[Katanga]

thanks Nina

[beeeie]

Hi, I've got a Shih Tzu which I bought last year. I got him a cage that time as I thought he'll pee and shit inside the cage as he used to when he was in the pet shop. So after every of his meals, I locked him inside the cage till he gets his 'things' done. After a few days, he knew where to find his toilet eventhough I did not lock him. After he got used to it, I bought him a toilet board (no more cage - so that he doesnt feel locked up). I hope this help you.

[carang]

it's been a few days, just wanted to check in to see how it's going with the puppy?

are you able to sleep through the night yet? i hope that it's going well and that the neighbours are being understanding!

good luck!

[Katanga]

ha people....things are getting better.

Somone suggested using a "tick/tock" clock by the pen. Trust me it is difficult to find one of those old winding clocks but after strolling around mid-levels found one in The Japan Hoe Store. Call it whatever you want, call it coincidence but it worked. So the dog sleeps through the night and wakes up like clockwork at 5.45am instead of seeking attention at 1.00am (and getting the neighbours attention !)

Carang suggested the emptry coke bottle with coins - trust me this works very well for stopping the puppy from destroying the plants when we let it out of the pen.

So that's the good news. Now the bad news....

The shitting and peeing is a hit and miss afair. At times every pee and crap is on the toileting tray in the pen. Other times it's plonk in the middle of the pen. I though we'd be smart and reduce the "distance" between its bedding and the toilet tray. It didn't work

[Katanga]

sorry got a call whilst typing the whole saga....continuing on...

so expecting the shitting and peeing to be an issue but only within the pen. I am very hopefult that once the vet lets us take him out we will have less of an issue. The strategy is for us to take him out 4-6 times a day straight after he wakes up, straight after a meal etc so the probability of the shitting/peeing happening indoors is reduced.

Another challenge is eating. We felt it was being starved when it arrived. It was crying for food so we gave it a little nit more and it looked for more but we were strict. Suddenly in the last 2 days he doesn't finish the amount of food we give him that was recommended.

It does seem to go from being very playful to being quite tired so we are getting paranoid that it might be ill. Just as we think doom and gloom, up it gets and with tail wagging he wants out of the pen for more action (and shitting and peeing on the floor of-course)

Look....overall its fun, we are enjoying having him and I am less stressed since the sleep through the night without barking.

Really looking forward to when we can start walking him.

I'll provide the next update after the vet's visit tomorrow.

[sunniefaith]

Just wondering, have you dewormed it? And yes, bring it to the vet asap as well. Hope all goes well. Having a new puppy can be very hard at times. But all the same, it can be very rewarding...I miss my little maltese

[jlongboard]

Every new dog/pup, the first place they should go is the vet for a checkup/de-worm/shots.
I'm glad the clock works for you. Just remember it's a puppy, expect accidents, chewed stuff, swallowed things...etc...Puppies are a LOT of work. Just keep up with the walks, potty training, basic commands and in a year or two you will have a well rounded dog.
It's not to early to start on basic manners for her, don't jump, bite, sit stay. Training makes them just as tired as walks. This link has a lot of good info for you. You should browse through.
www.forum.dog.com

[larac]

I have a border collie but sometimes we think she missed out on the intelligence gene. Totally agree with the shaker and the importance of your tone of voice and I saw Caesar Milan's DVDs at HMV - after seeing him on Oprah he does what we were told to do and it works.

Best thing we ever did though is teach our dog to pee on command. Everytime you want it to pee tell it and when you give it an instruction start with its name so it knows you are talking it it ie; 'Buster go pee pee'. Sounds a bit daft but works miracles when you have limited time eg: you want the dog to pee before going in the car. At the beginning we did it all the time but it was a hit and miss affair but suddenly she got it and it works every time now. So my advice would be no matter what you want to train your dog to do be consistent and persistent and in the long run your patience will be rewarded.

[larac]

and one more thing....dry food. Feed your dog good quality dry food and the whole clean up process is much better as your dog will have a much more stable tummy and their breath will be better - the crunching is good for their teeth. Soft or canned food requires no chewing and promoted bacteria build up in their mouths as a result. Occassionally break and egg over the top - they love it and it keeps their coat healthy.

Do not feed your dog human food ever, especially not from the table. As soon as you do you will have a begger on your hands. Dry food in their own bowl is the only way to go. We failed on this but she does take food from you very gently so there is no risk of losing a finger.

[Submariner]

Also, keep in mind that every dog is different in terms of intelligence. We have two pugs (ages 3 and 4); our first one learned how to "sit" in the car on the way home from the pet store and was potty trained in 3 days.

Our "special" pug took 3 frustrating months to be potty trained and still doesnt completely understand the "sit" command.

By the way, we use kitty litter for the dogs. For "house" dogs, this method is extremely convenient.