Are Goldendoodles Easy to House-Train?

Goldendoodles, being the genetic combination of golden retrievers and poodles, are intelligent dogs that are typically easy to train. The goldendoodle's intelligence, combined with her exuberance for interaction and desire to please, makes it simple for her to quickly grasp what you expect from her.

Every dog is different even within a breed. Regardless of how smart your goldendoodle is or how much she wants to please you, don't be unpleasantly surprised if she doesn't get the gist of house training right of the bat. Although basic potty-training techniques work with most goldendoodle puppies, a few need alternative training before they understand the concept of going outside to potty.

If your doodle is one of the majority who catch on to typical house training, she'll benefit from being put on a strict feeding schedule. This helps you gauge when she'll need to go potty and allow you to get her outside at just the right time. In addition to taking your goldendoodle pup outside after eating, take her out after she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, after playing or exercising, and after she drinks. Use specific words to associate with the potty action. As your puppy is going, repeat your chosen command word like "Piddle" or "Potty"; when she's successfully completed the task in the proper place, go crazy with praise and adulation.

Crate-training can be an effective way of successfully housetraining your goldendoodle. When you confine her to her crate or gate her into a restricted area like the laundry room or a bathroom, she'll consider that her personal area and will be reluctant to potty inside it. Instead, she'll learn to wait until you take her outside every few hours. A bonus with this type of training is that, in the event of an accident, you'll be aware of it immediately and can quickly clean it up.

In the event your goldendoodle girl is one of those who ends up needing an alternative house training method, dog trainer Brad Pattison recommends the umbilical method. It involves securing your puppy's leash around your waist, then clipping it to her collar or harness -- and that's essentially it. You and your goldendoodle pup are tied together, constant companions throughout the normal activities of the day. It keeps your puppy in sight at all times and puts you in tune with each other. She can't slink away, and that will give her a disciplinary foundation. You'll find that your goldendoodle will be able to hold her bladder and bowels for longer stretches of time and you'll be more aware of her actions and which ones indicate that she has to use the potty.