Paper Training Adult Dog Whippet

TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com
Date: 19 November, 2009

Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pig & rabbits.

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How to toilet train your puppy in Singapore?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written: Nov 19, 2009.

Ms Daphne Low, a young adult who loves veterinary medicine and surgery will be going for her veterinary studies in Australia in 2010 has kindly given me her overall view of my over 500 blog and webpage records of toilet-training the puppy/dog in Singapore. I started the research in 2005 and am still doing it.

It is a tough subject for a veterinarian to discuss with first-time puppy owners as it takes over 30 minutes to do it. Each owner will have a different environment and tool and also his or her ideas. Ms Low has recorded most of the fundamentals in the toilet training of puppies.

Puppy Toilet Training Summary
by Daphne Low

1. Confinement - Confine your pup to a small area (with a puppy training pad and just enough space for it to eat and sleep only allowed to come out to play for 10mins 3 times a day) for at least two weeks to ensure that it knows it has to poo and pee on the pad. Note down the timing that your pup usually poos and pees

(Dr Sing's comment. In 2-4-month-old puppies, it is usually possible to note the time of pooping as it occurs after eating and is around 2-4x/24 hours. Peeing in 2-4 month-old puppies are at least 8x/24 hours.

To save cost:
For the first week, use the disposable puppy training

(Dr Sing's comment. Disposable puppy training pads do NOT save cost but keeps the puppy's paws clean. Best is confine the puppy in a crate. Cover the floor 100% with newspapers. Reduce the area covered gradually till the puppy eliminates onto the newspapers at one corner, usually away from the sleeping area.

However, most puppies from Singapore's commercial breeders are trained to eliminate on the floor grate and therefore "shreds" newspapers as they don't know they are supposed to eliminate on newspapers. Accept such shredding and change soiled newspapers WITHOUT MAKING A FUSS if you want to paper-train the puppy fast.

For the second and third week, place a piece of newspaper on top of the disposable pad
Subsequently, you can just use newspaper once your pup knows that the newspaper is the place for it to poo and pee

2. Observation By confining a pup to a small area, it may develop its favorite spot for pooing and peeing. Place newspaper at that spot for it to familiarize that newspaper is the place for it too poo and pee.

3. Routine Once your pup is allowed to roam around the house, bring it to the designated area around the timing that it usually poos and pees or as and when sniffing or squatting is observed. Strict routine must be observed so as not to confuse the pup. Another alternative is to bring your pup out every evening for a walk so that it can poo and pee outside the house.

Point to note: Puppies usually poo within an hour after eating. Ensure that your pup eats within 15 minutes by removing the bowl after 15 minutes of feeding even if your pup hasnt eaten. This may sound cruel but it will teach it to eat within 15 minutes or she will not have any food to eat as well as give you an indication of when she might poo which makes toilet training easier.

(Dr Sing's comment. Add "No distractions during feeding time. Children and adults petting and fussing over the puppy in the first 7 days usually result in the puppy 'forgetting' to poop after eating. This is a common distraction and the puppy begins to poop at odd irregular times. As a routine, only let the puppy out of the confined area to play (positive reinforcement method) after it has pooped. Feed outside the crate and then put the puppy back to the crate to poop.

4. Discipline - Firmly tell your pup 'NO' when it poos or pees at the wrong place. Bring it to the correct place (placed with a puppy training pad/newspaper) so that your pup will know where to go next time.

5. Disinfect Disinfect the place immediately if your pup poos or pees at the wrong place. Use Vinegar:Water in 1:3 ratio to neutralize the smell.

(Dr Sing's comment. Replace "Disinfect" with "Neutralise Urine Smell")

6. Patience - Toilet training does not happen over night, it requires a lot of time and effort especially with the stress it has trying to adapt to the new environment.

7. Appraisal - Give it a treat when it does its business at the correct place

(Dr Sing's comment. Replace "Appraisal" with "Positive reinforcement training"). Give firm voice command - "Pee here". Food treat and lavish praises on success. Repeat training by catching signs of elimination (sniffing and squatting).

8. Interaction - Spend time playing with your pup so that it will slowly understand what you are trying to say. The more time you spend with your pup, the faster it will be toilet trained.

9. Have fun!

(Dr Sing's comment. Let the puppy know it is fun. That he will get "food treats" or "going out to play" on successful performance. Some puppies will eliminate a little to get the food treats, according to some owners. Others are not interested in food treats.

Willetton, Perth, Australia. Yellow Rose in Spring. Toa Payoh Vets

Dr Sing's comments:
As each puppy home situation and management is different, it is hard to advise one method of toilet training. Young working couples with sound toilet-training knowledge and no children or any family members in the house are most successful as the puppy does not get distractions and stay home-alone and confined for the first 14 days. "Focus" is what makes an enterprise successful and puppy toilet-training is an enterprise at the basic level.

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