PUPPY TOILET TRAINING BOOK
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS

Jan 11, 2009
CONTENTS (DRAFT AS AT JAN 11, 2009)

1. Introduction. Research into the over 600 case studies of puppies at Dr Sing's Veterinary Surgery in Singapore and interviews of the breeders, pet shop operators and the puppy sellers in the Singapore pet industry from 2003 - 2009 are presented in this book. Useful information for first-time puppy owners and small animal practice veterinarians

2. What is Toilet Training?
2.1 Definitions - housebreaking, housetraining, toilet training, toilet learning.

3. Equipment needed for Toilet Training
3.1 Playpen
3.2 Playpen & Pee Pan - with legs, with encircling pan.
3.3 Crate with Open Top and Pee Pan
3.4 Crate with Door and Pee Pan
3.5 Crate with Grate and Pee Pan
3.6 Grate + Pee Pan
3.7 Leash
3.8 Pee Pan.
3.9 Puppy Urine Spray
3.10 Urine Neutralisers, Fragrance, Baking Powder.
3.11 Puppy Diapers.
3.12 Newspapers & Tissue papers.
3.13 Wood Shavings.
3.14 Flushing Puppy Potty.
3.15 Food treats.

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. DISTRACTIONS. NO PEACE.
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, veterinarian, puppy sellers, dog trainers and others.

5. When to start Toilet Training?
5.1 The First Night. 2nd Night. Diarrhoea 3 days. Death. 
5.2 The First 2 Weeks.
5.3 The First 4 Weeks.
5.4 Wakened up after midnight.
5.5 Older dog.
5.6. Puppy Development Stages. Fear imprint period. Socialisation.

6. When to stop Toilet Training?
6.1 Success defined.
6.2 Urine and poop marking.

7. Where should the puppy pee and poo?
7.1 Outdoors. Garden grass yellowed. Bag up poop.
7.2 Indoors. ROOMS. Balcony, kitchen, living room, utility room, bathroom. PRIVACY AND PEACE.
7.3 Indoors & Outdoors.
7.4 Big breeds in High-Rise Apartments.
7.5 Second Piece of Newspaper.
7.6 Plastic Sheet, Floor mat.
7.7 Puppy Diapers --- Puppy Training Pads or equivalent.
7.8 Crate + Grate + Pee Pan.
7.9 Grate + Pee Pan.
7.10 Newspapers. Shredding. No urine smell. Newspapers & Crate + Pee Pan problem.

8. How to Toilet Train the puppy?
8.1 A Daily Routine --- feeding, water, exercise 3x/day for first 7 days (to make him tired), sleeping (awake past midnight, barking). Know the history.
8.2 Proposed Routine. Sleep at 11 pm. Wake up at 7am. Eats 8 am, 6 pm. Exercise 10 min 3x/day. First 7 days. Watch for signs of elimination. (See Accidents).
8.2.1 Feeding 2 times per day except small breeds. Water restriction after 8 p.m.

8.3. How the puppy talks to you --- Elimination Signs, Clean den, Gastro-colic reflex, N-1 formula. Supervision, Persistence, Breed difference.
8.4 Hand signals for deaf puppies.
8.5 Confinement and Training --- Room by Room method/Playpen/Crate+Pee Pan/Combination.
8.6 The Leash Method.
8.7 N-1. Every 3 hours.
8.8 Clicker method.
8.9 Electrical shock.
8.10 How to Crate Train the puppy?
8.11 How to Toilet Train 2 or more puppies? Same age, Different ages.
8.12 Motivation. What is it in for the puppy? Food treats, praises, play-time. Wacking newspapers, smacking. Guilty conscience.

8.12.1 The Mind is a blank slate. Rebellious stage. Incorrigible (not able to reason).
8.12.2 Positive experiences --- Positive Reinforcement Training.
8.12.3 Negative experiences --- Negative Reinforcement Training.
8.12. 4 Carrot and stick method --- Time Out, Scruff of Neck.
8.12.5 The Puppy has a "Guilty Look".
8.12.6 The Puppy is a "Cleanliness Freak".

9. What benefits do the puppy get?
9.1 CLEAN DEN OR TOILET AREA IF CONFINED.
9.2 Attention. Food treats, praises and play fun from the leader of the pack.
9.3. Most puppies want you to be his boss. Some wants to boss you. Staring incidents of young men.
9.4 Seeking professional help but hard to advise as each owner is different.
9.5 Re-homing.

10. Time Management.
10.1 Taking leave for 7 days. Purchase over the weekend.
10.2 The Home-alone puppy.
10.3 Crate Training Method.

11. What Benefits to You?
11.1 Saving labour. Smelly house. Family members upset. Nose sensitised. Visitors complain. Selling the house.
11.2 Clean companion and best friend.
11.3 Goes to new home if you are unable to care for him.
11.4 Homeless puppies are like homeless men?

12. Common problems.
12.1 The dominant male. Growling, biting, food aggression. Respect.
12.2 Health problems - Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Coughing, Skin itchiness.
12.3 Behavioural problems - submissive, excitation urination, separation anxiety.
12.4 Paper shredding. Tape, Framed. Commercial frames.
12.5 Eating poop.
12.6 Drinking pee.
12.4 Eye injuries due to spanking.
12.5 Canine laws for the HDB apartment puppy.
12.6 Death of puppies - parvovirus, dehydration, worms, infections. 
12.7 Incorrect layout of clean and dirty areas in the playpen, crate + pee pan, confined area.  

13. How to Handle Accidents?
13.1 Shifting and collapse of the Playpen. Escape.
13.2 Neutralisers, Floor cleaners, Enzymatic cleaners, Masking Fragrances, Baking Soda.
13.3. Clutter --- goes to in front or behind the door of bedroom.
13.4 The Smelly Mop.
13.5 Please Beat/Shout at me --- Negative Experiences is better than no attention.
13.6 Discipline within a few seconds - smacking newspapers on the floor?

14. Learning from experiences of others.
14.1 Regression? --- Urine marking Miniature Schnauzers.
14.2 The Chocolate Labrador Retriever from the 20th floor.
14.3 The Army Boy and the Imprisoned puppy.
14.4 The Poop-eating Shih Tzu.
14.5 The Howling Siberian Husky.
14.6 Each puppy is different.
14.7 Advices from the veterinarian?
14.8 The Yorkshire Terrier and the Professional Dog Trainer.
14.9 The Mother Pestered the Pet Shop Operator.
14.10 E-Mail Advices for a Silkie Terrier to a Vet.
14.11 The Two Cavalier King Charles
14.12 The Golden Retrievers hop out of the Play Pen.
14.13 Diarrhoea
14.14 Crate + Pee Pan v. paper training.

15. Conflicts.
15.1 Dirty paws and body.
15.2 Dirty floor. Continual mopping.
15.3 Peeing in front of the playpen - dual drinker/newspapers.
15.4 Aged mum and urine-marking. Daughter and urine-marked beds.
15.5 Anti-social behaviour. Gripping legs of girls only. Bites.

16. More information.

17. Glossary
Pee, poo, poop.

18. Index