If you have only recently acquired your first household canine, then chances are you are unclear as to where to start when it comes to training. One thing is certain, though – you have one heck of a daunting task ahead of you.
Training your Maltipoo – or any domesticated hound, for that matter – takes time, effort, and an incredible amount of devotion on your part. Therefore, it helps to know where to start before you and your beloved canine companion get going, lest the two of you become overwhelmed by the number of activities and tasks ahead of you.
Fortunately, you need not act blindly. Keep reading to learn how to get started the right way and ensure that your precious pet becomes the well-trained, well-mannered canine you have always wanted. We are sure you do not need much more convincing than that, so let us take a look at how to train a Maltipoo – the right way.
How to Train a Maltipoo: Three Training Tips
Determine and Manage Your Expectations
Fully training a Maltipoo – and indeed, any puppy you may bring home – can take up to a year to complete depending on the age at which you first introduce it to your household. Therefore, it is very important to manage your expectations. For instance, you simply cannot expect a two-month-old puppy to hold its urine for eight hours at a time. Most puppies will only be able to hold their urine for two, maybe three hours at a time, depending on their age, so take it slowly.
Ideally, you should bring your Maltipoo home between the ages of eight and 12 weeks, and you will stand a good chance of completing its training within three to six months. Of course, this age bracket is merely a recommendation, and your puppy can be trained at any age – it might just take a little bit longer.
One last thing to note is that your Maltipoo’s bowel movements will typically need to take place about 20 minutes after any meal, so keep that in mind.
Taking Your Maltipoo Outside
You should allow your Maltipoo to grow accustomed to the outdoors, specifically your backyard. There are a few times during the day when it is ideal for your Maltipoo to experience the outside, including:
- Immediately after any form of confinement (playpens, grated areas, etc.)
- Immediately after your Maltipoo wakes up (you should let them go to the “bathroom” straight away once they are awake)
- 20 minutes before bedtime
- 15 to 20 minutes after your Maltipoo eats (remember what we said about bowel movements)
- Every two hours for a two-month-old puppy, then every three hours for a three-month-old, and so on
- Anytime your Maltipoo makes a motion to go outside – this may come in the form of circling, barking, or generally acting skittish.
After a while, you will be able to read your puppy’s cues.
You should designate an area specifically for your puppy to urinate and defecate. This should be a fairly small space, so feel free to lay down some newspapers to highlight the area, though it is not necessary. Keep in mind how accessible this space will be throughout the year, especially if the area you stay in experiences a lot of snow or rain.
Once you have chosen a spot, stand in the center of this space while keeping your Maltipoo on a leash, which will limit them to that specific area. Your furry friend will probably sniff around for a while before deciding on a spot.
Each time you bring your puppy out, give it about 10 minutes or so to complete its business. Many of them have weak bladders, so it is unlikely to take too long, but some puppies like to sniff around for a while before they begin.
Whenever your Maltipoo urinates and/or defecates in the correct area, be sure to reward it for its good behavior. Praise them, pat them gently, and give them a soft, healthy treat.
Bringing Your Maltipoo Inside
Of course, getting your Maltipoo to do its business in the correct area outside is only half the battle. You will also need to train your precious puppy to properly behave indoors, as well. This task might seem incredibly stressful from the outset.
The first thing you need to know is to never allow your puppy to run loose in the house unsupervised and unleashed. This can only lead to disaster and potentially injury, as well. While your Maltipoo should, of course, be told not to break or damage anything, the main goal of house training is to ensure that it always defecates and urinates in the correct area – namely, outside.
If your puppy does have an accident while indoors, it is important to not scold him or her. If you treat them too harshly after they empty their bowels and bladders, you run the risk of sending them incredibly mixed messages about their own, completely natural bodily functions. To avoid this, simply clean up after them, but abstain from granting them a reward.
Once your Maltipoo has properly adjusted to his or her new environment, you can introduce a new method for them to signal whenever they need to “use the bathroom”. This could be hanging a bell on the door within reach so that they can ring it whenever the need strikes them, or you could install a doggy door so that they may get out whenever they need to.
Conclusion
As you can see, once everything is broken down, the task of training your Maltipoo seems far less overwhelming and insurmountable. It is important that you are always attentive and that you give your puppy the love and affection it deserves. With those two things, we are certain that your Maltipoo will be house-trained before you know it.
Remember to be patient and calm. However, if you find that several weeks of training still have your pup resisting training, it may be time to seek help from a dog training professional to guide you.