From: ...@hotmail.com>
Subject: first time dog owner enquiries
To: judy@toapayohvets.com
Date: Sunday, June 28, 2009, 5:49 PM
Hi Dr Sing
I read a lot about dog training on your website and they were extremely educational! Thank you for the useful advices.
I am a first time dog owner and is expecting my male golden retriever of 2 months old to arrive in about 2 weeks time. I have done alot of reading up and researchs. I am living in a 2 storey landed property. The playpen is made up of 4 corners in my porch, measuring about 150cm x 150cm. It's poop scoop will also be within the play pen but placed on the opposite side of the sofa bed since puppies love a clean area to sleep at. As it is still a puppy and untrained, i intend to lay the whole playpen area with only newspapers and poop scoop first. until it is toilet trained, i will introduce the sofa bed and replace the newspapers on the floor with rubber mat. IS THE POOP SCOOP A PEE-PAN?
As the following below are based on what i understand, please do correct me if I'm wrong.
1. We will try to make the journey (car ride) back home a pleasant one so as to ease the puppy's stress. Confine him to his play pen to let him familiarise with the new environment and strictly no rough play between 2-3days to prevent stress. Feed him at regular timings(3x/day, last meal and water at 7pm) from the start to estimate his elimination time. Whenever he's going to eliminate, quickly place him on the poo scoop (with toilet training aid sprayed on it) and firmly say 'pee here'. Reward/praise him if he has done so. If not, pat on his back and sternly say 'No'. Repeat this training as often as we can until he can successfully eliminate on the poo scoop himself. Till then, replace those newspapers on the floor with rubber mat. If he accidentally eliminate on wrong areas, use white vinegar and water(1:4) to remove smell.
KEEP TOILET TRAINING IN PLAY PEN SIMPLE.
I ADVISE THAT YOU COVER THE FLOOR AND THE POOP SCOOP (PEE PAN) 100% FOR THE FIRST 1-3 DAYS. SEE WHICH CORNER THE PUPPY ELIMINATES. REDUCE NEWSPAPERS TO THAT 'DIRTY AREA'. KEEP THE SLEEPING AREA VERY CLEAN. CHANGE PAPERS REGULARLY AND AS SOON AS IT IS SOILED.
*Is it okay if I do not clear up his accidental mess (before he is toilet trained) from 12am-8am since it's my sleeping time?
NOT OK BUT THIS IS NOT PRACTICAL ADVICE AS YOU NEED TO SLEEP. IF A PERSON CAN SLEEP NEAR THE PUPPY AND CHANGE THE SOILED PAPERS AT THAT TIME, THE PUPPY CAN BE PAPER-TRAINED SUCCESSFULLY IN <7 DAYS (IN SOME CASES).
Will his health be affected? NO
In what cases will the puppy eat or step on its own poo? How can we prevent this? AT FIRST 7 DAYS, IF YOU GIVE SUFFICIENT SPACE FOR THE PUPPY TO SLEEP, UNLIKELY TO STEP ON POO IN MOST CASES. EATING POO IS A HABIT IN A FEW PUPPIES. YOURS MAY NOT DO IT. PREVENTION IS BY REMOVAL OF POO IMMEDIATELY AND OTHER METHODS ARE NOT SO SUCCESSFUL.
2. After he feels comfortable and secure already(gets excited when he sees me), engage him with obedience trainings and daily walks around the neighbourhood. Call out his name frequently until he can look or respond to me, afterwhich reward him. Keep these trainings to 15mins each time, 3 times a day, since puppies have short concentration.
ROUTINE IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR PUPPIES AND CHILDREN TOO. GET A TIME TABLE TO DO THE FEEDING, EXERCISES AND TRAINING.
*Must we teach him to 'sit' on one day, 'stay' on another day or we can mix them together? Like teaching him how to 'sit' 'stay' 'go' in 1 day? Which is recommended?
MUCH DEPENDS ON THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE PUPPY. ALL 3 COMMANDS CAN BE DONE IN ONE DAY AT DIFFERENT TIMES
3. I dont intend to let the dog into my house. Do I train him similarly like the above? Pat him and say sternly 'No' if he tries to enter and reward him if he stay put? YES
Will he eventually try his luck to enter the house?
NO PUPPY WILL GIVE UP TRYING TO JOIN THE PACK LEADER (YOU) BUT IF YOU ARE FIRM AND HE IS INTELLIGENT, HE WILL NOT DO SO LATER.
Also, I have a 1.2m deep fish pond near the porch. I will use fences to block up the area if i remove him from play pen. Is there a fast and effective way to train him not to enter these areas?
NO QUICKIE METHOD UNFORTUNATELY. PUPPIES TAKES 2-4 WEEKS TO LEARN IF GIVEN LESSONS FREQUENTLY IN SHORT 5-10 MINUTES AND POSITIVE REWARDS (FOOD TREATS BEST).
The pond is quite an issue as I have an arowana which will definitely injure my dog if he falls in.
FENCE UP POND TO PREVENT PUPPY DROWNING
4. I dont intend to put him on leash him since he is still a puppy. I'll start to leash him up when he can jump out of the fence and start to chew on objects. I will also introduce the anti chew spray to minimise the damages on my properties. Until he is properly trained, knowing exactly where it is safe for him to wander about, I will not leash him up.
CRATE HIM AT ALL TIMES WHEN YOU ARE NOT AROUND TO SUPERVISE HIM.
*At what age will he start to chew on things
AS EARLY AS HE CAN CHEW, FROM WEEK 4 ONWARDS
and should be sterilized?
6 MONTHS OR 3 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST HEAT. THAT IS MY PERSONAL OPINION.
After sterilization, what are the changes in his temperaments, habits and lifestyle?
A MALE WILL BE LESS AGGRESSIVE OR WANTING TO URINE-MARK OR MOUNT OBJECTS. BOTH FEMALE AND MALES WILL BE LESS ACTIVE GENERALLY. IT DEPENDS ON OWNER AND PUPPY INTERACTIONS AND FEEDING. TOO MUCH TO EXPLAIN IN THIS EMAIL.
5. At what age should he start the heartworm prevention program? DEPENDS ON YOUR VET BUT GENERALLY AT BEFORE/AROUND 6 MONTHS.
To avoid ticks and fleas, it's best to avoid dirty and long grassy areas. It is best to comb and rub some powder on him after walks. CHECK PAWS FOR TICKS. DAILY GROOMING TO CHECK FLEAS AND TICKS.
6. Can I feed him with a small bowl of warm milk (the kind that i drink but with min lactose) every night before i go to sleep, which is around 10-11pm?
SOME PUPPIES WILL NOT GET DIARRHOEA WITH MILK BUT SOME DO. DEPENDS ON PUPPY'S STOMACH TOLERANCE TO MILK.
7. Can I feed him supplements (glucosamine750mg and chondroitin300mg, in liquid form) at such a young age? I intend to give him about 4ml a day together with his food.
SOME PREMIUM DOG FEED CLAIMS "COMPLETE DIET" AND NO NEED SUPPLEMENTS. BEST TO CHECK PUPPY FOOD YOU BUY.
8. If I want to change his diet, I can only add increasing amount of the new diet to his old diet each day until the old diet is completely replaced. The puppy might reject the food if i were to change completely. CHANGE SMALL AMOUNT E.G. 20% GRADUALLY OVER 2 WEEKS.
9. Allow the puppy to rest about an hour before taking him for a walk or play with him. DEPENDS ON YOUR ROUTINE/TIME-TABLE AND PUPPY'S HEALTH AND ENERGY AND TIME OF THE DAY.
10. I have a car parked in my porch. Usually, the owner returns at night and the engine sound is louder at night. Will it affect the puppy's hearing in long term? NO
Will he get scared during the first few days in my house? If so, how can I solve this problem? NERVOUS PERSONALITY TYPE WILL BE SCARED. OBSERVE AND SEE. BE AROUND WHEN THE CAR COMES INTO THE HOUSE AND GIVES ASSURANCE.
I will appreciate greatly if i can receive your reply soon. I can't wait for my puppy's arrival, at the same time, providing the best living condition for him at my place.
Hope to hear from you soon.
IN CONCLUSION, KEEP TOILET TRAINING SIMPLE AND GIVE A TIME-TABLE, POSITIVE TRAINING, 5-10 MINUTE OBEDIENCE TRAINING AND SPEND TIME WITH THE YOUNG ONE.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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