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One of the biggest mistakes many Poodle owners make is thinking that they need to wait until their pooch is a little older before they start working on potty training. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you should start working on potty training before you bring your pup in the house for the first time.
As soon as you let your Poodle out of the car, put him on his leash and take him to the spot on your lawn where you want him to go potty. Be sure to praise him and give him a treat if he does. This will help establish a precedent that will carry on throughout the training.
Poodles are highly intelligent dogs capable of learning a wide range of tricks and behaviors, but before you try to train your pup some of the more advanced tricks, one of the first things you need to teach your dog, is that it is not okay for him to pee in the house. You do this by teaching your pup to pee outside on a particular spot in the yard. You can start working on this from the moment you pull up in the yard. Before you take your pup in the house, be sure you take him to your chosen spot to go potty. This sets the wheels turning in his mind and prepares him for what is to come.
The good news is that you won't need much in the way of supplies to train your poodle to pee outside. Of all the supplies you need for this type of training, time and patience are among the most important. Training your pup to pee outside is not something that is going to happen overnight, and you must have the time and patience to see it through.
Supply list:
- Crate – For training
and for your pup when you can't be there.
- Treats –To reward
your pup when he gets things right.
- Leash –To take
him out to his "spot" to go potty.
When training a Poodle, you need to be consistent at all times. This is the best way for your pup to learn to go potty outside.
The Choose Your Spot Method
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Start out in your yard
Before you bring your pup home for the first time, you need to go out in your yard and decide what area of your lawn will become your Poodle's personal potty.
Choose your cue
Choose a cue word both you and your pup will have no trouble remembering. The simpler the better, try "Outside" or "Potty." Now hook your pup up to his leash and give him the cue as you go out the door.
Lots of praise
When your pup goes pee in his new "bathroom", be sure to praise him and give him a treat. Positive reinforcement works wonders with your pup, whereas negative reinforcement only serves to make things harder.
Your pup needs a routine
Set a timer for 30 minutes and every time it goes off, take your pup outside, no matter how long it has been since the last time he went out. Along with this, take him out after he eats, drinks a lot, naps, and, of course, first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
Repeat performance
The rest is all about repeating this process and spending time with your Poodle until he starts letting you know he needs to go out--at which point you have done your job.
The Timed Routine Method
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Buy time
For this, you will need a simple kitchen timer. If you don't have one, you can pick one up for under $10 at your local department store. You will be using this to help remind you when it's time to take your pup out.
Note
Worth noting is that along with the timed outings, you need to take your pup out first thing in the morning, after naps, meals, extended playtimes, drinking lots of water, and last thing at night.
Set the timer
At first, you need to set the timer for 30 minutes and each time it goes off, take your pup outside and stay with him until he goes. When your pup pees or poops, be sure to praise them and give them a treat.
Work the time up
Slowly increase the amount of time between outings until you reach 2 hours. This is long enough for your pup to go between potty breaks until he is an adult or is asleep.
What if my Poodle doesn't go?
There is always the chance that your pup won't need to go potty every time you take him out. When he doesn't go after being outside for a few minutes, go in and keep a close eye on him. If he gives you any indication he needs to go potty, take him out and praise him when he goes. Don't forget the treat.
The Who's Been Here Method
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Spray time
It starts with a run to the pet store for a bottle potty training spray. This is designed to smell like another animal, giving your pup the desire to mark his territory.
Mark the spot
Mark a spot on your lawn with the spray, one that your pup can safely use for his private "bathroom."
Here, smell this
Put your pup on his leash and take him out to the spot previously marked on the lawn. Encourage him to explore the area until he picks up the scent and goes potty. When he does, be sure to praise him and give a treat.
If your pup is dry
If your pooch hasn't gone potty within 15 minutes, go ahead and take him back inside. Watch closely for any signs of needing to go potty.
At the first sign
At the first sign, your pup needs to go outside, be sure you take him straight outside and when he goes, praise him and give him a treat.
And further on
The rest is all up to repeat training and working with your pup until he will let you know it's potty time and you no longer have any messes to clean up.
Written by PB Getz
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 03/22/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Can hold pee throughout night but during day when inside, pees in house even when I take her out about every hour. Does not like a crate since last owner crated her too much.
July 4, 2022
Gracie's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Beverly, Check out the Tethering method from the article I have linked below for daytime potty training. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If pup is having accidents inside despite peeing outside within the current hour, I would also involve your vet in this conversation to make sure there isn't anything causing incontinence. I am not a vet so consult your vet about anything that could be medically related too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
July 4, 2022
She pee all over the house. I take her outside she don’t do nothing. She bites me.
May 10, 2022
Emma's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Nayda, Check out the Crate Training method from the article I have linked below, for tips on how to get pup to go potty while out there, but especially what to do when pup doesn't go potty while outside (crate, then take pup back out again 30-45 minutes later). This approach encourages pup to hold their bladder while inside, so they are forced to go potty while outside, then rewarded when they do go potty while outside, so they learn to want to go potty there more often, creating a habit of going potty in the correct location overtime. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
May 11, 2022
Hi there! I’m having trouble house training my puppy. he’s 6 months and for the most part he knows not to do his thing inside but he does it every now and then regardless. I try to take him out every hour as best I can. but the goal is to allow him to free-roam. in other words roam the house to his hearts content without doing this business somewhere he shouldn’t.
April 17, 2022
Blueberry's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Sapphire, First, a puppy generally needs to be accident free for about three months before they start to become self-motivated to hold it and keep the area clean on their own. Often pups are given too much freedom too soon, expecting pups to alert to go outside before they have had at least three months accident free, and that expectation keeps progress stalled. I would utilize the tethering method from the article I have linked below, crating pup at night and when you can't supervise, to prevent the accidents for the next couple of months. After being fully accident free for at least three months, at that point many puppies will start asking to go outside on their own - usually this happens between 6-9 months, prior to that point most puppies are still dependent on you keeping a potty schedule for them in order to not regress with potty training. If pup doesn't figure out how to alert, you can begin teaching pup to ring a bell to go outside then. Tethering method. If pup is having accidents between the hourly potty trips, then keep pup tethered during that time too until the accidents stop. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Bell -Peanut Butter method: https://wagwalking.com/training/ring-a-bell-to-go-out If the accidents persist despite very strict measures and are happening even while pup is tethered to you and being taken outside every hour, I would see your vet to see if there is a medical cause for pup not being able to hold their bladder for longer than they currently are by this age. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 18, 2022