Introduction
Potty training is one of the most important steps on your way of bringing up a Labradoodle. Since the very puppyhood, your dog should know where and when it can ‘go to the bathroom’. In this article we are going to give you all the necessary tips how to potty train your Labradoodle.
How to Potty Train
There are a few important tips every Labradoodle owner needs to know before start potty training a puppy or adult dog:
- You just need to understand your Labradoodle’s body language. Every dog is individual, and it has its own signs that will signal you about its need to go to the toilet: some dogs just looks at the door and some are running, jumping and fussing about the house.
- If you have a Labradoodle puppy, remember, that it needs to go “to the bathroom” at fairly frequent time intervals – as soon as the puppy wakes up, after play-time, after meals and before going to sleep.
- Take your Labradoodle for walks at the time that the dog usually does his “potty”. For example, 2-3 times a day. You can add an extra walk in the afternoon if your dog needs it.
Warning! Remember, that the shorter your walks are, the more frequent they should be.
- Praise your Labradoodle after it ‘discharges’ at the right place.
A ‘Traditional’ Way
The most common way to potty train your Labradoodle is to take it to the designated area after every meal, nap, play, in the morning and before a bedtime, for example, on the backyard. When your puppy has done all its ‘needs’, praise it and use some positive reinforcement. Day-by-day, your puppy will develop the habit to release itself outdoors at the designated place.
Crate
Another way to potty train your Labradoodle puppy is to use a crate. The thing is that a puppy will regard the crate as its own house and won’t discharge inside it.
If you are going to use this method, you should know how to introduce a crate to a dog in a right way:
- put a blanket or a pillow in a crate that your dog can sleep comfortably;
- put a toy that your Labradoodle likes to encourage it to go inside the crate;
- for the first time, take off the door of the crate if the puppy is scared to be locked;
- slowly increase the time you let it stay in the crate.
When your Labradoodle puppy got used to a crate, start to take it for a walk every 1-2 hours to the same spot (this spot will be associated with a toilet). Use some verbal cue for your dog as a signal (command) to urinate or defecate, for example “Potty time!” or “Toilet!”, etc. Each time your Labradoodle eliminates outdoors, give it with a tangible reward and praise.
How to Potty Train an Adult Labradoodle?
It will be more difficult to potty train an adult dog than a puppy, since older dogs have their deeply-rooted habits (in the worst cases you will need to seek help of a dog trainer). Observe your adult Labradoodle very closely and try to understand its body signs.