E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED
JUN 11, 2010
Dear Judy,
I just got a cockapoo for 1 wk. She is 2mths old now.
Currently we
placed her in a big playpen w toys, hanging water bottle
& a security
towel. There is also a corner in e pen where she pees n
poops
successfully on every time. I bring her out in short
intervals about 3
times a day, allowing her to play hard the living room.
Her pen is in a
corner of the living room by the way. After playing,
when I put her
back to the pen, she will pee on the papers. The problem
is, she also
likes to lie on the papers, clean or soiled, when she is
playing alone
w her toys, n when she starts to shred and eat the
papers when bored.
I've given her toys n pushed her away when I c her on e
papers. But
without supervision, she ends up on it again. When we
wake up in e
morning, e soiled papers will be shredded, her toys on
her urine, n
her body reeks of urine smell. What should we do? Why
does she do
that? Should I expand her pen further? I await your kind
advice. Thank
you!
Thanks & regards
Name of Owner
Sent from my iPhone
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR
SING DATED JUN 12, 2010
I am Dr Sing for Toa Payoh Vets. Thank you for your
e-mail.
From your description, the puppy pees on the papers at a
corner of the playpen. But she also shreds the papers.
Paper shredding is a common complaint of confined
puppies. As to why they do it, it is likely to be fun.
 Here are some suggestions:
1. Just do not make a fuss when you see the puppy
shredding papers
2. Change the soiled papers without scolding the puppy
or making any comments. Your reaction makes the puppy
repeat her paper shredding to get you to pay more
attention.
3. Tape the 4 sides of the newspapers onto the floor
(the corner of the playpen). This may not be fool-proof.
4. I saw an invention by some people at a Singapore pet
shop some time ago. It is a clip-on rectangle to hold
the papers tightly so that the puppy cannot shred them
(in theory). This invention was not marketed well and is
hard to find. Maybe you can make one with 4 pieces of
wood or metal rods (which holds newspapers in the
library).
5. Some owners buy the "puppy diapers or pads" which
have tapes to stick it onto the floor. The puppy may or
may not shred it.
6. Paper training takes a lot of time. When the owner
pays a lot of vocal attention to this misdeed, it is
hard to stop the puppy shredding. The puppy just loves
attention and the owner keeps scolding. This is
attention to the puppy. Therefore be silent.
7. Soiling herself overnight. This puppy has no "clean"
instinct. Check how she was housed in the previous place
(seller). Was she housed in a grate + pee pan. If that
is the case, don't expect her NOT to enjoy shredding
papers as she had no previous paper experience.
8. Please e-mail me 3 pictures of top views and side
views of the playpen and puppy (newspapers in the
corner) as sometimes, I can provide advices better after
seeing the housing floor plan. |
TOA
PAYOH VETS
