About Labradoodles

It’s important to start training any puppy early on in their life so the training sticks with them through adulthood.  For a labradoodle puppy, you will want to establish a few commands early in their life, mainly sit, stay, come, and down.  To start training, you will want to do brief sessions of about five minutes in length in which you say the desired command, then show your dog how to do it if necessary (ie. say “SIT” then push down on their bottom, then praise them).  You don’t want to train your labradoodle puppy after meals, or when they are obviously distracted by another dog or person. 

When training your puppy you will also want to reward them with a treat, but you should gradually cut back on treats over time, substituting praise.

Miniature dogs are special in many ways—they’re cute, portable, and they usually live longer than their larger counterparts.  Some experts have pointed out that small dogs seem to be especially hard to housetrain.  That difficulty can be compounded by their humans, who don’t seem to expect as much of them as they would a Rottweiler or Golden Retriever.   Some owners allow small dogs to remain perpetual “babies”.  Since mini Australian Labradoodles don’t leave as much waste behind as one of the bigger dogs, that may be a factor as well—until company is coming, the house stinks, and there are land mines everywhere.  Consistency is the most important part of training any dog, but lack of consistency is not the only problem facing small dog owners.  Breeders that are less than reputable don’t always take the time to build the foundations of early training, and the pups they sell sometimes learn to do everything on the paper—eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom—without understanding different locations are appropriate for different functions. 

It is important to choose an outdoor spot for your mini’s elimination where she will not feel vulnerable to attack.  It is preferable if the lawn is short in the chosen spot so the dog can navigate easily through it.  No one likes to go out in the cold and cop a squat, so consider investing in a sweater for the little guy—it can actually help with housebreaking.  Feeding on a schedule helps, as does taking the puppy to the chosen potty spot after she plays or has any kind of excitement.  Crate training is also thought to aid in successful housetraining of a small dog. Every dog makes mistakes, so don’t punish her if she has an accident—run her to her spot and show her where she is supposed to go.  When your mini is successful, following consistently with praise and a treat should do the trick in the long run.

Myth #1—A yard is an absolute requirement for every Labradoodle. Dogs are pack animals who want to be with you.  The majority of the time a dog spends in the yard is hanging around the door, waiting to come back where you are.  Even in a huge house, the dog tends to be right under your feet.  A yard is not going to make a dog get his cardio!  His people need to be walking him, running with him, taking him to the beach or the dog park.  Activities like this make you both healthier, encourage socialization, and improve your bond, whether or not you share a yard. 

Myth #2—Avoid playing tug-of-war or your Labradoodle becomes overly aggressive.  As long as you have rules and boundaries when you play this game, the wild side of your dog has a healthy outlet.  This game represents the final stage of the hunt, when the pack leader ends up with the food and cements his position as leader.  As long as you end up with the toy, rope, or sock, tug-of-war is a fun way to establish yourself as the pack leader.

Myth #3—Never disturb a Labradoodle who is eating.  One of the most common situations that results in dog bites are when her food is disturbed, but that is because the dog sees people, even her own, as a threat.  Dogs should look forward to being interrupted while eating in the expectation of a treat.  To accomplish this, shift his bowl or food in some way, starting from above and working down until sticking your hand in her bowl.  That way, the dog will learn when the bowl is inadvertently bumped or reached into, she won’t respond as if her meal is threatened.

Myth #4—A wagging tail always means a friendly Labradoodle.   Dog tail wagging is actually a complicated system of communication, with three levels of height.  90 degrees high with small wags means the dog should be avoided, as he is trying to establish dominance and appear threatening.  If the tail is very low between the dog’s legs, the dog is afraid and feels defensive and should be given a wide berth.  A friendly dog’s tail is somewhere in the middle wagging loosely with a “smiling” face.  There are other canine body language cues to watch when meeting a dog—position of ears and head, hackles, and expression to name a few.  The safest thing to do is ask the dog’s person if it is okay before getting any closer than you have to!

It is essential to dog-proof your home before adopting a labradoodle or any other dog.  Whether puppy or adult, an energetic dog can have catastrophic effects on any home.  The first, most basic dog-proofing step is to completely remove anything you don’t want chewed or swallowed from the floor, including clothing and shoes, particularly ones that have been worn recently.  Move all trash cans out of reach or close them securely, as the contents of a garbage can are a smorgasbord from heaven for any dog.

Wrap exposed electrical cords and tie up any window treatment cords.  Put all toxic chemicals in an area your dog cannot reach.  The same safety latches and gates used to restrict access to children work well to keep pets out as well.  Remove all toxic plants from your home and yard, and isolate foods that are harmful to dogs, which include onions, raisins, and chocolate.   Gum and nicotine patches, while not food items, can also be extremely harmful to an overzealous dog or puppy. 

It’s important not to set your labradoodle puppy up for failure when it comes to chewing.  If you have items that you don’t want chewed, remove them from the area that the puppy will be in.   Watch the puppy closely, keeping him confined in a safe area like a crate or a room when you are not present.  An unsupervised puppy with the run of the house is an invitation to have one of every pair of shoes, among other things, destroyed by those determined little teeth!

When you find your labradoodle puppy chewing on something inappropriate, take it away and replace it with something appropriate such as a chew toy.  A loud noise can often be enough to distract the puppy for a minute.  Use chew deterrent solution on forbidden items to give them an unpleasant taste and deter the puppy.  Make sure the puppy has lots of toys that are appropriate to teething discomfort, ensuring that there are no squeakers or loose parts that can be swallowed.  Rotate the toys to discourage boredom.  Finally, be sure your puppy gets plenty of activity to encourage healthy rest.