Dr Sing Kong Yuen, www.toapayohvets.com
1. HISTORY
Owner: First-time puppy owner, 21-year-old student, room carpeted. Late nights online gaming life-style.
Puppy: Bichon Frise, purchased from Australian pet shop around 2 weeks ago.
Housing: "The puppy just stays in a fenced up area. Food and pillow on one side and newspaper and a box on the other side. Any training tips will be much appreciated".
Feeding: Ad lib. Food available all the time.
Puppy's behaviour: Typical---chewing, biting, nipping, whining, shredding newspapers. One day, the puppy will chew off the electrical wire on the floor and may be electrocuted.
Toilet Training Objective: To get the Bichon Frise paper-trained.
Confined area: The puppy seemed to be not confined in the first 2 weeks. Therefore, the carpet now must be full of strong urine and poo smells. Carpets are favoured by puppies for elimination.
COMMENTS:
1. Should have confined the puppy in a fenced area 3 feet x 3 feet on day 1. You appear to have given it a bigger area.
2. Should have covered the floor with a rubber mat or equivalent to prevent soiling of the carpet. Put newspapers on top of the rubber mat. You will observe that the puppy will eliminate away from its bed and eating area. In your case, the big pillow is too big as a bed. Did the puppy pee on it as well?
3. Reduce the newspaper coverage to the area where the puppy eliminates. Change newspapers regularly. If you go home after lectures, change the shredded newspapers without SHOUTING OR TALKING to the puppy (no attention given). Put puppy in a confined area as you change the papers, otherwise he has "accidents" and soil the carpet.
4. Do not allow the puppy to come out to play unless well supervised by watching for signs of elimination --- sniffing, turning, squatting. Some puppies do not display such signs.
4.1 On observation, pick up puppy and put onto newspapers. Say "pee here". Give praises and rewards.
5. "Accidents" should never have had happened if the puppy had been confined for the first 2 weeks. It is extremely difficult to neutralise the urine smells on the carpet. White vinegar:water 1:3 is still the best way to neutralise.
6. The puppy will poop 2-3 times a day depending on feeding times. Since you feed unrestricted (as advised by the pet shop), your puppy just poo at any time. With 2x feeding schedule, he will have pooped 2 x per day, around 10-20 minutes after eating. If you don't play or distract him after eating and leave him inside the fenced area onto newspapers for the first 2 weeks, you will have some success in paper training.
Now he poops many times.
7. Peeing. All puppies of 2-3 months of age pee numerous times. After waking up, exercise, eating and drinking, you need to take him to the newspapers and say "pee here", praise and reward.
8. Accidents. "Spanking backside, scolding and put the puppy onto the newspapers when you see him eliminating in the inappropriate toilet location" seems to be an effective way, according to my survey of >500 puppies toilet training in Singapore. Some owners still put the puppy's nose to smell the urine or poo and then bring the puppy to the newspapers. They claim it is an effective method.
SUMMARY - A routine or time-table is needed for success.
Confine, 100% newspapers, feed 2X/day at same times, change soiled newspapers regularly leaving 2nd soiled sheet, neutralise 'accident' areas, spend time watching for signs of elimination, firm command of 'pee here', praise and food treats on success.
Just putting newspapers on one side --- difficult to expect the puppy to eliminate there. Some puppies do especially if they have had been paper-trained by the home-breeder. Some puppies don't know what to do. Observe what the puppy does inside the pet shop but this will be difficult as you don't spend the whole day there.
Has the newspaper a smell of puppy urine on day 1? Did the pet shop sell you the foul-smelling "puppy training aid"? Use the soiled newspapers will actually do but you must do it consistently from day 1.
Do you really have the time, patience and perseverance to do all these? If not, expect the puppy to be eliminating all over the carpeted room and be unsuccessful even after 2 months! Let me know whether the puppy goes to eliminate on the newspapers or not as at today Aug 31, 2007?
1 comment:
Don't give up! He is still a puppy like my little O J. Now O J is not biting my daughter so much as she is more firm. We make it a point to feed O J daily at 7.30 am and 7.30 pm and NOTHING in between except treats when he pees and poos correctly. It is not hard-hearted because O J doesn't know any better. Also, we don't feed anything other than his regular dog food-that means no human food, no french fries etc. It is not cruel cos what they don't know, they don't miss. I'm sure given time and effort, your dog will respond. Firmness tries us terribly but will result in a happy dog who knows exactly what is expected of him. Also, the pet shop ppl said, he must know he is the least important in the family. He does not dictate life in the house. This order of hierarchy is important too. He needs to know, as Dr Sing said, who is top dog in the house. In my case, me!
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