I am not too sure how big your term "cage" is. I have an almost 3 months silky terrier in which we had created a "play pen" for it (See Below).



1) The play pen is made from 4 black borders that you can form a shape to contain the pup. Since can be detached, you can also add more borders to it and form a bigger pen. Each border is sold at RM15 only...
2) The mobile crate is where I feed the guy. Making him feel that's the safe heaven is.
3) The water bottle supplies sufficient water for him throughout the day
4) The blue pillow is where it sleeps at night. It will prefer the bed than the crate - for obvious reasons
5) The cloth is where is will snuggle in if it's too cold - Yes, I've got an air cond in the room
6) The paper you see next to the door is how we paper train it. We used to open the door and allow it access to the toilet but we had sprayed some termites poison and we cardoned it off for it's safety.

For potty train, always remember a few points;

1) The pup will not want to soil it's bed unless REALLY "cannot tahan".
2) If you have a too small place for it's own activities, it may have no choice out of doing it there and sleeping with it !
3) Pups have less control over their bladders as of adult dogs. They may go more often than adult dogs
4) If your dog is accustomed to sleeping with it's own stool since a pup, you may end up having problems to train it on cleanliness
5) What you eat is what you sh*t. If you feed the dog "capalang" stuff, you ought to have stool that is "capalang" (soft and wet) making it harder to clean. So if "MAMEE" is bad for you, then it's neither good for the dog...

If you are particular about cleaning him everytime he does his business, I suggest you to get some packs of baby wipes in the pharmacy and wipe the pup clean (on it's genital areas especially) after he does his business. Before this, I had this case of bringing the pup to the groomer than found out that there are stool residue stuck onto it's hair if it's not clean enough - yucks !

Anyway I had started a blog about training my pup in friendster called "Silky Terror". You're also most welcome to join.

http://www.friendster.com/group/tabmain.php?gid=160253

Was trying to add you but it requires your email instead... *bummer*
Can you please PM me your email ?

Anyway, we also have a rubber mat in which to prevent the dog from tearing up newspaper from underneath (I took the mat for a wash when I was snapping pics then). These rubber mats are washable and does not contain liquid. Well, people usually place them inside the toilet



You can get these mats from TESCO or GIANT at a reasonable price.

However, unless your dog knows how to use the toilet seat/bowl (Like that dog in Bruce Almighty), you still need to clean up his stool.

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0315327/Ss/...ath_key=0315327

Hi Pennywise, I just wish to share some points about punishing your dog and a few other tips.

If there is really a need to hit your dog, ensure you do it constructively instead of emotionally. What's more, I would not even suggest you to use your hand and smack it. The reason was because you would use your hands to pet it and sometimes feed it hence using the same hand would add to more confusion if you are about to reward or to punish the pup.

Instead you may find the pup are more obedient towards a "teaching" tool - I am using a clothes hanger (You may want to try rolled up newspapers and other house items). It will scare the wits out of him when you hit hard over the floor or any platform. It works for my hyperactive Silky.

I'm actually facing a very similar scenario to yours. I am a working man and at times may end up working late. When I'm back from a tiring day and yet pup is so hyperactive and demanding your attention; you may end up spending your last breath entertaining him.

For me, we bought a rope tug toy and introduce it to the pup a few days ago. I've trained the pup to pull one end of the rope while I pull the other end (hence a tug-of-war game). Because of the pup's size, you can just sit down and enjoy the moment of playing pull & tug with it while the pup would be busy running here and there figuring out how to pull the rope off from you (Around 10 minutes of workout with it would make him so darn tired that his pillow may be the sweetest spot for him then). A word of caution is not to play pull-tug with every toy you have to offer to the pup.

Another point to watch out is your pup's eating habits. I had cycled through a few food brands for the last 1 month yet my pup would always finish it irregardless whether it likes the taste of it or not (Not immediately though). But if you know that your dog is hungry and yet it also refuse to eat, then it's best for you to check with your vet. You'd never know if the pup is stressed or sick.

To make your training more interesting, I would suggest you to read some dog training e-book or purchase some training books off from bookstores. I am following an e-book called "Teach your dog 100 english words" by Michele Welton. What's more, if you can afford, why not bring it to the dog's basic training. I've read that www.puppy.com.my is offering a basic course (for puppies 3 months and above) for RM200 with 10 training sessions being held every Sunday morning somewhere in Klang Lama.

Here's how it looks like

http://www.fordogtrainers.com/index.asp?Pa...PROD&ProdID=236

Just don't leave the pup alone with the toy okay. There are protruding fibers in which I wont recommend you to give to your pup without your supervision.

As for housebreaking, I had read from the e-book mentioned earlier that you may need to introduce your pet to your home in stages instead of opening the whole area for it to run around. For instance, you may wish to allow the pet to explore within your room first and get accustom to where is the potty area and so forth. Once it's okay with it, you may want to open more and more areas for it to explore. I guess it's not bad of an idea because the pup may know where to go back (which room) when it really "needs to go". Hope this helps !

Garlic is a good repellent for bugs. You can add a bit of garlic to your dog's meal while using flea/tick shampoo.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogT...tPrevention.php

But then again, garlic is good repellent for EVERYTHING (Including you) !

Erm... remember that post where I recommend you to put a rubber mat on top of the newspaper ?

There are actually a few uses of it;

1) It's to prevent the furkid to reach onto the newspaper and tear it into bits.
2) The mat will not contain liquid hence all the pee would be drenched beneath to the newspaper
3) The mat can retain the smell of the poo/pee in which the pup would go back there for it's business again
4) If you do not have a scoop to scoop up the poo, you can lift the whole mat and empty it over the toilet bowl (Consider the fact that the stool is hard)

Of course you may need to rinse the mat from time to time if you are about to keep the mat indoor.

What's more, I am thinking of placing the mat over a container instead of a newspaper so that I wont need to change the newspaper. (Recycle mah)

Yup, the mat is where all the businesses are done.

Well, here's the idea. Dogs are supposed to be like wolves; they are pack animals - animals that have hierarchy upon who is the boss, the second man and so forth. If there are cases where the pup actually barks back at you, snatches toy from you or doing something that is "disrespectful" then you should be careful. Cause at the end of the day, you may not be treated as the "boss" (aka pack leader) and as expected - your training would go onto dumb ears.

Love for your dog is one thing but getting them to respect you is another. You should be able to give instructions to your pup and ensure that they are strictly adhering to it otherwise they will just think that you are not serious all of the time. Here's a phrase from the e-book I had read

"if you don't establish YOURSELF as the leader, your dog will feel compelled to assume the role himself. This is when you will start seeing all those rude and
disrespectful behaviors. Your dog, of course, isn't actually being rude or disrespectful. He is simply carrying out his role as pack leader. He figures that since YOU haven't assumed the role, HE has to do it."

The rubber mats are those mats where you keep in the bathroom to avoid the slippery floor. It's usually comes in a few small pieces in which you can attach and become a single big piece. Initially it was used in the bathroom at my home but now had been a toilet itself for my pup ! Price wise, I am not too sure though (We bought it quite sometime ago); try check out tesco, giant or makro under the toilet accessories section.

My dog also have the tendency of doing it on carpet if there are no newspapers around. I think it's because they assumed that the carpet are the "carpet grass" hence it's a good spot for "his business"

Erm... for a start, I think you were using those plastic clothes hanger right ? Well, I had broken mine as well. Now it's the iron type in which I doubt it will scatter no matter how hard I hit on the floor.

If your pup had done something wrong, don't try to chase it - instead try to track it down and get him. A chase is more like a game to the pup itself though...

To award the pup; yes you need treats but then again don't overdo it. You may combine a few actions before giving treats as a final praise for your pup. For instance,

1) Ask your pup to SIT
2) Ask it to WAIT
3) Ask it to COME
4) Ask for it to SIT before you hand over the treat

But all in all, you need to ensure that you are teaching your pup the commands in stages;

NO! -> GOOD BOY! -> SIT -> WAIT -> COME

From SIT, you can also branch into HAND, ROLL, FETCH and so forth ! But if you're really serious about training your pup, then you better be more strict and with a stern voice. Puppies are like kids; they can be distracted easily hence you need to tell them that you are serious about what you want/expect them to do (aka "Da Pack Leader")

This post has been edited by MOUSEY: Jan 21 2007, 02:24 AM

My Whiskey had it's own ears going up one by one but we did help him a little by shaving the hair behind the ears as to reduce the weight to the ears while letting the veins grow. If you wish to do so, the groomer may be able to help. We did it ourselves by using my shaver's sideburn trimmer and trimming it bit by bit. Works though.

Hahaha... maybe you want to bleach your dog after the trip outside

1) It's okay if your pup is still doing his business at the newspaper. The idea now is to improvise it by placing the mat over the SOILED newspaper. When you see your puppy is looking for a spot, try place it over the mat and it will eventually knows what to do. The idea here is for it to recognize his own spot for his business via the scene; which is the nature of dogs. At later stage, the non-slip mat would retain his scent and he will go back there for his business hence you can place the mat wherever you wish the pup to go for it's business (i.e. Toilet).

I can't promise you how fast the dog would be able to find back it's spot but it requires practice and easy access for him to it. An advise is not open a space that is too big for the pup to roam if you wish to housebreak him, it would go into confusion and may not be able to find back it's own spot when it needs to go

Non-slip mats are good if you wish to have an easy cleaning session. The newspapers underneath it is to absorb the pee while you can lift the whole mat to dunk the poo or for an easy wash session if you feel like it.

To summarize it; here's my perception about non-slip mats;

a) Easy cleaning, lift the mat, dunk the poo and wash
b) Keep the pup away directly from the newspapers
c) More tidy, I can't bear seeing the pee and poo over the newspaper after coming back from work.
d) Prevent your pup from stepping over the pee as the pee would be drained underneath to the newspapers
e) Remote training, move the mat and you'll move the "toilet"

2) I think it's normal for dogs not to finish their food. If they had had enough then there is nothing much you can do apart from lifting the bowl away and keep the rest for the next session. I never leave food over for them to eat in a long duration as it will encourage them to think that they have the chance to finish it whenever they wish to (which may affect their potty timing as well)

3) When your pup does a mistake, be sure to clean up the mess with soap or some detergent. A mere wipe is not enough because they can sense their scent when they need to go again. We use DETTOL to wipe the floor and then another round of clean water to ensure that the floor is safe for the pup to run around

4) Trust me, he WILL sleep. It's dog's nature to be alert. If you have a pup that sleeps when the whole house had been carted away by burglars then I think your pup may have a problem instead

Hmm... What about sniffing for spots to do his business ? I know my Whiskey would have a fixed timing to go for his poo session but the pee-ing is a bit irregular (Depends on how much it drinks). Nevertheless, I guess you may need to observe him in more detailed manner (i.e. behavior change when it have the urge).

As for food, I had never wanted to feed him with soft food because of the fact that I wanted him to get used to solid food. I was told by a groomer and the breeder who gave me Whiskey to get him used to solid food. But I guess it's all up to self preference...

As for rest/sleep, it's a bit strange. Do you place your pup and sleep in the room with you and observe his timing ? My dog would usually sleeps at 11pm (or later if I go disturb that little fella) and an afternoon nap around 2 or 3pm.

Erm... for a start, you may need to teach your dog that newspaper is a NO, NO. You can roll up the newspaper and smack on the floor next to him when he's tearing it into pieces.

Anyway what kind of breed is your dog ? Is it the large breed ? Floor mats are not suitable for large breed dogs (Well, I doubt you will keep large breed dogs at home also right ?) because they have the ability to lift the mat up easily. Smaller breed need a bit of effort to do that but you need to train your dog not to play with that - it's a mat, not a magic carpet though.

Alternatively, you can spread the mat over the floor in the toilet without newspaper beneath (once your pup had stained the mat with it's scent). To wash, just lift the mat, dumb the poo (if he poo-ed on top of it) and rinse the floor beneath the mat (and the mat itself). No newspaper hassle !

I'm wondering if I can build something like a walkway that leads up to the toilet bowl and place the mat over the hole in the toilet bowl...

This post has been edited by MOUSEY: Feb 2 2007, 01:30 PM

I'm sorry to hear about that. It's a cruel end to your Shih Tzu but I guess everyone's here would certainly learn something from your mishap. Yes, dogs are intelligent animals and at times they can be as dumb when it comes to our everyday danger.

Have you taught your pup to learn the term "NO" ? Applying "NO" during the restriction process proves to be useful. As a clear reminder, a scare or two using loud sound (like smack the floor using newspaper) would be much like enforcing it.

Note : Be sure that when you say "NO", say it in a strict voice and look at the dog in the eye while upholding a stern look. Remember not to smile even if the dog looks back at you with it's puppy's eyes and beg for sympathy.

Petaling street have ? Erm... I saw one in Pet's Safari that resembles the chinese "qua" but the price is around RM60 to RM70. I think we may bite the bullet and get one for him just for CNY but if there are any cheaper versions out there, please inform or PM me yah !

I guess you need to ensure that human beds are for human and doggie bed is for doggie lo...

We never encourage the dog to jump onto the bed because of the fur and the accidents that you encountered. Anyway, good luck !

I just brought my dog for vaccination yesterday. His ears were dirty, smelly and itchy last month when we brought him to the vet to check. Apparently, we were told that he had this fungus growth in his ear canals and need to apply medication onto it.

I am not speculating that smelly ears are always fungus growth but as a word of caution, please check with your vet once in a while.

I believe the dog can differentiate between biting and licking. However, both action are not encouraged due to our surrounding environment that are filled with poison and materials which are not suited for consumption. Anyway it's also not wise to force the pup to bite it's own paw. I mean it's no point doing so as well because they can't associate their paw and your hand.

Presumely your dog is still at an infant stage; they may be just curious and playful toward their surrounding environment. Have you seen how a puppy play with their mother dog ? They'll sometimes *nib the mother dog to encourage the mother dog to play with them. It's just part of growing up for them...

IMHO, What you need to be aware of is the other things they ought to bite apart from your hand (i.e. furnitures, wires and such).

* Nibbing and biting is different. If they really choose to bite or chew on your hand, then it's a different story.

This post has been edited by MOUSEY: Feb 28 2007, 04:35 PM