TOA
PAYOH VETSToilet-training a new Pomeranian puppy with not much time - working girl
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
toapayohvets.com
On 5/29/08, David Sing
Your email has been forwarded to me. I am Dr Sing from
Toa Payoh Vets. Please see reply/some advices IN CAPITAL
LETTERS below.
--- On Wed, 5/28/08,
From: ...@gmail.com>
Subject: Enquiry for new puppy owner
To: judy@toapayohvets.com
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 3:36 AM
Hi Judy,
I have lots of doubts and burning questions to enquire
about my new bought male pomeranian of 3 mth today.
Being a 1st timer in keeping a puppy, i am really at a
loss how do i discipline, toilet train etc etc with my
puppy. I just got him on 17 May 08 which is last last
Sat. What i did is i placed him in a crate/ playpan ever
since. He poo, pee, eat, sleep in the crate itself.
I wanted to make him toliet train in the crate where he
is supposed to pee/ poo there.
THIS TOILET TRAINING TAKES SOME 2-4 WEEKS OF CONFINEMENT
IN THE CRATE. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN OVER A FEW DAYS.
I feed him 3 times a day and his water bottle is always
there for him. This crate is like the one in the shops
where he steps on a wire grill and the newspaper is
below the wire grill. Something like this below.
Active training, rubber mat as toilet location. 10 days
successful. Toa Payoh Vets
He don't normally poo after his meal, and it takes like
4-5hrs later before he poo. He does poo also in every
morning.
SOME PUPPIES POOP WITHIN 30 MINUTES AFTER MEAL BUT NOT
ALL. THERE COULD BE DISTRACTION FROM YOU OR YOUR FAMILY
DURING FEEDING TIME. SO THE PUPPY 'FORGETS' TO POOP.
IN MY OPINION, do not pay attention to the puppy during
meal time but it is hard for the first-time owner and
her family not to do it. Normally, the puppy eats
everything fast within 5 minutes. Is that what your
puppy does?
The owner should then remove the feed bowl. Or remove
the feed bowl after 10 minutes whether the puppy has had
eaten or not, but be aware that the puppy has not been
sick. This method encourages eating all food at one time
and pooping after eating. If the puppy is given food all
day long, then expect pooping to be many times.
In your case, the puppy probably is distracted by many
admirers and has no "privacy" to poop after meals. Feed
him inside a quiet corner if you want success. I know it
is not practical advice.
I tried to observe him for signs of going to pee, poo.
It is kinda hard since he poo at weird hours. For
peeing, i can't see any signs of indication that he is
going to pee. He just pee whenever he wants as in there
is really no signs of him going to pee..
SIGNS OF PEEING - Many owners complain of quickie pee.
They can't see signs of the puppy wanting to pee. When
the puppy book says "look for signs of wanting to pee
(squatting, sniffing and turning around etc)" and bring
the puppy to the newspaper or the CRATE as in your case,
it means that the puppy is supervised and monitored in
an outside area where the puppy has never peed or pooped
BEFORE. If the floor if full of urine smells (which you
can't smell but the puppy's nose is very sensitive
compared to human noses), then the puppy simply let go
her urine. USE WHITE VINEGAR:WATER 1:3 TO WIPE THE
FLOOR/ FLOOR GRATE OR GRILL TO NEUTRALISE PUPPY URINE
SMELL.).
I intend to let him out, prob sleep in my room after he
is toliet trained..ie. he will go back to him crate to
pee/ poo when there is an urge. However, how am i going
to toliet train him when he actually sleeps and spend
most of his time in the crate, only to be let out when i
am at home at about 7pm after work?
TOILET TRAINING NEEDS 24-HOUR TRAINING FOR THE FIRST 7
DAYS , ACCORDING TO FEEDBACK FROM MY CLIENTS. Since you
are not free, it will take much longer than 4 weeks to
toilet train the puppy in the crate.
ONE OPTION IS FOR YOU TO KEEP THE PUPPY IN YOUR BEDROOM
WHEN YOU SLEEP. CHANGE SOILED NEWSPAPERS EVERY TIME THE
PUPPY PEES. REDUCE THE NEWSPAPER AREA TO THE CORNER
(WHERE the puppy usually pees on). This will happen
after a few days of observation. Once you reach this
stage, then keep changing papers so that the puppy has a
new paper.
IF NO NEWSPAPERS ARE PLACED as you want him to pee onto
the pee tray, ALWAYS WIPE THE WIRE FLOORING (Vinegar:Water
at 1:4) with tissue paper to keep it clean. The puppy
will want to be clean too and pee in a corner usually.
In addition, he will run real fast immediately i release
him around my hse to every corners, licking every edges
and biting shoes, floor rugs... I make real loud noise,
he still does it.
EVERY PUPPY DOES THIS. THEY LOVE FREEDOM AND ATTENTION.
CHEWING, LICKING. THE BEST IS TO RELEASE THE PUPPY TO AN
AREA ENCLOSED BUT WITHIN THE CRATE. In this way, the
puppy may or may not go to the crate to pee and poop.
Then after 2-4 weeks depending on your progress, release
the puppy to a room, then 2 rooms and so on.
Another problem i am facing is... He seems really brave
& not afraid of lots of things. He is very hyper and
always barks in the morning. Waking my whole family up
where they feel really irritated by this. I yelled and
scolded "No" to him, beat him with my hand, used rolled
newspaper and even hitting the floor really hard to
scare him, however, after 5seconds after my action, he
will be barking once again.
SHOUTING AND MAKING NOISES OR USING ROLLED NEWSPAPERS ON
THE FLOOR JUST SHOW THE PUPPY HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS. He
barks for attention. You respond.
THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. One solution is the TIME-OUT.
That means the puppy in the crate is put in a place or
room where he get NO attention every time he barks. This
time out takes around 10-20 minutes. Do not shout or pay
attention to him. Put him inside the quiet room. Cover
his crate with towels so that he can't see anything for
10-20 minutes. Can you do it? It takes owners with
certain forceful personality to do it and the puppy
respects this type of owner.
Every time he barks, it is time out for him. So,
depending on the intelligence of the 4-legged, he will
learn that if he wants company, don't bark.
What should i do? What do you think there is other
things like routine stuff, disciplinary things, training
that i need to do right now to discipline him?
U NEED TO BORROW SOME BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY REGARDING
OBEDIENCE TRAINING. NOW, THE BEST OBEDIENCE TRAINING IS
TO GIVE COMMANDS LIKE "SIT" BEFORE YOU FEED HIM. THIS is
the time to do it. But how to do it when this puppy just
want to play with so many spectators and family members
--- I can't advise you. Usually, a couple with no family
members has greater success in obedience training.
Sometimes, neighbours will pop in to admire the new
puppy. They cause havoc to your obedience training.
Something like grandparents "spoiling" the grandchild?
By the way, he just caught a slight cold.. under
medication now... and the vet said he got mites in his
ears. So i am treatin him... Since he is only slightly
sick, he behaves very normally.. still hyper & very
active.
HOPE HE WILL RECOVER.
Please advice me on what i should do. Thanks alot.
EVERY PUPPY IS DIFFERENT. IN CONCLUSION, I GUESS YOU
HAVE A BIG FAMILY AND IT IS GOING TO BE TOUGH FOR YOU.
GIVE THE PUPPY A ROUTINE- FEEDING TIME, PLAY TIME, NIGHT
SLEEP TIME, CHANGING NEWSPAPERS/WIPING OFF THE URINE
FROM GRATE FLOOR EVERY TIME (IF YOU MUM WILL HELP WHILE
YOU WORK) WHEN THE PUPPY PEES. Remove poop promptly.
A 3-month-old puppy pees every 2 hours (N-1) formula
where N=age of puppy. Uncountable number of peeing.
Pooping is usually 2-3 times for the Singapore puppy if
there are no distractions and the feeding is not all day
long in the feed bowl.
I HOPE YOU HAVE GOT SOME USEFUL ADVICES. Basically, it
is the routine and the time you spend in training. Time
out is a very useful tactic but few Singapore owners are
aware of it.
Yours sincerely,
XXX
PS: He seems happy in the crate, he will play by himself
with the plastic dog bone, balls i have for him in his
crate.. He is not afraid of the crate.
On 5/30/08, David Sing
Thank you for your reply. In Singapore, many Pom are fed
2x per day according to the common recommendations of
pet shop/breeder puppy sellers and they seem to do well,
in my research. The puppy eats till it feels full and so
the exact amount varies with the puppy's behaviour.
In the restricted feeding method, if the puppy eats all
in 5 minutes and asks for more, you will have to add
another 10 - 50% and see if he is still hungry. If he
is, that means you need to give more. Check on its
belly. A few puppies eat till they are bloated (swollen
abdomen) as they seem to be gluttons and such puppies
should not be overfed.
In the free feeding method, the puppy is given the food
in the food bowl and it eats whenever it feels like
eating. Certain puppies do not gulp down their food at
one go as if they are not interested in eating. In such
situations, the owner may leave the food throughout the
day and observe that the puppy finished the amount at
the end of the day. Mini-Malteses, Chihuahuas, Yorkshire
Terriers and Pomeranians may be puppies with little
appetite. In such breeds, 3 or 4 x feeding per day is
advised as they faint or become comatose due to the lack
of blood sugar.
Therefore, much depends on your puppy's appetite and
energy to know how much to feed. Usually the seller's
recommendation and the weight of the puppy is your
guide.
If it is OK with you, please e-mail 3 pictures of your
puppy inside the crate for my case research.
Best wishes.
--- On Thu, 6/5/08,
From: ...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Enquiry for new puppy owner
To: drsing_98@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, June 5, 2008, 2:28 AM
Hi Dr Sing,
I was really busy.. working till the wee hours at
work... I will send you the pic by Sunday..
By the way, i have a question for you. My 3mth
pomeranian has been sneezing & kind of always forcing
air out of his nose. Sometimes his nose is wet.. like
have a cold.. I heard this is common for dogs with 1 out
of 3 having this symptom. Is it true & is it normal?
With this symptom, can he take his 3rd vaccination where
he suppose to take really soon?
Or is it there anything causing my puppy to have
allergy? Should i let him wear a shirt?
Hope to hear from you soon.
XXX
On 6/6/08, David Sing
Looks like he has not recovered from his kennel cough
and viral infections of his breathing system. You need
to wait till he recovers fully before vaccination. This
may take a few weeks in some cases.
If he has no problems breathing or if the environment is
not dusty/too cold, let him recover by himself. If he
has problems, see your vet.
From: ....gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Enquiry for new puppy owner
To: drsing_98@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, June 6, 2008, 4:30 AM
Hi Dr Sing,
However, my dog does not cough, he only sneeze like 2
times a day and keep sucking air into his nose in a hard
way(like having a nose block) all the time. I thought
the symptom for Kennel cough is cough?
He has this symptom for 3weeks already. He has seen a
doctor earlier on.. about 10days ago and under
medication for 10 days. However, i did not see any
improvement from his sneeze & sucking in air.
Is it because i place him in the crate all the while and
nv clean the wire grill thoroughly or clear his pee tray
as soon as he pees?
I have stop the medication for him. He is still as
active as usual & eating very normally.
Please advise me.
XXX
Re: Taking jab with a limp
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 1:24 AM
From: "....@gmail.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To:
drsing_98@yahoo.com
Hi Dr Sing,
Here are 3 pic of my boy..
 |
 |
 |
Anyway, i am still trying.. teaching him everytime
i knock off.. hope he can potty real soon.
XXX
On 6/11/08, David Sing
Can take vaccination if he is eating well and is
normal. Limping is not a problem.
On further examination of the pictures, the crate seems to be of a higher level than the other type and the puppy (if short-legged like Chihuahuas) may not be able to hop back into the crate to pee and poop. Therefore, it will not be possible to get the puppy to eliminate inside the crate. Half of the crate is covered with newspapers and the other half is the sleeping area. The puppy has started to eliminate on the newspapers and should be paper-trained if the owner confines the puppy inside the crate when she is working and let him out when she is at home.
She still has to place some newspapers with the puppy's urine smell outside the crate as the puppy is too smart to get inside (knowing he will be locked up - as usual - as he knows that will be the case in the morning when the owner is going to work). Keeping the crate inside the kitchen is a good idea as the kitchen's tiled floor is easier to clean. Also, confinement to the kitchen is important in toilet-training success. Confinement needs to be for 2-4 weeks till paper-training is successful as this is what the owner intends to do.
In getting the puppy to eliminate inside the crate, no paper must be used on the crate wire flooring. However, the owner needs to clean up the wire flooring promptly and she has to work. The wire flooring permits the puppy's urine to flow onto the floor. If the puppy poops soon after eating, the poo is promptly removed and the flooring cleaned with tissue paper. If the puppy poops many times, it is not easy to use this method unless the puppy's sleeping area is outside the crate. This is done by extending the crate area by using 3 panels of fencing outside the door so that the puppy has a bigger clean area to sleep and play while using the inside of the crate as the "toilet". This is a much more complicated way to train and needs more time and attention.
Some solutions are proposed by Dr Sing Kong Yuen of Toa Payoh Vets.
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Paper training a Pom
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 8:13 PM
From:
This sender is DomainKeys verified
"David Sing"
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To:
"...@gmail.com>
Thank you for your pictures. I don't see the newspapers covering half of his crate. Can you send me the latest pic.
Almost all puppy owners have the same conclusion as you --- the puppy refuses to get back into the crate if let out. This is what the other owners think --- the puppy knows that he will be locked up again.
It is good to confine the Pom inside the kitchen. From your 3 pic that your toilet training and can advise the following:
1. NEWSPAPERS OUTSIDE THE CRATE so that the puppy can run to it to pee and poop. He is not so stupid as to run inside if he knows you are sure to lock him out. There should be some of his urine smell on the newspapers you put outside the crate (2nd piece of soiled newspapers to be put outside the crate. In some pet shops, a water bottle with dual nozzles is sold so that the puppy can drink from outside the crate as well as inside. In your case, I don't know whether you are using water bowls or water bottles. If you use water bowl, place another bowl outside the crate as part of the paper training when you are at home.
2. OPEN THE CRATE DOOR so that the puppy can run into the crate to pee and poop. Some owners are successful in this way and do not need newspapers outside the crate.In such cases, the newspapers must be REPLACED promptly with clean ones. If you are working, your mum or somebody may do it. In this way, the puppy is paper-trained quickly.
3. If the crate has a high level such that the Pom cannot jump into it, then you need to use a ramp. But I see from your picture that your crate is not that high.
E-MAIL REPLY NO. 6
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 follow-up
3 pictures much appreciated. Is the Pom paper-trained 100% now?
--- On Tue, 6/24/08, <....@gmail.com> wrote:
Subject: Re: Paper training a Pom
To: drsing_98@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 6:00 AM
--- On Wed, 6/25/08, ...@gmail.com> wrote:
Subject: Re: Paper training a Pom
To: drsing_98@yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 1:05 AM
Hi Dr Sing,
My pom is still not totally trained. He is quite mischievious. While in the crate, he knows that he need to shit & pee in the newspaper. But he will purposely do it on the tray w/o newspaper. Moreover, if i let him out & he feels like peeing, he will just do it on the floor.
I can see that he can control his bladder really well as once i brought him to a friend's house, he control his bladder for 3 hrs.
He is still the same. I need to bring him to the crate & ask him to pee before he does that. He won't go there on his own.Still trying to train him.
Regards,
Name of owner
Re: Paper training a Pom
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 9:54 PM
"David Sing"
To:
...@gmail.com>
You are progressing quite well. Remember it takes 2-4 weeks of training. Since you don't train full time, toilet-training may take as long as 12 weeks. But I believe that you should achieve success within 4 weeks. You just can't vary your routine e.g. bringing the puppy to your friend's house as it gets distracted and of course, confused.
You just need to give the puppy a same daily routine. I think it is hard for you but it is just like "focus" to succeed in life. For example, many successful business people/top students focus on their activity. They also work very hard (perseverance).
We see them very wealthy/top in their cohort of students. Behind their wealth/academic excellence, there is much hard work (time spent in learning etc) and focus (no distractions).
If you do not focus, it may take as long as 3 months to get the puppy toilet-trained as from my interviews with some dog owners. If you want fast results, spend time and focus. No other way unless the puppy is very intelligent and knows what it takes to make you very happy.
 |
|
A pom puppy dares not climb up the steep ramp. He is afraid of falling |
I thank you for a most beautiful picture of the
Pom looking at the camera. That is the best of
the 3 pictures. I notice there is a ramp for the
Pom to come down from the crate. That is where
you make a mistake of buying a high floor crate.
To answer 2 interesting and common complaints of
yours (in bold letters):
1. If you were a puppy, will you want to climb a
steep ramp to get into the crate to pee and poop
when it is so difficult and steep to do it? This
is a common complaint of other owners with such
a crate. There is no solution except to change
to a low floor crate.
2. It is good that I see your puppy's housing
from your picture.
Most likely, the puppy considers the newspapers
as his bed. Now all puppies want to be clean.
Why pee and poo on his own bed inside the crate?
So, he does it on the other half of the crate,
onto the wire floor and into the tray!
That means your paper-training is very difficult
as the puppy now eliminates on the wire
flooring. Most likely a grate + pee pan set will
be needed. See such cases in my website.
Thank you once again for your pictures.