BOUNDARIES AND STRUCTURE

Forming boundaries with your new puppy (Labradoodle or not,) sometimes known as establishing "pack order," is a necessary part of being an owner. By doing this, you will create the kind of structure that a well-mannered dog will need. But it can be hard to know where to start!

One of the most important areas to set boundaries for is FOOD. A great habit to create is teaching your pup to sit and wait to be invited to have its meal. It will teach the puppy not to jump on or shove past you to get to the food. This is especially important for families with young children!

Children (under your supervision) and you, as the adult(s), should practice giving the puppy treats where it learns to take them gently. In addition to, you should also practice taking treats and toys away. When you do this, your puppy must not be allowed to nip at you or growl. The goal is that ANYONE in your household should be able to remove something from the dog's mouth and for the pup to allow it. Doing this will become an important skill for your puppy should it every have anything dangerous in its mouth (such as a choking hazard.) 

Just be sure that children do not use this as a teasing game!

Additionally, your puppy should not be allowed to nip or bite. This is NOT teething, it is a means of establishing dominance. The you-run-and-I'll-bite-at-your-ankles game is NOT a good idea either. What might seem "cute" as a puppy will be significantly less so when the dog is full grown, chasing and biting at the feet of your children, neighbors or visiting family members.

POTTY TRAINING

We work on crate and potty training with all of our puppies before they come home with you, however the new change of environment can throw them off. It is important that you implement a consistent schedule in your own home, as well. Do NOT give your new Labradoodle free reign over the house right away, as this will lead to more frequent accidents. Here is a sample crate training schedule, as recommended by the famous Monk's of New Skete. This is to be used as a general guideline for crate training.

6:30 am 

Take puppy out to potty

7:00 am 

Food and water 

Take puppy out to potty 

Briefly play with puppy 

Crate puppy 

MidMorning: 

Take puppy out to potty and then stay with puppy for 15 min 

Crate puppy 

Noon: 

Food and water 

Take puppy out to potty 

Play with puppy 

Crate puppy

Midafternoon: 

Water 

Take puppy out to potty 

Crate puppy

5:00 pm 

Food and water 

Take puppy out to potty 

Keep puppy with family during meal preparations 

7:00 pm 

Take puppy out to potty 

Playtime with puppy 

Crate puppy 

Before bed - 10pm 

Take puppy out to potty 

Crate puppy for the night

Crate training your new Labradoodle revolves around patterns and repetition. When you take your fur baby out, go to the same spot using the same door. Even if you have a secure, fenced yard, you should walk out with your puppy to ensure that they actually potty. Just as your puppy is about to go, repeat your command of choice. We personally tell all of our dogs and puppies to "go potty." When your Doodle does relieve itself, praise him/her!

Successful house-training is all about timing! Most accidents happen because the puppy is in the wrong place at the wrong time (such as being confined indoors with a full bladder and bowel or being outdoors with an empty bladder and bowel.) You must ensure that your puppy is in the right place at the right time. 

Typically, puppies urinate within half a minute (30 seconds!) of waking up from a nap and defecate a few minutes after that. The idea with crate training is you are in control of when puppy wakes up to go out, meaning you are ready when it is time for your doodle to go out! This is what makes short-term confinement such a valuable tool, as you are able to accurately predict when your baby will need to go out. Confinement to a small area also encourages your puppy to wait to relieve itself because he/she will not want to soil its sleeping area. This means your puppy will be ready to go as soon as you take it outside.

(Since puppies potty so quickly upon waking up and being removed from their crate, we recommend picking your puppy up and quickly carrying them outside to their designated potty area, through the same one door, and giving them their potty cue. You will only need to do this short term to reinforce which door they should go to, to signal when they need to go out.)

These are highly intelligent dogs and, through consistent training, your puppy will be crate and house trained in no time!