TOA
PAYOH VETSDec 15, 2009
Vets may be asked about toilet training of puppies and this would take a lot of time. A knowledge of the behaviour of puppies and methods used will be useful for the first-time puppy owner. Below is one example of questions asked in relation to toilet training.
Case:
Maltese, Male, 8 weeks, 1.5 kg, 38.4 deg C
Bought the puppy 2 weeks ago.
2nd vaccination
First time puppy owner.
Chinese mum with 2 daughters (14 years and 10 years). Younger daughter would go out of the consultation room as she could not bear to see injections.
Ear Powder X 1 puppy. Ear drops x 1 bottle from the Seller.
Puppy pees outside mat some 20% of the time. So, success rate is 80%.
Method of toilet training.
1. Living area walled off by furniture to give a big spacious space as the mum thinks it is cruel to confine the puppy to a small area.
2. The space is estimated to be 3X bigger than 29"X23" or 72 cm x 58cm (width of Straits Times newspapers opened).
3. Plastic mat with holes placed on top of newspapers (29" x23") with newspapers extending out of the plastic mat. She sprayed training liquid onto newspapers initially. Food and water bowls and towel bed opposite the mat, further away.
4. Puppy will use the mat 80% but has a habit of peeing outside the mat onto the portion of exposed newspapers. Why?
5. Mum said that the puppy is very intelligent as he "runs away when he is discovered not to eliminate onto the mat. He knows he has done something wrong."
6. "The mat is washed once a day in the morning after his breakfast," the mum replied to my query on the frequency of washing. "The dirtier the newspapers, the better for the puppy as he can smell it."
7. Puppy poo is wiped off with tissues. Poops 2x/day.
My advices:
1. Running away. "The puppy is frightened of being beaten when he sees 3 angry faces. So he runs away, " I said. "He cannot relate to some toilet training mistakes done some time ago."
2. Not peeing onto the mat but onto the newspapers at times. "There should be 2-3x washing of the mat per day if you want 100% success in toilet training," I said. "The puppy is clean by instinct. He just does not want to step onto the soiled mat later in the day. So he urinates on the exposed newspapers."
3. Confined area. Too spacious. The toilet area with the mat is also very spacious. So the puppy sometimes pees on the newspapers and the surrounding floor and play on the mat.
Conclusion:
1. White vinegar:water at 1:3 onto cloth. Neutralise all urine smell for those floor areas where the puppy is not supposed to pee.
2. The mat area to be reduced by 50%. Confine to an area 36" x 24" for this week to get the puppy to use the mat 100%. Wash the mat 2x/day.
3. Confine the puppy to a smaller area of 3'x2.5' for one week using furniture to wall off a portion of the living area and apply the advices in paragraphs 1 and 2 above . There should be a 100% use of the holed mat for peeing. That should be the way if the mum does not think it is cruel to do so.
4. This holed mat is equivalent to the metallic or plastic floor grate with pee pan equipment. Only that the newspapers placed below the mat are not in a pee pan.
The disadvantage of this method is that the floor is not protected from the urine stains unlike the use of a pee pan in the grate + pee pan method. I did advise purchase of the latter but it may be too late.
Questions Asked by the busy mum:
In addition to the above questions asked, the mum asked the following:
1. Will they get toxoplasmosis from the puppy?
Answer. No. The puppy bred by the breeder does not get fed infected meat, swill or offal's in Singapore as commercial dog food is fed.
2. Why is the Mini-Maltese ears not white but a bit brownish?
Answer. Some Maltese puppies do not have 100% white coat and have fawn coloured ears.
Two
slim daughters look much like
their mum and would inherit her
good looks and clear porcelain
skin. They would blossom
into heart breakers. The younger
daughter, in primary school,
braces in her teeth, was afraid
of injections and could not bear
to see her puppy vaccinated.
"She still has 2 injections next
year," the elder sister said. As
to what they were, I do not know
nor did she tell me. Normally, the puppy does not cry when my assistant Mr Saw holds it and I vaccinate under the neck. In this case, the puppy shrieked when injected, upsetting the younger girl who was outside in the waiting area.