Learning how to potty train your Cavapoo is the first training you should do with your dog. Cavapoos, like all dogs, will pee and poop where and when they like, which in the early days will be in your home.
It’s important to house train them or be ready for scratched floors, odours, and rough hands from washing them every five minutes.
In this article, I will show you how to eliminate this problem fast and how to have your pooch fully house trained within a month. Of course, it could be longer (and shorter) but following the advice in this article will give you the best chance of fast success.
The tips and advice come from research and my experience of potty training Arlo — our Cavapoo dog.
Let’s get to it.
When Should You Potty Train A Cavapoo?
You should start to potty train your Cavapoo on the first day you take them home, which will usually be around eight weeks old.
This will give you the best chance of success with your puppy house training and make it so much easier than waiting until they’re older. If your dog is much older than eight weeks, it’s still possible to potty train them, however, it will require more patients and time.
The important thing to remember here is to start potty training from the first day you take your puppy home if possible.
How long does it take for a Cavapoo to be potty trained?
Most Cavapoo owners will they say a few months. Some will tell you to expect around 4-8 months before your dog is fully house trained, and sometimes, up to a year. While this can be true, I believe, as do many others, that potty training your dog can be much faster. In fact, you can train your dog within a month if you’re persistent with the steps I’m going to share with you in a moment.
I say this with confidence because I have done this myself with my own Cavapoo.
How Long Can a Cavapoo Hold Its Bladder at Night?
While bladder control is different for the specific breed of dog, including their size and age, I have found that my Cavapoo can hold his bladder for at least 9 hours during the evening. For the first few weeks this maybe less, but my experience of him lasting nine hours was from around 11 weeks old.
Is It Hard To Potty Train A Cavapoo Puppy?
House training your Cavapoo isn’t hard, but it requires a lot of persistence and patience. I find that Cavapoos are intelligent and potty training them is pretty much the same as doing it for other similar dogs of their size.
The Pro Tips To Toilet Train Your Cavapoo Within A Month
Below are some tips and related advice on how to potty train your Cavapoo within a month. Remember to remain patient and stick to the tips.
Side note: You may notice that I don’t recommend puppy training pads. That’s because I found them a waste of time. Your puppy will probably chew them and play tug of war with them, so as a result, I and many others, don’t recommend them.
Get Prepared Or Fail
You will stand a better chance of toilet training your dog if you are prepared. By prepared, I mean you need to have a few things in order before embarking (no pun intended) on your mission.
Below is a list of things you need:
- Time — you or your partner/friend will need to be in the home with your puppy a lot during the next few weeks. If you work, you will want to book at least a week or two off to achieve the best results. Your Cavapoo will do his business every couple of hours and within fifteen minutes after eating, so being with them is essential in the early days, especially when potty training.
- Essential Items For Potty Training Your Cavapoo — ok, so grab yourself plenty of wipes (both antiseptic and general wipes). You will also want some kitchen roll, poop bags, a mop, and some enzyme cleaner to mask the smell of urine in the home. By cleaning up any puppy accidents with an enzyme cleaner will stop your puppy from doing it again in the same spot. Dogs are creatures of habit, and smelling their own pee will trigger them to do it again. Soap and water won’t mask the smell, but a good enzyme cleaner will.
- Pen and Paper — you can also use a note file on your laptop or phone if you prefer a digital method. You will be recording the times your dog does his business after eating.
- Dedicated Toilet Area — this could be your garden, side yard, or balcony if you live in an apartment. During the early days, you want your pooch to know that this place is the peeing and pooping area.
Be Ready For The Popular Times
Making notes of the time it takes your dog to poop after eating is a great idea, but there are sometimes when you need to get your pooch outside without hesitation. For example, first thing in the morning, take your dog to the toilet area. Also, after playing, eating, and sleeping in the day.
During the next few weeks, feel as though you are constantly taking them outside. It might become a bit of a slog, but it’s the best way to stop them from doing their business in your home.
Potty Command Word (Sounds silly, but it works)
Create a potty command word every time you take them out. This could be ‘go potty’ ‘wee-wee’ or whatever you wish. Over time, this will register with your puppy that it’s time to go to the toilet. The trick is to do this every time you take them out, and especially when they are actually peeing or pooping.
Take Them Out To Wee Before Bed
Take your puppy to the toilet spot last thing at night. Your puppy’s bladder control is still developing, so for obvious reasons, try top get them to do a pee or poop before bed.
You may find that they don’t want to go out because they are tired, but this is non negotiable. Always try to remember that it’s vital that they pee before bedtimes in the early toilet training days.
Consider A Crate
It’s not cruel to crate train your puppy, and most dogs will love the little den and feel safe in there. Another advantage of using a crate is that your dog will be reluctant to do his business in their confined safe space. Instead, they will likely scratch or cry to let you know.
All you do then is take them to the toilet area.
Praise & Reward Based Training
Be prepared to shower your dog with praise and rewards when they pee or poop outside. My advice is to go overboard with the praise and give them a treat to show them how happy you are.
The Stern No
On the flip side, to praise and reward is the stern ‘No’. Trust me, they will quickly learn that you don’t like them doing their business in the house. Whenever they do it in your home, point a finger at them and raise your voice with a stern ‘No’. Also, don’t give them any attention for a short while after.
Routine Meal Time
Your puppy will poop between ten to twenty minutes after eating, so it’s important to have a regular mealtime.
While training Arlo, we gave him his first meal at 6am, and then 6pm. This gave us a window of time when we knew he would poop. If Arlo hadn’t finished his food within ten minutes, we took away his food. This was a great way to be ready with a treat and praise because you know he’s going to do his business.
Regular Exercise
If your dog is vaccinated and ready for walks, take them out to encourage outside pooping and peeing. In the early days of walking, you might find that they won’t do their business on the street, so it’s important when you come home to take them to their regular toilet area immediately, with the lead still attached to their business.
This will help them understand that it’s ok to do it while you are holding the lead.
Look For The Poo Dance
A major part of potty training your puppy in the home is to look for the signs of when they are going to go, and then getting them outside. One of these signs is the ‘Poo Dance’ which almost every dog does before pooping.
If you see your dog sniffing and circling, then pick them up and take them outside. The excessive sniffing and circular motion is the poo dance, so be ready to act, and then praise once they poop outside.
Consider A Puppy Bell
You can get a small bell attached to the door you regularly use to go out to the dog toilet area and train your puppy to hit it with their nose before going out. Over time, they associate this with going out to pee or poo and will ring the bell each time.
What To Avoid When Potty Training Your Cavapoo
The above tips and advice will help you to potty train your dog fast, however, there are some things that can halt your progress and you should avoid them at all costs.
Here they are:
Smacking (A Big No No)
Never smack your puppy if they have an accident in your home. Not only is it cruel, it’s also pointless and will confuse your dog. In addition, smacking your puppy will make them scared of you and could make them nervous around other people, which could cause them to become a snappy dog in the future.
Rubbing Nose In It (Old & Outdated)
This is another old potty training method that is thankfully becoming outdated. Again, this is cruel behaviour and won’t help you to potty train your dog. All it will do is confuse them and raise anxiety levels.
Over-Feeding (For obvious Reasons)
You should avoid over-feeding any dog to prevent health issues, such as diabetes. However, with a puppy, if you over-feed them, you will have them going to the toilet a lot more than they should be, so this then becomes much harder to judge when they are likely to poop.
Expecting Miracles
Although I believe you can potty train a dog pretty quickly, it’s important to remember that it won’t happen overnight. Don’t expect your pooch to master house training within a week.
Final Thoughts On How To Potty Train Your Cavapoo
You now have all the tips and tricks needed to potty train your Cavapoo like a responsible dog owner. Stick to a routine and utilise the tips in this guide, and you will find that your dog will likely be house trained within a matter of weeks. Of course, patience is important, and all dogs are individual. Remember not to expect miracles and avoid the common mistakes people make, such as smacking or over-feeding.
