How to House Train Your Poodle
Poodles, as opposed to other “toy dogs”, are surprisingly intelligent. This makes house training them a fairly easy endeavour; however, there are some do’s and don’ts that should be addressed.
Negative reinforcement, although very common with pet owners, is not a good strategy for house training your poodle. “You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar,” my mother used to say, and it’s true. Instead of punishing your poodle for bad behaviour, such as soiling the rug, try rewarding good behaviour, such as giving him a biscuit when he “goes” outside (or on your neighbour’s flower patch). Poodles are a sensitive creature, and need constant praise. Spare the rod, spoil the poodle.
If you catch your poodle “going” where he isn’t supposed to, avoid spanking, and yelling. The simplest solution is to pick him up gently, and put him where you want him to “do his business”. Do not rub his nose in the mess, or scathe him.
A poodle puppy focuses on surface types when it chooses where to “relieve” itself. Some prefer hard surfaces, like your ceramic tiles in the kitchen, while others are attracted to soft surfaces like grass, sod, or carpets. Find out which type of surface your poodle prefers, and then train accordingly. If for example your poodle prefers soft surfaces (which is more likely), then you are in luck. He is unlikely to want to “go” on the kitchen floor, but rather he is willing to wait until he has a chance to go outside. Once again, reward good behaviour.
Watch your poodle. He will tell you when he needs to “go” and when he doesn’t. Once you’ve learned his body language, you’re almost there. Poodles are naturally house trained, and they prefer not to “go” where they eat and sleep. If you find your poodle “doing his business” on the living room carpet, try putting his bed and food dishes in that room. He will try his best to not associate the living room as the toilet.
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