2 male mini-maltese were purchased from the same pet shop. These 2 male siblings were bred by a home-breeder and sold to the pet shop. Kiddy (left) was purchased yesterday by a young couple but Rascal was bought 3 weeks ago by a young lady. Coincidentally, they met at the Veterinary Surgery on this Sunday for their 3rd vaccination.
CASE 1.
Kiddy (left in the picture) barked in the middle of the night.
Kiddy barked for around 30 minutes on the first night alone in his playpen inside the kitchen."Did you keep peeping at him?" I asked the owner.
"Yes," he said. "But Kiddy would not see me as it was after 11 p.m and it was dark."
"Dogs can hear very well although he might not be able to see you. He could hear you, so he barked more."
Noise nuisance could disturb the neighbours. When the owner took him out of the playpen and put him in the living room, Kiddy stopped barking. He did not need to sleep in the bedroom.
The next morning, the whole living room needed to be cleaned as he had peed and pooped there.
POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS:
1. Demand barking or attention-seeking barking.
In this case, Kiddy knew that he would get attention when he barked. The lady who said she wanted to buy him but chose his sibling who looked more handsome said that Kiddy was first to get her attention through his barking.
The solution from most experts would be to ignore him. No peeping at him from behind the kitchen door or from the living room. That was why he continued barking for 30 minutes. He became a noise nuisance. Living in apartments - there is the problem of neighbours being unhappy with this yelping puppy. So, the owner let him stay in the living room.
He could be let out of the playpen into the common bathroom or kitchen. Let him eliminate on the kitchen floor.
For the first night, the owner must let the puppy know who is in charge. Otherwise, this puppy will be a demand barker.
2. Barking after midnight can also mean that the puppy wanted to eliminate outside his playpen as instinctively, most puppies want to keep their sleeping and eating area clean. Many first-time owners are not aware of this means of communication. It is a different tone of barking. The owner will have to wake up for the first few nights and change the soiled newspapers. Do not linger to play.
3. Some owners would bring the puppy into the bedroom. Cover his crate with a towel. If he barks past midnight, let him out to go to the toilet.
CASE 2.
Kiddy's sibling. KS (right of picture).
The puppy was supervised closely. The owner bought the commercial urine spray from another pet shop as the original one did not recommend or sell such items. She sprayed it onto the newspapers. KS went to the papers to eliminate on the first day. Praise and rewarded with food treat --- the puppy will repeat his performance. This may take several training sessions under close supervision.
Subsequently there were "accidents." However, at night, KS slept in her bedroom on a small puppy bed. "Past midnight, he would get up and walk all the way to the bathroom to pee," she told us "Because he did not want to dirty his sleeping area.". Most likely the bedroom is small and cluttered but it is true that all puppies try not to dirty their sleeping area if possible.
POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS
1. Not all pet shop sells the commercial puppy training aid although they sell puppies. In this case of Kiddy, use the 2nd piece of the soiled newspapers. It has the urine smell. Confinement, close supervision and training using positive reinforcement motivation are still necessary.
Perseverance and time spent with the puppy are necessary for early success.
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