DRAFT

Friday July 20, 2007.

"I bought a pug because pugs are quiet dogs," the lady owner controlled this 1.5-year-old male brown-black masked pug from charging away. He was like a racehorse ready to jump out of the starting gate. A choke chain was used to control him.

"Maybe he had Jack Russell blood," I could not believe that this pug was no more a puppy but behaving juvenile. When let free in the apartment, he would chew sofa, shoes and ripped down the curtains. He would pee and poop too.

So, for the past 6 months, he was confined to the playpen most of the day when the owner worked. He was purchased from a Sembawang farm when he was nearly one year old.
He was kept in a crate with concrete floors for up to one year old.

In the owner's house, the playpen is put against the kitchen wall. A plastic pee pan with newspapers on it is placed near the wall in the back half of the area.

"A water bottle hung from the right-hand-side of the cage.

"Why don't you use a water bowl?" I asked. Water bowl may be easier to lap water from.

"A water bowl is not used because this pug played with the bowl and spilling the water," the owner said.

The bottom half of the area was the tiled floor. He sleeps on the newspapers in the pee pan. The owner wanted him to pee and poop on the newspapers in the pee pan.

"Why not cover the playpen floor with newspapers since you want to paper-train him? Then gradually reduce the newspapers covering the floor. In theory, put newspapers on the area where he eliminates. In that way, you will have paper-trained him."

"It is easier said than done," the owner shook her head. "The pug shredded up all the newspapers."

He would NOT eliminate in this playpen (outside the pee pan area) except when:

1. The lady's father came home. "He could be seeking attention," the lady said. "He does not eliminate if I am home in the evening to take him out for exercise."

2. The lady did not come back on time in the evening or it was raining.

"He always has a reserve of urine in his bladder," the lady observed. "He would pee inside the apartment as if he is left free when I am at home. I restricted water intake like the dog tainer advised and gave him a routine. But still he could not be paper-trained!"

I said, "At his age, he has full control of his bladder and usually pees 1-2X/day. He is marking his territory, using urine." The owner seems to think that the pug is not toilet-trained. But urine-marking is a male behaviour of dogs to mark his territory to warn off other dogs.

FEEDING. Inside the playpen at 7 a.m and 7 p.m. After sleeping in his plastic carrier crate (chew toys, bed) overnight, he would be keen to have his breakfast inside the playpen at around 7a.m.

"After eating, he would avoid being trapped inside the playpen. He would hide under the dining table and no food treats would entice him to come out. The playpen was open with 3 panels hooked, but the pug would never be tricked by treats to come out from hiding if he knew he would be put into the playpen when I go to work." the owner said it was a problem trying to catch him to be put inside the playpen.


WHAT THE OWNER WANTS
1. The owner wants him to be paper-trained.
2. But he shreds newspapers.

HOW TO PAPER-TRAIN A HOUSE-TRAINED DOG?
I suggest re-starting the toilet-training using either the tether method or the room confinement method (playpen opened inside a room) for at least 4 weeks. Closely supervise the dog when it is inside the apartment.

Since the common bathroom was available and the lady is able to spend full-time, this method is preferred.

1. PRESENT ROUTINE

7 am breakfast in the playpen. If no elimination 1 hour after eating, the owner brings him outdoors. He eliminates outdoors. Owner goes to work. Pug put inside playpen to avoid destruction of the apartment furniture.

7 pm dinner in the playpen. If no elimination 1 hour after eating, the owner brings him outdoors. He eliminates outdoors. He never eliminates inside the playpen if the owner comes home on time. However, if the owner's father is present, he does it deliberately to get attention. I suspect he just wanted to get out of the playpen.

2. PROPOSED ROUTINE.

Confine pug inside the bathroom for the next 2-8 weeks. A baby-gate at the door permits him to see people.

Same time for breakfast and dinner. When he eliminates, praise and give him a food treat (he is very greedy for treats except when after breakfast when he knows he would be put inside the playpen so that the owner goes to work.).

Do not let him go outdoors till he has eliminated. Observe him inside the bathroom.

Pee pan covered with newspapers with one piece having his urine smell. The rest of the bathroom floor is initially covered with newspapers. He will shred them. Disinfect floor with white vinegar:water 1:2 those areas he had "accident" except for the pee pan.

(An idea. Gather some grass and soil and put onto the pee pan with newspaper and his urine so that the dog smells as if he was outdoors at the grass patch to eliminate. Will this work? I did not mention this to the owner).

He may or may not lie down on the pee pan and the newspapers as this was his old routine.

NEUTERING
"Neutering may make him less hyperactive," the owner had brought in the dog for the operation this morning. I was asking her about the toilet training as part of my research and was surprised to learn that the owner wanted him to be paper-trained.

In this case, the pug had been "house-trained". This is what the dog book authors define "house-training." To convert an adult dog from being house-trained to being paper-trained takes a lot of time.

"Usually a paper-trained pug waits till he comes home to eliminate," I told the owner. "He does not want to do it outdoors."

Now, this pug defines the home and outdoors as his territory. His plastic pee pan with newspapers and the carrier crate are his den. Dogs are territorial.

"Will neutering stops his urine-marking?" the lady asked.

 

"It is not guaranteed as you have had delayed the operation for too long," I said. "If it is done at around 6 months of age, at the start of urine-marking, chances are good that this anti-social habit will disappear after neutering."

"I thought it is cruel, so I did not do it," she said.

"Many Singaporeans and pet lovers think the same way," I empathised.

Now that the owner is full-time on training him, it is possible that she may succeed in 4-8 weeks time. But the pug would not be allowed to come out of the bathroom till he has eliminated on the newspapers. Praise and food treat need to be given. Later, remove the baby-gate and he is supposed to go to the bathroom to eliminate. So much for theory.

The pug was neutered today and stayed overnight at the Surgery without charge. But his urine-marking behaviour may still exists despite neutering. He will be less high-energy than before as his testosterone levels have diminished. This was what the owner initially wanted.

 

It is fortunately that the pug is not an alpha dog. An alpha wants to dominate and be the leader. He may bite the lady owner. This male pug does not bite anyone and is more interested in claiming his terrority at home by urine marking.

He had been house-trained in the sense that he eliminates downstairs. The lady owner had to work during the past 6 months. So, she waited one hour and since he did not eliminate in his pee pan, she took him downstairs. The pug eliminates downstairs and urine marks. After that, the routine is set. So he does not get paper-trained despite confinement in the playpen during the daytime.

Basics of toilet training for a puppy/dog.

1) Confinement - Put the dog in a small area (a crate, playpen pen or a small room) when he is not supervised. So he can't eliminate in the apartment.

2) Routine - Depending on the age, use the formula N-1 where N=age of dogs in months, as a guideline, to let the dog out of the crate or small area.

E.g. 3-month-old. Every 2 hours, bring the dog to the toilet area (newspaper with urine smell, pee pad or the grass patch outdoors). It should be immediately to 30 minutes after eating esp. in the morning. Do not leave it unsupervised until he is toilet trained.

Signs of elimination --- squatting, sniffing, turning --- carry to toilet area or outdoors for a puppy. Do not crate for more than 6 hours a day for puppies older than 6 months. Get a pet sitter.

3) Positive Reinforcement Training - Praise the dog for doing his business at the right place.

4) "Accidents" --- Do not spank the dog as he does not know why unless you catch him eliminating in the wrong place. Some owners make the dog smell the pee and take him to the toilet area, assuming the dog knows what he has done wrong. Over time, it seems to work. But it is better to supervise the dog closely and prevent "accidents" by watching for signs of elimination.

Neutralise urine smell in "accident areas" with white vinegar:water or products from the pet shop. Poop smell may not be easily neutralised.