Success Story: A dwarf Shih Tzu is "confined to barracks".

SUCCESS STORY:
PAPER-TRAINED INSIDE A CRATE IN 4 WEEKS

Sunday July 22, 2007

"When my mum who is very firm or when nobody is around, the puppy will pee all over the apartment," the couple in their late twenties said. "But he knows how to go to the newspaper to poo. It is just that he pees around 10X per day and cannot make it to the newspaper in the utility room (away from the kitchen).

The HDB has an extended room during upgrading. This utility room is very small, not sufficient size to put in a single bed. The puppy was given free access in the apartment but mess up everywhere for the first 4 weeks. The owner bought a crate and confined him especially at night. By the 4th week when I saw him, he was paper-trained successfully.

The newspapers were put on the pee pan. Normally the pee pan is placed below the wire flooring of the crate so that urine and poo could drop through the flooring into the crate, keeping the puppy's lower body clean.

However, the owner felt that the wire flooring gaps may trap the paws. So he put the pee pan inside the crate. 3/4 of the pee pan would be newspapers (1/2 page of the Straits Times, measuring 35x58cm. The puppy sleeps on the 1/4 area on the right side (see picture).

As most puppies want to keep their sleeping area clean, this dwarf Shih Tzu has no choice but to pee and poo on the newspapers on the left side. When the papers are soiled, he will bark to ask the owner to change them.

"The puppy is growing. He needs a bigger area," I advised.

"I thought of buying 3 panels of fences to wall off an area outside the gate," the young man said.

"It is a good idea," I said. "In this case, put some newspapers outside so that the puppy has a 2nd toilet location. Or he may sleep outside and the crate is his toilet area."

I don't know whether the owner will extend the crate area. Another way is just to get a pee pan with newspapers and urine smell (use second sheet of soiled newspapers) and put it somewhere in the living area or corridor outside the bathroom so that the puppy can run to it when the other toilet area is soiled.




Shih Tzu, male, tricolour
Born: April 6, 2007
Now 15 weeks old.
1.8 kg, like a dwarf. He should be heavier at 3.5 months of age.
Been with owner for last 8 weeks, but still "not toilet-trained because he pees anywhere in the living room and bedroom".

REASONS
1. Newspaper is too far away.
2. Newspaper is half the page of the Straits Times. So he "misses his target."
3. Crate with pee pan below and door. However, the owner is worried about his paws being caught on the wire flooring. Therefore, the pee pan is placed onto the wire flooring. Newspapers cover 3/4 of the pee pan leaving right 1/4 for the puppy to sleep.
4. Whenever the paper is soiled, the puppy barks to ask for change.



SOLUTIONS
1. "If the puppy is not toilet trained after being with the owner for 2 months, there is a need to know why," I said.

1.1 Reasons:

In the first month, the owner thought it was cruel to crate the puppy. So he eliminates in the kitchen. But mum wants the kitchen floor to be clean. So,the owner bought a crate with pee pan. The mum cleans the kitchen floor thoroughly with Dettol and it was said to be better than the spray bought from a pet shop.

In the last 4 weeks, the crate was successfully used. The puppy has been confined inside, esp. at night. The door is left open and the puppy goes inside to poop and pee.

"He is a clean puppy and will bark if the papers are soiled."

2. Extension of the sleeping area by putting up 3 panels of fences outside the crate. This was the owner's idea. Good. But there should be a gap for the puppy to go out. Most likely the puppy will sleep outside the crate in the extension area. The extension area can be used as an extra toilet location.

3. "We don't know that there is a need for a second toilet location," the young man told me. Put newspapers in the living room. The puppy is able to pee on newspapers but the one inside the kitchen may be too far away.

4. URINE SMELL. The owner does this: Tissue paper dabbled with puppy's urine is put in between the newspapers earlier on.

Newspaper covers 3/4 of the pee pan (on left). Puppy sleeps on 1/4 on right and has his chew toys scuh as pig ears

5. SIGNS OF ELIMINATION like turning and sniffing.Owner will quickly take a newspaper and put the puppy on it.

6. ACCIDENTS. Owner makes the puppy smell his urine in accident area and scold him. Not effective.

7. Pee pan + newspaper in the living area may be effective. "I thought of only one toilet location," the man said.

"Two will be better as the puppy does not like to use soiled papers.

8. MISSING THE TARGET NEWSPAPERS. Pees outside the edge.
Quite a common complaint. "You put the tissue with puppy urine in the centre of the papers. When he smells it, his legs will be outside since this is only half a page of the Straits Time. So, the puppy misses target!"

9. PAPER TOO SMALL IN AREA. Needs to increase size to full page instead of 1/2 page as the puppy is growing.

In this case, as the Shih Tzu is a dwarf, the crate and pee pan housing was sufficient area for toilet-training. Confinement to the crate for the past 4 weeks was a key to success. Now, the puppy should be given another pee pan with newspapers (urine from 2nd sheet) as a 2nd toilet location so that he needs not bark for owners to change the soiled papers. Sometimes the owners are not at home. The Shih Tzu then need not be "confined to barracks". In this case, the barracks are the crate.



P.S. "barracks" = extremely plain or uniform housing. Soldiers are "confined to barracks" when there is a possibility of military coup?

3. New mother is well read.

The 4th Shih Tzu puppy licked the muscle relaxant cream from the tube used by the new mother's mum who helped her to babysit.

"Mum's hand gets sprained after carrying my baby," she told me. Now the puppy is very quiet. Could she be poisoned by the salicylate in the cream? The owner had rinsed the puppy's mouth.

An examination did not reveal much. The rectal temperature dropped from 39.1C to 38.4C over the next 30 minutes at the surgery.

"How is it like to be a full-time mum?" I asked her. She was a human resource assistant managing over 400 staff and their overwhelming demands for attention and explanation. She quit after 8 years as workload increased considerably. The company did not want to recruit more staff to help her.

It was a loss to the company as her network is extensive.

"What books do you read to help you be a good mum?" I asked. She is in her 30s and well informed. These are her recommendations:

1. No Cry Sleep Solution - Elizabeth Panley - Page One bookshop at Vivo City.
2. Good Night Sleep Tight - Kim West - Page One bookshop at Vivo City.
3. babysupplies.com forum.
4. Asian Parenting Today Book. Most appropriate than baby books written by Westerners, she said.
5. babycenter.com


"How about your husband?" I asked.
He does not seem to need to read such books.

"I read Dr Benjamin Spock," I said to her. "That was 20 years ago. Have you heard of this famous doctor well known in the U.S.?"

She shook her head.

2. A Galloping Pug. Can a paper-shredding, furniture destroying, house-trained hyperactive 1.5-year-old Pug be paper-trained?

DRAFT

Friday July 20, 2007.

"I bought a pug because pugs are quiet dogs," the lady owner controlled this 1.5-year-old male brown-black masked pug from charging away. He was like a racehorse ready to jump out of the starting gate. A choke chain was used to control him.

"Maybe he had Jack Russell blood," I could not believe that this pug was no more a puppy but behaving juvenile. When let free in the apartment, he would chew sofa, shoes and ripped down the curtains. He would pee and poop too.

So, for the past 6 months, he was confined to the playpen most of the day when the owner worked. He was purchased from a Sembawang farm when he was nearly one year old.
He was kept in a crate with concrete floors for up to one year old.

In the owner's house, the playpen is put against the kitchen wall. A plastic pee pan with newspapers on it is placed near the wall in the back half of the area.

"A water bottle hung from the right-hand-side of the cage.

"Why don't you use a water bowl?" I asked. Water bowl may be easier to lap water from.

"A water bowl is not used because this pug played with the bowl and spilling the water," the owner said.

The bottom half of the area was the tiled floor. He sleeps on the newspapers in the pee pan. The owner wanted him to pee and poop on the newspapers in the pee pan.

"Why not cover the playpen floor with newspapers since you want to paper-train him? Then gradually reduce the newspapers covering the floor. In theory, put newspapers on the area where he eliminates. In that way, you will have paper-trained him."

"It is easier said than done," the owner shook her head. "The pug shredded up all the newspapers."

He would NOT eliminate in this playpen (outside the pee pan area) except when:

1. The lady's father came home. "He could be seeking attention," the lady said. "He does not eliminate if I am home in the evening to take him out for exercise."

2. The lady did not come back on time in the evening or it was raining.

"He always has a reserve of urine in his bladder," the lady observed. "He would pee inside the apartment as if he is left free when I am at home. I restricted water intake like the dog tainer advised and gave him a routine. But still he could not be paper-trained!"

I said, "At his age, he has full control of his bladder and usually pees 1-2X/day. He is marking his territory, using urine." The owner seems to think that the pug is not toilet-trained. But urine-marking is a male behaviour of dogs to mark his territory to warn off other dogs.

FEEDING. Inside the playpen at 7 a.m and 7 p.m. After sleeping in his plastic carrier crate (chew toys, bed) overnight, he would be keen to have his breakfast inside the playpen at around 7a.m.

"After eating, he would avoid being trapped inside the playpen. He would hide under the dining table and no food treats would entice him to come out. The playpen was open with 3 panels hooked, but the pug would never be tricked by treats to come out from hiding if he knew he would be put into the playpen when I go to work." the owner said it was a problem trying to catch him to be put inside the playpen.



WHAT THE OWNER WANTS
1. The owner wants him to be paper-trained.
2. But he shreds newspapers.

HOW TO DO IT?
I suggest re-starting the toilet-training using either the tether method or the room confinement method (playpen opened inside a room) for at least 4 weeks. Since the common bathroom was available and the lady is able to spend full-time, this method may be preferred.

1. PRESENT ROUTINE

7 am breakfast in the playpen. If no elimination 1 hour after eating, the owner brings him outdoors. He eliminates outdoors. Owner goes to work. Pug put inside playpen to avoid destruction of the apartment furniture.

7 pm dinner in the playpen. If no elimination 1 hour after eating, the owner brings him outdoors. He eliminates outdoors. He never eliminates inside the playpen if the owner comes home on time. However, if the owner's father is present, he does it deliberately to get attention. I suspect he just wanted to get out of the playpen.

2. PROPOSED ROUTINE.

Confine pug inside the bathroom for the next 2-8 weeks. A baby-gate at the door permits him to see people.

Same time for breakfast and dinner. When he eliminates, praise and give him a food treat (he is very greedy for treats except when after breakfast when he knows he would be put inside the playpen so that the owner goes to work.).

Do not let him go outdoors till he has eliminated. Observe him inside the bathroom.

Pee pan covered with newspapers with one piece having his urine smell. The rest of the bathroom floor is initially covered with newspapers. He will shred them. Disinfect floor with white vinegar:water 1:2 those areas he had "accident" except for the pee pan.

(An idea. Gather some grass and soil and put onto the pee pan with newspaper and his urine so that the dog smells as if he was outdoors at the grass patch to eliminate. Will this work? I did not mention this to the owner).

He may or may not lie down on the pee pan and the newspapers as this was his old routine.

NEUTERING
"Neutering may make him less hyperactive," the owner had brought in the dog for the operation this morning. I was asking her about the toilet training as part of my research and was surprised to learn that the owner wanted him to be paper-trained.

In this case, the pug had been "house-trained". This is what the dog book authors define "house-training." To convert an adult dog from being house-trained to being paper-trained takes a lot of time.

"Usually a paper-trained pug waits till he comes home to eliminate," I told the owner. "He does not want to do it outdoors."

Now, this pug defines the home and outdoors as his territory. His plastic pee pan with newspapers and the carrier crate are his den. Dogs are territorial.

"Will neutering stops his urine-marking?" the lady asked.



"It is not guaranteed as you have had delayed the operation for too long," I said. "If it is done at around 6 months of age, at the start of urine-marking, chances are good that this anti-social habit will disappear after neutering."

"I thought it is cruel, so I did not do it," she said.

"Many Singaporeans and pet lovers think the same way," I empathised.

Now that the owner is full-time on training him, it is possible that she may succeed in 4-8 weeks time. But the pug would not be allowed to come out of the bathroom till he has eliminated on the newspapers. Praise and food treat need to be given. Later, remove the baby-gate and he is supposed to go to the bathroom to eliminate. So much for theory.

The pug was neutered today and stayed overnight at the Surgery without charge. But his urine-marking behaviour may still exists despite neutering. He will be less high-energy than before as his testosterone levels have diminished. This was what the owner initially wanted.


It is fortunately that the pug is not an alpha dog. An alpha wants to dominate and be the leader. He may bite the lady owner. This male pug does not bite anyone and is more interested in claiming his terrority at home by urine marking.

He had been house-trained in the sense that he eliminates downstairs. The lady owner had to work during the past 6 months. So, she waited one hour and since he did not eliminate in his pee pan, she took him downstairs. The pug eliminates downstairs and urine marks. After that, the routine is set. So he does not get paper-trained despite confinement in the playpen during the daytime.

Basics of toilet training for a puppy/dog.

1) Confinement - Put the dog in a small area (a crate, playpen pen or a small room) when he is not supervised. So he can't eliminate in the apartment.

2) Routine - Depending on the age, use the formula N-1 where N=age of dogs in months, as a guideline, to let the dog out of the crate or small area.

E.g. 3-month-old. Every 2 hours, bring the dog to the toilet area (newspaper with urine smell, pee pad or the grass patch outdoors). It should be immediately to 30 minutes after eating esp. in the morning. Do not leave it unsupervised until he is toilet trained.

Signs of elimination --- squatting, sniffing, turning --- carry to toilet area or outdoors for a puppy. Do not crate for more than 6 hours a day for puppies older than 6 months. Get a pet sitter.

3) Positive Reinforcement Training - Praise the dog for doing his business at the right place.

4) "Accidents" --- Do not spank the dog as he does not know why unless you catch him eliminating in the wrong place. Some owners make the dog smell the pee and take him to the toilet area, assuming the dog knows what he has done wrong. Over time, it seems to work. But it is better to supervise the dog closely and prevent "accidents" by watching for signs of elimination.

Neutralise urine smell in "accident areas" with white vinegar:water or products from the pet shop. Poop smell may not be easily neutralised.

1. Success story: The Superclean Dad. How to paper-train 4 pups by 10 weeks old

DRAFT


Sunday July 15, 2007

As I had time to chat, I asked about toilet training, not expecting much success. But I was surprised. This couple did succeed in paper-training all 4 Shih Tzu pups by 10 weeks of age.

"They follow their mother to use the newspapers as toilet," the wife said. Well, not as simple as that.

A young couple in their early 30s. One newborn baby. First-time home-breeder.
2 Shih Tzu, Male & Female around 2-3 years old.
10-week old Shih Tzus, 2M,2F, came for 2nd vaccination.
3 sold at $500/pup to screened customers as they are the wife's "babies".

"The Male Dog is a superclean dog!" the wife said. "At 2-3 am, he will bark to wake us up to cover up the soiled newspapers if he has had peed. The puppies are quite fussy about cleanliness as they grow up".


HOUSING - Kitchen only. Puppies are never allowed out of the kitchen or get into the bathroom near the kitchen. Wet bathroom floors dirty the puppy's feet too. So, kitchen is the only location.

1. During first 4 weeks. Puppies annd mum confined to the dam's playpen which consists of 2 panels of fences x 1 panel of fence. The sire's playpen is adjacent and has 1 x 1 panel of fence and towel.

2. Newspapers are to the left of the playpen in both cases. In the dam, the papers are spread out in 3 layers. The width of the papers will be 1.5 the paper width. That is, 1 paper's left half overlaps the other paper's right half. When soiled, simply cover up by folding the paper over the soiled area. Change when necessary.

2.1 2 toilet locations for puppies. Newspapers placed to the left of the dam's playpen and near the kitchen door which is barricaded by panel of playpen fences.

3. Wife has been full-time at home for last 10 weeks and able to train the puppies.
Initially puppies dirty the playpen but at 4 weeks, goto newspapers like mum. In first 2 weeks, mum cleaned them.

4. Feeding - mum 4-5X. Puppies 2X. Puppies weaned at 4th week onto milk powder, oats and dry puppy feed. Feeding bowl is taken away. It is kept near the right hand side (bed area).

5. Water bottle from front of playpen. No problem with water bowl too.

6. Elimination. Adult dogs wait till evening when husband come home. To eliminate on papers. If papers soiled, puppies rush to the 2nd toilet (newspapers near kitchen door). Eliminate overnight sometimes. Papers changed in the morning. Male will bark at 2-3 am to wake up owner to cover soiled papers.

6.1 Urine spraying by male dog. The owners "angled" the newspapers. One half is clipped to cover the side of the playpen fence (which separates the dam from the male pen. Cloth pegs tie up this partition so that the male dog can lift his leg and spray urine without dirtying the female bed (which is to the immediate left of the male playpen). This was a neat idea.

Adult dogs will eliminate only in the newspapers in the kitchen.



Yesterday, a buyer came. Puppy ran to newspaper under living area table to pee. This proves that it is successfully paper trained as puppies seek newspapers all the time.

Buyers will have NO problem. However, in my experience, when they bring the puppy home, buyers have their own housing floor plan, let puppy roam whole apartment as they deem it cruel to crate the puppy. Paper training and feed routine may not be explained to the buyer. So toilet training problems start for new owners in many cases.

Owner will e-mail me pictures. Need to follow up.

"The sire is a superclean dog," the wife who had just given birth to a baby said. "He would not dirty his paws by going into the playpen of the dam and puppies."
The puppies also are clean (by nature and instinct). In the morning, they rush to toilet location (B) as the papers have had been soiled in the playpen. Mum and Dad usually eliminate in the afternoon when they know that the papers would be changed immediately. Just cover one end over the soiled papers --- that would do.

Knowledge by reading on toilet training is also very important. This young couple had done lots of reading. Books such as "Puppy Parenting" were borrowed from the National Library and its branches. Is there such a book?

The younger generation is so knowledgeable. The 3/4 puppies were sold at $500 each at the website, efair.com.sg or something like that. Soon, it will be difficult for pet shop operators to sustain their business profitability if home breeders and professional breeders sell directly to puppy buyers.



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To: Mark.
Blogger.com.

I can put in the table in blogger.com, by writing html. But I am unable to put it in a location on the page I want too. Hence a big gap below the paragraph. Can you solve this problem?

Adults	Pups, 2M, 2F
2-3 years old	10 weeks old
7 p.m when owner home	Papers, unknown