How To: House-Train Your Puppy

When I lived in Hong Kong for a time, I was impressed with the method they used for controlling dog-waste. In every public park, there were designated sandpits with dog signs on them, where the dog would do its ‘business’ in the sandpit instead of on the grass or path. Even our adult dog, that we brought all the way from Australia with us, learned very quickly to use the sandpits.

1. Designate a toilet-area for your puppy outside such as a small sandpit or a corner of your yard.

2. Observe your puppy closely and learn the signs to when he needs to relieve himself.

3. Make sure to put him in his toilet area each and every time he needs to go, even if he has an ‘accident’ and does it on your rug, put him immediately in his designated toilet area. He will soon learn that’s the place to go.

4. If he accidentally goes in the house, wash clean with white vinegar. Dogs do not like the smell and won’t go there.

5. Lavish with praise and treats when your pup does the right thing.


6. At night, get up often approx every 2 hours to take your puppy outside to the toilet. They are babies after all.



Copyright 2006. Rebecca Laklem

How To: Get Your Teenage Daughter/s to Eat Breakfast.

We would all like to have the ideal of having a sit down breakfast all together as a family but with today’s busy lifestyles this is not always possible and sometimes near impossible. Here are several tips of how you can give your daughter the most important meal of the day….take your pick or for variety try them all!


Find out your daughter’s favourite food even if it doesn’t fit with the traditional and conventional type of breakfast food. Surprise her by preparing it for her the next morning.

Tempt her with a smorgasbord of nutritious food (like your own breakfast buffet) well before she stirs in the morning, so she comes into the kitchen with a table already laid out.

Copy your daughter’s style…..have a ‘stash’ of healthy breakfast bars or muffins in a basket. Put it on the kitchen table or in an obviously visible place such as the hallway.

Whip up a fruit smoothie. The quicker she can eat or drink it – the more likely she will have it.

Pack your daughter’s ‘breakfast’ with her lunch and recess. She will more likely eat it when on route to school.

A basket full of a variety of fruit often does the trick.

Wake her up a half an hour earlier with breakfast on a tray.



If your daughter still won’t eat anything……seek medical advice.


Copyright 2006. Rebecca Laklem