House training Poodles

House training poodles doesn't have to be difficult. Poodles are thought of to be one of the most intelligent dog breeds around. They're also very enthusiastic. Put intelligence and enthusiasm together, and you have a dog which is very easy to educate.

The most significant thing to think of when house training poodles, is to use positive reinforcement. Rather than yell at him, rub his nose in it, hit him,... ignore your poodle when he has eliminated where he shouldn't have. Punishment will only cause your poodle to be scared to eliminate when you are around. If on the other hand you praise your poodle, give him treats, pet him... whenever he eliminates where you want him to, he'll promptly get it to this and try to please you (and himself) by repeating the good behavior. So if you follow a few rules, house training poodles will be a piece of cake.

Looks like the toy poodles are winning. 70% of the voters prefer those little furballs (well, you can't really blame them, they are cute enough to eat). But I do love the majestic stride of the standard poodle as well...

Come on poodle lovers, keep voting in the poll above for you favorite size.

Here are some basics you should think about when house training poodles:

-Poodles are "naturally housetrained". By this I imply that a poodle will try to avoid eliminating where he eats and sleeps. The mother dog will reinforce this behaviour the first weeks. As soon as you take the poodle puppy home, it's up to you to fine-tune it; teach him where and even when he should "do his thing".

-At 7 or 8 weeks, that's the age you take your puppy home, your poodle will develop a preference of surface to eliminate on. Puppies in particular prefer an absorbent surface like grass, paper, pads and of course your expensive living room rug. You can aid your poodle make the right selection by using an indoor dog potty or pee pads while house training poodles.

-For a puppy, inside is just as good as outdoors (maybe even better; safe, warm and dry). Your puppy focuses on surface, smell and placement, so instruct him at an early age where you favor for him to eliminate, for instance only on grass or sod, only in your backyard. Do consider though that you might one day take your dog somewhere with no grass, sod,...this might cause a problem because your poodle might resist to eliminate completely. Nothing to worry about if it's only for a couple of hours, but you might want to consider house training poodles using a portable dog toilet to prevent him from holding it up for hours on end.

-As poodles prefer to keep their sleeping and eating area clean, using a crate can be very helpful when house training poodles. Just remember not to leave your pooch in a crate for more than 4 hours.

-When house training poodles puppies, never forget that your puppy is just a puppy. He can't hold up as long as an adult poodle, so accidents will happen. However, your puppy will send out signals to let you know it's time to go potty. Going around in circles and sniffing are a good indication.

-If you catch your puppy in the act, you can pick him up and put him where he should eliminate. Puppies instantly stop eliminating when picked up, so you don't have to concern about cleaning up a whole trail.