eliminate. The floor grate will drain the urine onto the pee pan while we pick up the poos."

It sounded so easy.

"How do you make the 2 pups look for the crate when they need to pee and poo?" I asked for the secret of success.

"We watch for signs of elimination closely and diligently --- sniffing, squatting down --- carry the pup into the crate every time. After some time, they just go into the crate."

So, show them where to go and constantly is the method.

"But pups are clean creatures. How does one sibling avoid stepping onto the poo of the other?" I asked.

"The pups side-step the soiled area by twisting and turning. The door is centrally located. We ensure that the door is open by hooking it open so that they can access the crate anytime and clean up the floor grate's poop soon after they eliminate" the couple was kind enough to share the secrets of success.

"How big is the crate?" I asked. "Must be a big one to accommodate 2 pups."

The dimensions of the crate is 3 feet x 2.5 feet. That is quite spacious. The water bottle hangs at the right side.



As for the popped out "cherry eye", it will take some time to reduce in size as no surgery is possible to tack it back. It is largely swollen and a scratch mark is seen on its surface.

"Keep this injured sibling away from the other for the next 7 days," I said. "Tether one away from the other.

"We don't have 2 crates," the couple wondered how they are going to resolve the problem of toilet training inside the crate as both pups share the same feed bowl! They presently confine the 2 siblings in the kitchen and balcony. How to extend their area and still make sure they go to the crate toilet area?

"Increase the area to roam into the living area for the siblings gradually using the puppy gate," I would have advised but we were focused on the cherry eye.