Potty Training and Puppy Chewing Dos and Don'ts

Do not let potty training your miniature goldendoodle puppy scare you. There is three key practices to successful potty training: consistency, commitment, and patience. 

• Consistency- If you are consistent in your schedule, consistent in the area to potty, consistent on your routine, consistent on your attitude- you get the picture. Consistency is a necessity.
• Commitment- If you are not commited to your miniature goldendoodle puppy or his/her training, they will sense this. It will take both time and commitment that will be worth it.
• Patience- Puppies aren't perfect, they will have accidents. Be patient, getting angry with them will not help the situation.

We recommend the first step being setting a schedule that works best for you and your miniature goldendoodle puppy. Puppies do have small bladders, but can usually gradually work up over the course of a couple weeks holding it for about 8 hours.

The next step, is to choose a potty training method that works best for you. We recommend crate training.  Some people may dislike the thought of using a crate, but dogs are actually den animals. They find security and comfort in their own space. This makes it easy to train your dog to love their crate!  The principal in using a crate is that dogs like their own space clean and avoid going to the bathroom near their eating and sleeping areas, so their instinct will be to keep their crate clean! Keep your puppy in the crate whenever you are not directly supervising them. 

Good times to take your miniature goldendoodle puppy potty:

• First thing every morning
• After meals
• After playing
• Before you leave
• When you get home
• After spending time in the crate
• After nap time
• Anytime you'll leave the puppy alone
• Before bedtime

You will learn their cues as you both learn together! 

How to handle puppy accidents.

• If you do not catch your puppy in the act, you must not react with anger. They will not associate your anger with their accident.
• If you do catch them in the act, get their attention by clapping loudly, and quickly take them to their potty area. 

 If you put in a some additional work at the beginning of your potty training process and be consistent, your puppy should catch on quickly. Once you develop a schedule, it will be so much easier. Remember, this is a time to get to know each other, ENJOY IT!

Chewing is a very normal behavior for puppies, and is part of their nature. Dogs explore the world through their nose and mouth, so some chewing is not bad, unless it is your furniture, shoes, clothes, rugs, etc. Keep in mind, puppies usually lose their first set of teeth somewhere in the 4-6 month range, so chewing will be worse during this time.

Dos and Dont's

Don't punish your puppy. 

Don't buy your puppy an over abundance of toys thinking it will keep them from chewing.

Do confine him/her to their crate or a safe area during times you are not able to supervise them.

Do puppy proof their area, or your home.

Do offer a lot of time for the puppy to get proper exercise.

Do use apple bitter spray as a deterrent.

Do take your puppy to a beginners obedience class.. 

If your puppy continues to have these behaviors despite you following these suggestions, consider getting help from a reputable dog trainer.