It has been many years since you have had a puppy and you are worried you may have forgotten the basics of how to train a puppy. In order to have the best start possible, it is important that your training plan is formed in advance of the puppy’s arrival. Once Doodle, your cute little Goldendoodle puppy arrives, your life will change drastically as you deal with chewing, nipping and turned over water bowls in addition to puddles and piles on the floor. Be prepared!
Get Ready for Puppy Arrival Day
You will need to be ready for Doodle’s arrival with bowls for food and water, crate, collar, leash, chew toys, squeaky toys and treats. If you have a fenced yard, you will want to make sure there are no holes where Doodle can escape. Goldendoodles are a hybrid resulting from crossing Golden Retrievers with Poodles and as such, are very intelligent. Make sure you are ready to set the rules from the start and remain consistent until Doodle becomes a well-behaved obedient member of your family.
What Type of Training does Doodle Need?
Doodle will need to be housetrained, taught what is acceptable to chew on and what is not, taught how to walk on her leash, taught not to jump up and taught not to whine or bark excessively. Essentially, little Doodle needs to be trained to be obedient and well-behaved.
Who’s going to be the Alpha?
Of all the things Doodle learns in her training, perhaps the first and foremost concept that she needs to learn is that she is not the Alpha dog; her master is. Once Doddle understands who is “boss” she will be more receptive to being trained and will be more relaxed as well as disciplined. It is critical to keep in mind that if you do not fill the position of Alpha; she will. While it is fun to let a cute little pup call the shots, it will be difficult for Doodle to unlearn what she has learned during this period. This could create a whole lot of associated problems as your now adult dog begins to run your house.
Housetraining
Housetraining is perhaps the most obvious training required for Doodle; until she is properly housetrained, in her mind, the whole house is her toilet. There are a few methods for housetraining that have proven effective and these include crate, paper and direct training. Regardless of which method you chose for housetraining Doodle, reward her with praise and treats every time she uses the area selected as the toilet area. It takes a puppy until about 6 months of age to be completely housetrained; be patient.
Note: Feed your pup on a schedule, since basically what goes in at a regular time comes out at a regular time.
Walking on a Leash
Never use a choke chain collar on a puppy and NEVER drag a puppy on a leash. Use a body harness to teach Doodle to walk on leash. To keep her close to your side use treats, lures and plenty of praise. The leash should be loose at all times. If Doodle starts to speed ahead change direction so that she is suddenly behind you. Don’t wait until she is pulling at the end of the leash to switch directions. Give a very quick tug on her leash and then immediately return the slack in the leash. The tug is only to get her attention not to drag her in any way. The best leash training method is to begin around the yard and house before she learns to pull. If Doodle never figures out she can pull; she won’t.
Teaching Doodle what is acceptable and what is not
Doodle was not born knowing that your slippers aren’t a chew toy and that whining and barking are not acceptable; to her it is just instinct. It is your responsibility to provide acceptable alternatives such as chewies and squeakies that are hers to chew on. Until she is past the chewing stage, it is up to you to make sure she has plenty of acceptable chews and to make sure that things that are not acceptable are taken out of her sight and access.
If she wants to jump up on people, gently place her feet back on the floor and give her a reward while all her feet are on the floor or ground. Only give attention and affection at her level; do not cave and cuddle your pet during a jumping incident as she would perceive this as positive reinforcement for her jumping behavior.
Online Resources
If you are feeling the least bit unsure about training your Goldendoodle, go online where you can find a plethora of information and training tips by experts and dog behaviorists. Online you will find a variety of methods for training puppies, read through the various techniques and take from each what you feel is useful for your training situation. Remember however, that consistency is the key to successful training. If you feel that you need professional help you will have no trouble finding it online.
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