PLAYPENS (a.k.a CRATE-TRAINING)
A puppy playpen is an essential piece of equipment for bringing up a well-behaved puppy. Not only does it allow you to relax mentally and forget about your puppy for short periods but it also teaches him self-control. Dogs in a human household have to learn to lie down and relax when no one wants to play or give them attention. As smart and well-behaved by nature a Japanese Chin is ... its still a puppy. Puppies can learn many bad habits if they are allowed to roam the house unchecked. They may attempt to chew on electric wires, shoes, wood table legs and pretty much anything they can fit in his mouth. Since you are not there to supervise, bad behavior goes uncorrected, and the behaviors you want are not encouraged. The pen can be as large an area as you like, but should be at least large enough to have a sleeping area and another part covered with newspaper or a litter pan where your puppy can use to relieve himself if necessary. Puppy pens can be purchased from local or online pet stores. We prefer the plastic constructed playpen with six adjustable panels, optional panels can also be purchased to increase the size. There are also wire playpens and crates available. Find whatever fits best for your situation. These pens are not cheap and you can also of course save money by making your own barriers or by using pet gates and designating laundry rooms or bathrooms for your puppy’s confinement. Make sure if you construct a barrier using objects from around the house that it is sturdy and there is no chance it will not fall on the puppy.
The best place for the playpen is usually the kitchen. In most households, this is the place where people congregate and is usually where most of the activities take place. Your puppy can then get use to many different sights, sounds and smells from the safety of his playpen. In addition, kitchens usually have an easily washable floor. If your kitchen is small, it is better to give him a smaller playpen than to put him in a larger one in a room where there is little human activity. Put your puppy’s bed in the playpen with one or two chews and toys. When your puppy is allowed out, you are there to teach him right from wrong. The training process is much quicker because your puppy is never rewarded for unacceptable behavior. Once your puppy has learned right from wrong and behaves well in the house, even when left alone, you can disperse with the pen.
Do not use the pen as a prison when your puppy has done something wrong. If he does something you do not like, simply correct him, show him what you want him to do and praise him for being good. The pen should not be associated with any form of punishment. Frequently talk to your puppy when he is in his pen and if it is big enough, play with him in it so he enjoys being in there.
Do not on any account, take your puppy out of the pen, talk to him or even look at him if he barks or whines. Do not pay any attention to him until he is quiet again. If you do you will be reinforcing bad behavior. Chins are generally quiet dogs but as puppies some will use their bark to test their place on the hierarchy. They will bark at their siblings while playing and will use it to test his control over you as well. If there are no other dogs in the house that bark and their barking as a puppy is not encouraged then as they grow older the barking will dissipate except for brief periods when they are trying to protect you.
Do not keep your puppy in the pen for long periods and never more than 6 hours at a time if you expect her to keep the pen clean. The pen is meant only as a safe place to keep your puppy when you are engaged elsewhere. She should be given as much time and attention outside the pen as you can manage, and she should not be left there all day. If you introduce the pen at a very early age, your puppy will accept this as part of her life. She will shortly begin to look to her playpen when she is tired and ready to take a nap or when the children become too much. Leave the pen open if possible and make sure the children know the pen is off-limits.
ROUTINE
It is important to establish a routine for your puppy. Dogs are very much creatures of habit and they will adjust to your household a lot easier if there is some sort of order to their lives. Keeping to a routine will also be easier for you because it allows you to cope with everyday chores, such as housebreaking, without having to think too much about them. Having a written routine to follow may help to ensure that your puppy’s needs will not be overlooked or forgotten.
We have a sample routine that we put together for the first couple of months of your lives together and of course it does not suit all households. But is should at least give you some ideas to enable you to design your own. The routine is a basis for what happens each day and is flexible to allow you to live your own life around it. It should be kept to as much as possible to allow for housebreaking, feeding and for such essentials as play and socialization. The routine may look complicated and time consuming but it makes life easier in the long run. For example, it may seem unnecessary for you take the puppy out each hour but it will make for fewer accidents and the learning period will be much shorter. This is only the routine for the first few months until your puppy is trained and trustworthy of being left unsupervised. Again, please use this as a base and adjust to fit around your own schedule.
DAILY SCHEDULE
8:00 am Wake up. Out for quick walk.
8:30 am Family breakfast. Rest period.
9:00 am Puppy’s breakfast.
9:15 am Out for walk. Short play session.
9:30 am Rest period.
10:00 am Out for walk. Training session.
10:30 am Rest period.
11:00 am Out for walk. Socialization time.
11:45 am Grooming and bonding.
12:00 pm Out for walk.
12:15 pm Family lunch. Rest period.
1:00 pm Puppy’s lunch.
1:20 pm Out for walk.
1:30 pm Rest period.
2:00 pm Out for walk. Short play session.
2:20 pm Rest period.
3:00 pm Out for walk. Supervised freedom of the house and playtime.
4:00 pm Out for walk.
4:10 pm Rest period.
5:30 pm Out for walk. Play/training session.
6:15 pm Family dinner. Rest period.
7:00 pm Puppy’s dinner.
7:20 pm Out for walk. Socialization time.
7:45 pm Rest period.
8:30 pm Out for walk. Supervised freedom of the house.
9:00 pm Rest period.
10:00 pm Out for walk. Vigorous play session.
11:00 pm Out for walk. Bed.
*We realize this is not realistic for most people, its used to give you an idea of how to plan a routine based on your own schedule.
HOUSEBREAKING
All puppies need to be on a food-and-water schedule during the housebreaking period. If you know when everything goes in, you will be able to predict when it comes out.
Leave food and water down for 20-minute periods. She will soon learn to eat when she is fed. When she is older you may leave food for her at all times if you wish. Do not add yummy extra’s to the food if you puppy doesn’t eat. The occasional skipping of a meal, as long as the pup is energetic and drinking normally is nothing to concern yourself with. The first weeks or so your puppy might not eat much until she is acclimated with her new environment. During the housebreaking period offer water three to five times a day. Chins need about ½ cup of water for each 4 pounds of body weight so calculate the total and divide for each feeding. After housebreaking is completed leave water accessible at all times.
Housebreaking means only teaching your puppy to only go the bathroom outside or a designated area. Choose either paper training or outdoor training but do not try to teach both at the same time. Puppies must relieve themselves first thing in the morning and last thing at night. He must be taken to his designated area or outside anytime he comes out of the crate, wakes up, eats or plays hard. Out of sight is into trouble. Close supervision is the key to successful and quick training. If accidents happen clean with an odor neutralizer and never use a product with ammonia. If you catch your puppy making a mistake, clap loudly, use a shake can or hit the wall to cause a sharp noise to distract him. He will usually stop what he is doing and you can then whisk him up and take him to his area. When he finishes what he started, praise him again.
Never rub her nose in it, yell, spank or swat her for making a mistake. She is a baby and this is a mistake and not a felony. If you make a big deal over it then you create more problems and may cause your puppy not to trust you. Never punish your puppy if you find a mess on the floor that was done earlier. She will not learn from this because she cannot relate that the punishment she is receiving with an act done earlier. If your puppy lives in fear of you she will be insecure and unhappy and it may inhibit her learning ability. If you follow a routine as suggested above then this will almost never happen. If it does then you only have yourself to blame for not taking her out enough.
When you take her out don’t dawdle. If she has gone, then praise her and move on to the next task. Teach her to go on command by saying, “hurry up” or (any catch phrase that works for you) as she squats. Praise her calmly until she is done and then make a big deal over her and give her a treat. In a few weeks she will squat as soon as you say “hurry up”. This will be a great command for when you are running late or when it’s cold and/or raining outside.
How long will it take? Different puppies learn at different rates. Some pick it up immediately some may take as long as six or seven months. The biggest influence on how quickly a puppy becomes housebroken is house much time and effort you put in. Your Chin is intelligent and if you follow our advice exactly, your puppy should be trained in no time at all. Once you have had once clean week, then you can add a half-hour to every free period. Once your puppy has three weeks clean you can eliminate the after-meal walks. As your Chin matures, slowly shift midday walks to later in the day until you are just walking in the morning, after work and before bed. Usually by eight months, puppies are ready for three walks a day but as always let your puppy be the guide.
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