22. Is the Maltese homesick?

"You returned the Maltese saying he was eating," the pet shop operator complained.
"But he was not eating at all." The puppy was admitted for not eating 3 days ago. He was probably homesick. Some small breeds like the Chihuahuas, Yorkshire Terriers Pomeranians and Maltese puppies do not adjust to new surroundings. So they do not eat the pet shop food. Blood sugar levels drop. They become drowsy. Looks like going to die.

I had to rush back to the Surgery to re-admit the Maltese. The pet shop girl had told her boss that the puppy was not eating. Well, he had eaten. His belly was full, according to the pet transport person whom I asked later.



The sibling of the Maltese (picture) was admitted for not eating as the pet shop girl discovered that the Maltese complained for not eating was all right. This sibling had some dry hacking cough. Not serious cough. But "hack...hack...hack" sounds could be heard at times as he tried to cough up nothing.

He was eating on the second day. After 3 days, he was back to the pet shop and eating normally.

21. Shih Tzu on the PPW

Shih Tzu, Male, Tricolour, 4 months

Daytime: Playpen in living room.
PPW on right upper corner. Water bottle on left lower corner. Feed bowl removed after eating.
Night-time sleep in bedroom.


Feed: 9am, 2pm, 7pm.
Poops at least 4 x: 6 hours after eating. Also between 12 midnight to 3 am.
Does not eat all food at once in 5-10 min if milk is given to soften the food. This explains why he poops so many times. Continuous eating.

Day 1: Pee outside the PPW. Soak newspapers with urine and bring him to smell it.

COMMUNICATION WITH OWNER:

Night-time. PPW inside the bedroom. Whines to wake up owner after midnight to change or clear stools.

Daytime. Does not whine inside the playpen.

Day 7: Freedom to roam the whole apartment.

Likes to eat stools. Use newspapers to smack the floor to frighten him. But no use. Clear away stools quickly.

Hiccups 30 seconds daily.
Too much gas in the stomach due to milk intolerance?
Dilute milk to 1/10th + canned food + water --- may help.

20. Pet shop's view on Pee Pan with Wire Flooring (PPW)

I asked the pet shop operator as to what is the use of the PPW?

He said:

1. It keeps the feet of the puppies clean as the urine falls onto the pee pan below. Stools are taken out by the owner or it drops onto the pee pan. The 8-12-week old puppy pees a lot of times but usually passes stools 2-5x per day. Stepping on urine makes the feet dirty.

2. Spray commercial urine spray onto the pee pan to attract the puppy to use PPW as the toilet location. Newspapers may also line the pee pan.

3. Put PPW on top of the newspapers. This is to encourage paper-training? Or prevent soiling of the floor tiles, I expect.

4. After eating, put the puppy onto of the PPW. See signs of elimination, put puppy on top of the PPW.

I need to add that the puppy should be confined to a small area. Otherwise, he may not use the PPW.

The picture of the PPW is in Case No. 19.

19. Pee Pan with Wire Flooring - Shih Tzu

Most owners do not know how to use the Pee Pan with Wire Flooring (PPW). The important thing to do is to confine the puppy in a small space so that it will eliminate on the PPW.

SHIH TZU, Female, 5 months old, the owner recounted how he toilet train her:

1. lst 2 days after purchase - eliminate all over the playpen. Dirty her body.
2. 2nd day, used the PPW mainly.
3. 3rd day, PPW + newspapers.
4. 7th day, let out to roam apartment at night. Pee everywhre.
7 days would be too early to be let out without supervision.



5. 21st day, use PPW 90% of the time.
6. Feedbowl taken away after eating. So, the puppy poops 2x/day after breakfast and dinner, within 2 hours.
The puppy usually poops less than 30 min after eating. This puppy was distracted by the owner playing with it. Best is to leave the puppy alone to poop before rewarding it with play and fun.

18*. Best Practice ---Golden Retriever sibling paper-trained and on target in 3 weeks.

BEST PRACTICE - 3 WEEKS TO SUCCESSFULLY PAPER-TRAINED

It was one of those coincidences to get to see the sibling of Case No. 17. This male Golden Retriever was purchased 1 week ago from the same pet shop compared to 2 weeks for the female.

The young man and his wife, in their early thirties know what to do, it seems to me.

"I bought the Alumimium Pee Pan as it is unbreakable," the young man told me. "I put newspapers on top of it and spray the commercial urine training aid spray." The puppy is inside the bathroom. A baby gate at the door allows the puppy to see people."

The puppy actually uses the Aluminium pee pan and newspapers to pee at one half and poop at the other half. This is the correct method in that the puppy does not want to soil his sleeping area. The sleeping area is just a small area between the pee pan and the shower room.

"We work around 9 hours. After work, we clean up the paws."



That is good.

Poops - after breakfast, afternoon 2x, after dinner. Poops almost immediately after eating. The puppy has no choice but to step onto the soiled papers and onto his pee.

However, his paws and body are cleaned by the young couple every day. The sleeping area is thoroughly mopped and cleaned in the morning and in the evening after work.

This puppy is also in an excellent skin condition. 2 or 3 areas of bacterial skin infection were seen. I gave them a shampoo to apply.
I feel rather sorry for the puppy. But then, he is pee-panned and paper-trained within 7 days. There is no space for him to mess around.

SOLUTIONS

What is the next step? Should the shower room be open for the puppy to use as a den? What will happen if the puppy is given a larger space?

As the couple is working, I advise larger floor area to be covered with new newspapers so that the puppy need not soil himself and get into a bad habit of being dirty.

I don't know whether this recommendation will work?

FOLLOW UP ON MONDAY DEC 18, 2006

Today, the puppy came in for vaccination. A happy couple in their thirties.
Paper-trained in 3 weeks. The procedure was as follows:

Week 1. Strictly confined in the master bathroom. Baby gate to see the owners who are both working. A radio is switched on so that the puppy can listen to human voices.

The trick in not peeing outside the pee pan is to spray the commercial spray at the far left corner of the tray. "In this case," the owner answered by question of off-target elimination, "the retriever has his body inside the pee pan. He will not be off-target. Always pee and poop onto the newspapers." Many owners spray the urine smell in the centre of the newspapers. So, the bigger breed puppy smells the spot and eliminates outside the newspapers.

Week 2. Master bedroom only. The puppy will go to the pee pan to eliminate and will not dirty the bedroom.

Week 3. Living area. Still he needs to be strictly supervised so that he will not regress. Is he 100% paper-trained? Yes. The puppy pees and poop on the newspaper in the friend's house.

Fed 2x/day. Bowl removed within 10 minutes of feeding.
Poops At week 3, he poops 5x per day compared to 6-7 times earlier.
Wake up, 5 minutes after eating, afternoon, before dinner and after dinner (major poop). Pee - unknown number of times.

Sleeping area. Still the bathroom floor as before.

Outdoors Prefers to eliminate on drain grating. Or grass.

SUCCESSFUL? Yes. At a friend's house, he pees and poops onto the newspapers.

17. Golden Retriever sibling in the kitchen - apartment

It was a coincidence to meet 2 siblings coming in for vaccination at almost the same time on this Sunday afternoon. Both were from Australia and sold by the same pet shop.

"How's her toilet training ?" I asked the owner in his late forties.
"She has an attitude problem," the owner said.

I wonder what is the meaning of "attitude problem" as this seemed to be a common term used by Singaporeans. Does it mean that she does what she likes?

"She pees outside the Pee Pan, sometimes on the floor. We change the newspapers around 6 times and if she is home alone, she will not use the Pee Pan," the owner elaborated. "If I am at home, she uses the Pee Pan. My wife puts the tissue paper with her urine onto the newspapers to attract her to use the Pee Pan."

"It seems that this puppy just want to eliminate on clean newspapers," I said. "If she is home alone, she will not pee onto the soiled newspapers as your wife is not around to give her a clean sheet." His wife changes papers as much as 6 times per day.

The puppy was given access to the living area. She pees there too.
"Young puppies have no bladder control yet," I advised. "So, she just has to pee many times. She may not be able to run back to the Pee Pan in the kitchen to pee yet. She may forget or get distracted by your attention, playing with her."

The puppy poops 3-4 times per day. At 3 am, she poops 2x. Sometimes 1x before breakfast. After breakfast and dinner, 1x each, within 30 minutes after eating.

But she will poop on the floor at one end of the Pee Pan and near the corner of the kitchen cabinet which is next to the Pee Pan.

"Now, if she is shut inside the bathroom, she will not pee or poop there," the owner commented.

The puppy has chosen the bathroom as her den, a clean area with walls to protect her and to sleep. This is her instinct.

So, has she got an "attitude" problem?


SOLUTIONS:
In this case, the owner needs to confine her to the kitchen for at least 2 weeks, neutralise the floor urine smells with vinegar:water 1:3. Also, probably to cover up the kitchen floor with more newspapers as this is a big breed.

16. Follow up: Golden Retriever paper-trained

Condo
Playpen 6' x 6' with door.
Commercial urine spray.
Paper-trained within 7 days.
Intelligent or paper-trained by Australian breeder?



One year later. No complaint. Still paper-trained.




Saw the vet only once during the year - ear infections and licking elbows.

The maid was good. Saved a lot of expenses. She did an excellent job of cleaning the ears and elbow. Elbow sores start to develop during my examination at his annual vaccination booster. Not serious but needed careful grooming on this area.

The parents may need to give a work schedule for the pre-teen boy and the primary school girl to take care of the dog at least once a week. It is not easy being a parent nowadays. My two grown up boys are beyond redemption - being addicted to online gaming past midnight, not caring for their eye-sight and repetitive strain injury to their fingers in the mid term of over-use.

My son came back with red marks at every examination during his junior college. There was nothing I could do, as a father.

"You should have controlled his online gaming when he was in secondary school, a good friend scolded me. Change the password. If the child protest, tell him he can get out of the house and see whether he can survive outside..."

The friend berated my liberal attitude to upbringing my son.
"It was too late now," I said. "He got to go for National Service even if he fails his "A" levels."

"It is never too late. The Army will grant him a one year deferment to re-take his examinations again," my friend of over 40 years said. She really stopped her daughter from excessive surfing by controlling password access to the computer.

"Your daughter could stay longer in school to do 'project work' but actually to surf the computer," I said. "You would not be any wiser."

"No," she said. "I phoned up her teachers and checked her movement. No hanky panky."

I wished I had these ideas and not being too liberal. An online-gaming addict could turn out to be a monster - selfish and not even bothered to spend one Sunday evening to have dinner with his parents.

I may be too late but I always encourage my clients with young children not to make the same parenting mistakes as me!

15. Training tips from Tamar Geller, dog behaviourist

1. Calling your dog when he is having fun (in doggy park) to do something unpleasant to him. When he comes to you, you "punish" him (ear cleaning)

Or do something he does not like (sticking your dog's nose in his messes, hitting him with a rolled up newspaper) to correct his accidents. Dog stops eliminating in front of you even if it is the correct bathroom location, does it behind the sofa set or elsewhere.

Or eats stools or drink urine from fear of your reaction.

2. Thinking that your dog will grow out of unacceptable behaviours like jumping, chewing and aggression, nipping. Teach him.

3. Hitting your dog, using pain in the teaching process.
Prong and choke and electric collars.
Now use positive and negative reinforcement through humane methods that do not cause pain to modify behaviour.

e.g Clicker and food treat method

4. Take your dog indoors after he eliminates. So the dog delays elimination. The solution? Reward him after elimination and start to play with him.

5. Dog training mistakes are really human mistakes.Accidents in the house - whack him, put his nose in his messes.

14. Positive reinforcement training - clicker method

Clicker training is a positive reinforcement training method.
Rarely used by Singapore dog owners in toilet training. When a dog does what the owner wants on listening to the clicking sound of the clicker, he is rewarded with a food treat.

1. Spend time teaching the dog that he gets a food treat after listening to a click.
2. The dog does something desired by the owner, the owner clicks (equal to saying "Good Boy") and the dog is rewarded with a food treat.
3. The advantage: The tone of the clicker is consistent unlike the owner's or family member's voice commands.

13. "Dragging" the Poodle onto the PPW. 2 dogs.

Date: Nov 20, 2006
Owners Present: A father in his late forties. A teenaged daughter. It was nice to see the father spending some time to bring the teenaged daughter and puppy to the vet. I had a similar father-teenaged daughter just before this case. Also for vaccination.
As I had only 3 cases today, it was surprising and inspiring to see 2 cases with father-daughter relationship building.


Poodle, Male, 3 months old.

Toilet-Training Schedule:
1. First hour after eating: Put on PPW.
2. Move tray towards the bathroom step by step.
3. Take away 4 panels of fences if pee and poop on PPW.
4. On day 1, poops on PPW. No problem in this aspect.
5. On day 7, pees 2x on PPW. Pees anywhere on floor of the playpen.
If he is caught peeing outside the PPW, make him smell the pee, drag him towards the tray and put him on the tray, say "No, Bad Dog."
Yesterday (day 7) pees onto PPW 2 X.
6. Sleeps on PPW. Drag him out. Put on the towel bed.
7. Full-time monitoring.
8. Newspapers onto the pee pan. Sprayed commercial urine spray liquid. Not effective.
9. Uses puppy's own urine by not removing the soiled newsppaers on the pee pan. So, on the day 7, he pees onto the PPW, not outside.

"Intelligent puppy, compared to my 10-month-old Jack Russell" the man aid.
"I think you did not confine him or monitor him when he was young," I said. "You let the energetic short-legged Jack Russell with the right eye patch running everywhere in the house. So, he did not know where his toilet was!"

COMPARED TO JACK RUSSELL PUPPY.
Crate + Pee Pan in the living area.
Likes to shred newspapers, so no more newspapers.
Dragged to the bathroom aftere he has peed on the wrong places.
After 3 months, the puppy goes to the bathroom floor to eliminate.

"So, the crate method takes a longer time to toilet-train the puppy", he concluded.

"Did you think of positioning the crate inside the bathroom?" I asked.
"No," he said.
Nobody was at home to train this Jack Russell.

DETTOL floor cleaner useful because the dog does not pee on same spot. But he finds another spot.

COMPETITIVE BARKING.
Both dogs confined inside the crate or playpen. If not, one will bark a lot.


ADVICES - NO USE NOW.

1. For Jack Russell, crate inside bathroom for at least 2 weeks. Put up a baby gate so puppy can see people.

2. Jack Russel urine marks at home now because of the new puppy.

3. In one incident, the Jack Russell growled under the sofa, when the owner sat on the sofa with the poodle. The owner had viewed "Dog Whisperer" on TV. A very good show. He adopted the show's advice. Gave his hand to the Jack Russell to bite. The dog bit his hand. I shivered as I looked at the red bite marks and scratches on his hand.

After biting, he turned the dog sideways, pressed him down for 10 seconds. The dog became calmer and quiet. The dog licked him, accepting him as leader of the pack.

The dog no longer was aggressive and let him scratched his belly. This was what the "Dog Whisperer" advised. To show the aggressive dog that the owner is not frightened of him. What a brave man, I thought.

"If I were you, I would wear a leather glove and let the Jack Russell bite it." I said. "I cannot bear the pain of being bitten!"











PET SHOP ADVICES:
Pet shop operator recommends a Pee Pan with Wire Flooring (PPW) rather than the usual crate with pee pan.

Surround the puppy with 4 panels of Playpen.

Compared to his 10-month-old Jack Russell, he took 3 months to train him to use the bathroom floor tiles as toilet location.

"The reason being that the crate was in the living room, I said. "The bathroom was far away." So, he had dragged the Jack Russell every time to the bathroom, saying "Not here..". The puppy learned after a much longer time.

12. Cocker steps onto poo in Aluminium pee pan

English Cocker Spaniel puppy bought from the pet shop.
Aluminium pee pan enclosed by 4 panels of fences.

lst night - Playpen + Aluminium Pee Pan. Steps all over poo. Poop 4 times overnight. Need to bathe the puppy.

2nd night - Put puppy in bigger area in the kitchen. Newspapers on Pee Pan. Still poos outside the Pee Pan.

3rd night - Pee Pan in living area. Monitor puppy for signs. Erratic behaviour. Sometimes go to the Pee Pan to pee, but not all the time.



SOLUTIONS:

1. Too large an area of freedom - kitchen and living room now.

2. Confine to Kitchen.

3. Newspapers placed in and outside the Pee Pan as the puppy dislike eliminating in soiled newspapers in the Pee Pan. The owner has no time to change immediately the soiled newspapers.

If soiled newspapers are changed promptly, more likely to successfully paper-train the puppy in a shorter period of time.

4. Commercial urine spray onto newspapers to attract puppy to pee onto the spot. Owner uses bleach floor cleaner. This may work too.

5. Neutralise urine smell on kitchen floor with white vinegar:water 1:3

11. Anna's chihuahua - unable to paper-train

Pees and poos everywhere even after 4 weeks. Cleaning up the mess can be quite stressful for a working girl.


1. Failure to confine to small area. Whole room has urine smell. Hard to neutralise carpet flooring with vinegar:water 1:3.

2. Distracted after feeding. Should have let the puppy poo before playing with him. Otherwise he forgets to poo after eating. Poos after she goes to work. This was her complaint.

3. SOLUTIONS:
3.1 Confined for at least 2 weeks. Newspaper with urine smell (2nd piece).
Praise on performance? Did she give treats?
3.2 Don't distract after feeding.
3.3 Crate training? Not possible as Anna works.
3.4 Leash training? Not practical as Anna works.

Back to confinement for next 2 weeks and patient training again.

10. Real case --- Negative reinforcement not effective in a male Jack Russell Terrier

Date of interview: Nov 20, 2006.
Owners: A mother and two sons 11 and 12 years old.
Dog: 7-month-old Male Jack Russell Terrier.
Residence: HDB apartment.
Toilet: Newspapers in the kitchen and common toilet area.
Purchased: 3 months old. Crate with pee pan. Accidents in the kitchen, living area (mainly in one place) and other rooms.
Method: Negative reinforcement: Spanking his backside with a rolled-up newspaper. Carry him to pee on newspapers in the kitchen but usually he has peed on the way.
Time to be successfully crate-bathroom-trained: Not successful in paper-training.
Feeding: 3 times per day, usually after eating.

The 2 boys were responsible pet owners. They cleared the stools.
"Does the dog pee when he greets the boys home from school?" I asked.

Mum said no. She just needed to call the dog "Pickle," and the dog would wet the floor.

"Maybe, he is worried about being spanked and urinated submissively?" I said. "Everytime you spank him, he wets his "pants" --- the floor, I mean.
Your tone may be too commanding." The owner had not heard of submissive urination.



The boys said, "Yes, sometimes."

This is a case of submissive urination. What can be done to instill self confidence in this dog? It is hard to do so and success takes a long time.



SOLUTIONS.
1. Confine 2 weeks in the kitchen and common bathroom area.
2. Put newspapers with urine scent on the floor tiles of the common bathroom.
3. The present system of making him eat and sleep in the crate (see diagram) may not be suitable as he is grown up and has little space to keep himself clean. It may be better to remove the crate and focus on paper-training.
4. Neutralise all floors with white vinegar:water 1:2. This includes his towel bed. He should be sleeping in the kitchen.
5. No loud tone of voice.
6. No spanking.
7. The two boys ignore him when they come home from school.

Will this work? Submissive Urination has been difficult to treat. It is hard to say as the dog is now mature, being 7 months old.

9. Real case --- Negative reinforcement effective in a male Jack Russell Terrier

Date of interview: Nov 19, 2006.
Owners: A working couple in the fifties
Dog: 2-year-old Male Jack Russell Terrier.
Residence: HDB apartment.
Toilet: A crate placed inside the common bathroom that has a squat toilet bowl.
Purchased: when he was 3 months old. Crate with pee pan. Accidents in the kitchen.
Method: Negative reinforcement: Caning for 3 months. Freedom to roam inside the kitche. Barricade with baby gate.
Time to be successfully crate-bathroom-trained: 3 months.
Feeding: 2 times per day.

The owners would query the Jack Russell puppy on reaching home from work with "What is this?" as he had peed and pooped on the kitchen floor tiles. The puppy would run away to hide inside the common toilet. Over 3 months and caning, the puppy used the appropriate toilet area which is the crate.

When the owners were not free to bring him downstairs, (3 times per week, usually weekend), he entered the crate, peed and pooped on the right hand side. He peed above the drainage hole cover. He did not step on the poop by turning at an angle to pee and poo. The owners would then close the crate door. They hosed water on the dog's feet to get rid of any urine stain and hose off the stools.

Advantages of the crate toilet area.
1. No need to pick up stools to dispose in the garbage bin.
2. Keeps paws clean by hosing with water after elimination.
3. Pee Pan is redundant in this situation.

Negative reinforcement in this situation is effective. The male Jack Russell urine marks every lamp post outdoors but will not do so inside the apartment. He just goes to the common bathroom crate when he is not going outdoors. He does not lift his leg to pee in the crate but does so outdoors. He has a routine of going outdoors 3 times per week. "Pees at every lamp post," the owner laughed.



Many owners cannot manage to control urine marking in grown up male dogs but this case is exceptional. He does not urinate mark at the Veterinary Surgery too. I would consider him very well behaved as many male dogs urine mark at the Surgery.

Comments: Male dogs that are dominant tends to urine mark inside the apartment and inside the veterinary surgery unless they are well trained at a young age not to do so. This case study shows the successful application of ROOM and CRATE method using NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT training. It needs a strong human personality to execute this method to let the dog know he is lower in the pack hierarchy. As the couple is working, 3 months is needed to achieve success.

8. Miscommunications with puppies

1. Signs of elimination
2. Cleanliness freak
3. "Feels guilty, goes to hide."
4. Barking after midnight - noise nuisance.
5. Growls near the feed bowl.
6. Destroys the house, pees everywhere as revenge for not taking him out.

7. Miscommunications - Speak Good English Movement

English/Scottish experience

Short words of command

Tone

Clicker method best

6. What's in it for Me (I mean the puppy)?

1. Positive experiences
1.1 Food rewards
1.2 Praises
1.3 Play time, going out.


2. Negative experiences
Spanking, slapping
Made to smell pee or poo.



3. Carrot and stick experiences.
Depends on mood of owner and maids.
Scruff of neck for recalcitrants.
Caning or strapping?

Clicker method.

Miscommunications.

5. Restricted Zone for Puppies

1. Room
2. Playpen
3. Playpen + Aluminium Pee Pan
4. Crate + Pee Pan
4.1 Crate Training
5. Leash
6. Pee Pan
7. Electrical Mats/Fences

4. Restricted Zone for Singapore's Motorists

Positive experiences
Negative experiences
Carrot and Stick experiences

3. Definition of "Toilet Training" and other terms

1. What is the meaning of "Toilet Training" and "Paper Training"?

In this book, the terms "Toilet Training, Toilet Learning, Housebreaking and House training" essentially means the methods used to get them puppy or dog to go to the appropriate toilet areas.

The term "Paper Training" means the method of using newspapers, diapers or floor mats and other material to get the puppy or dog to use the above-mentioned material as appropriate toilet areas. In this book, "Toilet Training" will be the term used.

2. When the Puppy is no longer a puppy? In this book, a puppy is no more a puppy when it reaches 6 months of age.

For the dog food manufacturers, the puppy food is fed till one year of age for small breeds and one and a half year of age for the large breed.

3. Reference to "he" and "she"For convenience, female and male puppies and dogs of bothare referred to as "he or him" unless otherwise stated. Female dogs instead of "bitch" is used in this book.

2. Contents

1. Introduction. Research into the over 400 case studies of puppies at Dr Sing's Veterinary Surgery and interviews of the breeders, pet shop operators and the puppy sellers in the Singapore pet industry from 2003 - 2006 are presented in this book.

2. Defination of "Toilet Training" and other terms
2.1 Definitions - housebreaking, housetraining, toilet training, toilet learning, paper-training.

3. Equipment needed for Toilet Training -
3.1 The Playpen
3.2 The Playpen & Aluminium Pee Pan
3.3 The Crate with Open Top and Pee Pan
3.4 The Crate with Door and Pee Pan. 2 versions.
3.5 The Pee Pan with Wire Flooring
3.6 The Pee Pan or equivalent.
3.7 The Leash
3.8 The Room
3.9 The Newspapers.
3.10 The Puppy Diapers or Puppy Training Pads
3.11 The Floor Mat.
3.12 The Baby Gate.
3.13 The Puppy Potty.

Others
3.13 The Puppy Urine Spray.
3.14 The Urine Neutralisers.
3.15 The Floor Cleaners.
3.16 The Urine Masking Spray.
3.17 Baking Powder.
3.18 Newspapers.
3.19 Wood Shavings.
3.20 The Clicker.
3.21 The Electric Collar.
3.22 The Electric Floor Fences

4. Who Toilet Trains the puppy?
4.1 The Owner --- The First-Time Puppy Owner.
4.2 The Children --- Less than 8 years old. Pre-school child. Toddler.
4.3 The Parents --- The Harrassed Mother.
4.4 The Working Couple.
4.5 The Maid --- Foreign Domestic Worker.
4.6 The Siblings and other Family Members.
4.7 Advices from friends.
4.8 Advices from the veterinarian, puppy seller and others.
4.9 A written agreement? Consistency.

5. When to start Toilet Training?
5.1 The First Night.
5.2 The First 2 Weeks.
5.3 The First 4 Weeks.
5.4 Wakened up after midnight.

6. When to stop Toilet Training?
6.1 Success defined.

7. Where should the puppy pee and poop?
7.1 Outdoors. Garden grass yellowed. Bag up poop.
7.2 Indoors. Balcony, kitchen, living room, utility room, bathroom.
7.3 Indoors & Outdoors.
7.4 Big breeds in High-Rise Apartments.
7.5 Second Piece of Newspaper.
7.6 Plastic Sheet, Floor mat. Shredded.
7.7 Puppy Diapers --- Puppy Training Pads or equivalent.
7.8 The Crate with Wire Flooring and Pee Pan.

7. How to Toilet Train the puppy?
7.1 A Daily Routine --- feeding, water, exercise, sleeping.
7.2 Feeding 2 times per day. Water restriction.
7.3. How the puppy talks to you --- Elimination Signs, Clean den, Gastro-colic reflex, N-1 formula. Supervision, Persistence, Breed difference.
7.4 Hand signals for deaf puppies.
7.5 Confinement and Training --- Room by Room method.
7.6 The Leash Method.
7.6 How to Crate Train the puppy?
7.7 How to Toilet Train 2 or more puppies? Same age, Different ages.

7. What benefits do the puppy get?
7.1 The Mind is a blank slate. Rebellious stage. Incorrigible (not able to reason).
7.2 Positive experiences --- Positive Reinforcement Training.
7.3 Negative experiences --- Negative Reinforcement Training.
7.4 Carrot and stick method --- Time Out, Scruff of Neck.
7.5 The Puppy has a "Guilty Look".
7.6 The Puppy is a "Cleanliness Freak".

8. How to Handle Accidents?
8.1 Shifting and collapse of the Playpen.
8.2 Neutralisers, Floor cleaners, Enzymatic cleaners, Masking Fragrances, Baking Soda.
8.3. Clutter --- The Aluminium Pee Pan behind the Door.
8.4 The Smelly Mop.
8.4 Please Beat/Shout at me --- Negative Experiences is better than no attention.
8.5 Discipline within a few seconds.

9. Time Management.
9.1 Taking leave for 7 days.
9.2 The Home-alone puppy.
9.3 Crate Training Method.
9.2. Most puppies want you to be his boss. Some wants to boss you.
9.3 Seeking professional help.

10. What Benefits to You?
10.1 Smelly house. Family members upset. Nose sensitised. Visitors complain. Selling the house.
10.2 Clean companion and best friend.
10.3 Goes to new home if you are unable to care for him.
10.4 Homeless puppies are like homeless men?

11. Common problems.
11.1 The dominant male. Growling, biting, food aggression. Respect.
11.2 Health problems - Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Coughing, Skin itchiness.
11.3 Behavioural problems - submissive, excitation urination, separation anxiety.
Paper shredding, Eating poop, Drinking pee.
11.4 Eye injuries due to spanking.
11.5 Canine laws for the HDB apartment puppy.

12. Learning from experiences of others.
12.1 Regression? --- Urine marking Miniature Schnauzers.
12.2 The Chocolate Labrador Retriever from the 20th floor.
12.3 The Army Boy and the Imprisoned puppy.
12.4 The Poop-eating Shih Tzu.
12.5 The Howling Siberian Husky.
12.6 Each puppy is different.
12.7 Advices from the veterinarian?
12.8 The Yorkshire Terrier and the Professional Dog Trainer.
12.9 The Mother Pestered the Pet Shop Operator.
12.10 E-Mail Advices for a Silkie Terrier to a Vet.
12.11 The Two Cavalier King Charles
12.12 The Golden Retrievers hop out of the Play Pen.

13. More information.

14. Glossary

15. Index

1. Introduction

The newly purchased puppy pees and poops all over the apartment or house. He pees a lot of times. He poops more than 5 times a day. The maid and the owners scold and spank the puppy on on the face or backside. The puppy has an eye injury or becomes lame. Your more intelligent children feel that you abuse animals.

More beatings. The puppy waits to eliminate when you are not around. The puppy sprints away to hide under the bed whenever he sees your hand being raised and your black stormy face when you go home after a hard day's work from 7 am to 8 pm. Your residence is smelly as the growing pup passes larger amounts of pee and poo.

You hand over the puppy to the animal shelter. He is returned to the animal shelter as he messes up the new home. No more third chances. The vet gives a lethal injection. A young life is extinguished. Your children lose a best friend. They grieve. But do you care? What if there is an instruction manual on how to toilet train the puppy for your maid? Your maid is the main care-giver. She needs that manual.

Singapore Maids and Puppies - Dr Sing's Toilet Training Secrets is the instruction manual based on Singapore's situation. The secrets of successful toilet training the puppy and the failures on real life cases are there. It is based on 3 years of interviews with new puppy owners at my veterinary surgery from 2003 - 2006, breeders and pet shop operators to provide a comprehensive information on how to toilet train the puppy in Singapore.

I am Dr Sing Kong Yuen, a veterinary surgeon and founder of Toa Payoh Vets, a small animal private practice in Singapore. This first edition will be useful for your maid. Every puppy is unique. If you have special problems, e-mail to me at judy@toapayohvets.com and I try to provide some answers for your maid, time-pressed Singaporeans and first-time puppy owners.