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.