training

Are Cockapoos Barkers? Use These 5 Simple Steps To Eliminate Unwanted Barking

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Are Cockapoos Barkers?

All dogs bark and it can be quite cute. I really find it amusing when my little dog hears something and starts to make some little territorial barking noises.

The first thing to remember is that all dogs bark for a reason and the problems comes with the issues below:

  1. Barking at the edge of his territory. When he sees the postman or another dog
  2. Boredom barkers. Dogs that are craving companionship or mental stimulation. In some cases this can lead to compulsive barking which is an indicator something is seriously wrong. In most cases a dog is being left alone too much.
  3. Some breeds just bark more than others. Dogs that have been breed as guard dogs have a strong urge to bark at strangers and protect the family territory. Cockapoos are not one of those breeds but depending on circumstances they will bark too much which becomes a nuisance.
Train your Cockapoo not to bark

There are  other reasons dogs bark, but let’s look at the two problem areas in more depth and think about common sense cures that work.

Territorial barkers

This one is relatively simple to stop. Use baby-gates and crating or put him somewhere he can’t see passers-by.  If you are leaving him alone for a short period, leave the radio on. This will lessen his ability to hear external noises and also given him comfort of hearing friendly voices and gentle music.

Boredom barkers

Firstly, make sure your Cockapoo has been well exercised. A well exercised dog will bark less. If you’re going to be out for long periods then ask a friend or dog walker to stop by even if it’s just to play a game with him. Dogs are really social animals and generally don’t do well on their own. Barking is just a symptom of this.

You can also offer something to occupy him (like a Kong stuffed with treats). This will make your leaving beneficial to him, and stop the ‘I’m on my own now’ barking.

Train Your Cockapoo Not To Bark

Below are some really simple steps using a positive rewards method to lessen unwanted barking

  1. When your dog is barking join in with him (let yourself go and don’t be embarrassed just have fun). You can even add a command to it like ‘woof’
  2. Then take a treat out and hold it in front of his nose
  3. He will stop barking because he has to…and just wait
  4. After 5 seconds give him the treat
  5. Repeat and extend the waiting period

This will reinforce to him that not barking equals something good will happen.  Like all these training sessions it takes time and patience. But if you’re having fun it’s no trouble at all.

A well exercised dog barks less

Wrap up

The  answer to Are Cockapoo’s Barkers? depends a lot on the owner. A well exercised, mental engaged Cockapoo that is well socialised and has his owner about most of the time is key. Then throw in a few training techniques as outlined above and you won’t have a Cockapoo barking problem.

Remember barking is your Cockapoos main way of communication, so he will need to bark sometimes. Like every aspect of his behaviour your investment in him – by taking the time to train him – will help you and your poo find acceptable, appropriate levels of barking.

Punishing doesn’t work. It just makes a dog anxious and stressed, will not cure unwanted barking and probably make it worse as well as provoking other unwanted behaviours like aggression.

Like all training, be patient with your Cockapoo and be heartened by small improvements you see. There are other methods that are also useful.

Feel free to drop me a question below.

Training Tips: How To Teach Your Cockapoo His Name

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Cockapoo training tips for first time owners

Many people forget to teach their Cockapoo puppy their name and what their name means.

You need to teach your Cockapoo something good is about to happen when his name is called. So he learns you (his owner) really is worth paying attention to. This is the best way to be able to get his attention when you need it and it’s also the first step to getting your Cockapoo to come back when you call him. This means you can call him away from things you don’t want him to get involved in.

Cockapoo’s like any dog, can only think about one thing at a time. So if they’re thinking about you they can’t think about anything else.

 

Start training your Cockapoo puppy from day one

Training Starts From Day One

For all dogs, the earlier they start a training programme the better. I always use a positive rewards based training system. Rewards when used for training are more than treats. They are a way of letting your dog know ‘well done’ when he has done the right thing. Keeping things positive is much more fun for your dog and the owner. Withholding a treat and praise is a strong enough message for a puppy that desperately craves your affection and praise.

The 5 Steps To Teach Your Cockapoo His Name

You can practice this anytime, in the park, in the bath, where ever. Once he learns to look at you when his name is called, he will associate his name with getting something yummy!

1. Make sure you have plenty of treats on you

2. Wait for a time when you’re relaxing at home and your dog is not paying attention to you

3. Then call his name (using a clear bright tone)

4. Wait until your Cockapoo looks at you and then give him a treat

5. If he doesn’t look at you, don’t repeat his name

 

Make sure he is looking at your or else no treat

 

It’s that simple, but there are no second chances with this one. If he doesn’t respond he just doesn’t get a treat. Just try again a few minutes later. You want him to look at you the first time.

He soon learns his name means he must pay attention to you. This is a great starting point to go on and teach him other things. And remember, if he’s not looking at you he’s not listening.

Summary

Getting your dogs attention is a foundation that all further training rests on. If you don’t have that you fighting a losing battle.  You will find that next training commands like sit, walking on the lead and the all important recall will come much easier once he knows his name.

Feel free to drop me a message below.

 

After he know his name other basic commands will be easier to teach

 

 

Cockapoo Puppy Training Programme: Exercise

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Build up his exercise slowly

A Cockapoo puppy, like all puppies are a bundle of energy and most new owners want to get them out the house as a release. However, it’s a common mistake to exercise your new puppy too much too soon.

The following recommendations are based on a Standard or Maxi size Cockapoo and the larger of the miniature size that often grow to be 15 inches high.

Until your Cockapoo learns the ‘recall’ keep him on the leash

Cockapoos like many breeds are prone to hip dysplasia and over exercise before their skeleton is fully formed can have long term health consequences. But the correct amount of exercise is also needed to start a long healthy life.

My other assumption in giving the advice below is that you have selected a puppy who has been breed responsibly from parents have been screened and have excellent hip and elbow scores.

8 to 16 Weeks

If the puppy is still with mum, the maternal instinct will be for the mother to stop the little Cockapoo going too far. Playing in the house and garden is recommended as it provides a safe environment and provides plenty of opportunity to explore and get used to their balance.

Start practising on the lead at about 16 weeks, by picking him up and letting him walk a short distance back to your house. Walking on the lead is one of the best training exercising you can do with your dog. It will keep him safe while on the road and also allow you to enjoy your walks together.

Only when he is fully vaccinated can he go on short walks to teach him how to walk be-side-you on the lead. If you haven’t already practised some positive rewards base training, walking on the lead is the time to start.

Remember, it’s important you do not let him off the lead until he learns the recall.

4 to 9 Months Old

This is when it gets more fun. You can start bringing a ball with you on your walks for a few short retrieves. I would recommend you use the longer training leash when you start this because you Cockapoo is likely to be distracted and run off.

At this age, keep walks and park-play short. Sleeps are equally as important at this young age. After some mad activity, it’s important you allow your puppy to crash out and sleep as soon as he gets home.

The 4-9 months period is also the time when you build up his play/exercise time. Why not keep a diary so you can know with certainty that you’re scaling up his exercise time correctly from short walks to medium walks. Look for sign of tiredness and if your puppy exhibits those signs pick him up and pop him back in the car or carry him home.

9 to 18 Months Old

By one year, you can start to build to proper long walks, and full retrieve-style play-time in the park. But still be careful not to over exercise. Although his adult skeleton may nearly be grown, his joints still need to develop without strain.

The Standard Cockapoo, particularly of the working variety really craves exercise so putting the brakes on them is essential.

As the owner, if you’re conscious of your exercise plan, you will have an intuition about when to rein him in. By 15 months even the largest Standard size Cockapoo should be fully developed. At that point you have protected his skeletal growth and you can run him to his heart’s content.

Cockapoo meet-ups are a great way to exercise when your dog is fully grown

Summary

Being conscious of the need to have a puppy exercise regime is essential, even if you don’t mark out the three periods above and have a written plan.

If you don’t implement any strategy to protect his development growth, sky-high veterinary bills and pain and suffering for your Cockapoo puppy will certainly follow.

The most high risk scenario is an overweight over exercised puppy.

The bad news at 18 months is you’ve lost your puppy. But the good news is if you’ve followed sensible exercise regime and you have a lovely, healthy adult Cockapoo.

Cockapoo Toilet Training: House Training In 7 Simple Steps

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Toilet Training A Cockapoo Puppy

…or newly adopted Cockapoo can seem daunting and often is frustrating.

The good news is, many puppies and Cockapoos can be housetrained in around two weeks, as long as the owner has the discipline to stick with a good, positive toilet training programme.

 

Patience and kindness pays dividends

 

I’ve summarised the most important points below:

  1. Give him as many opportunities you can manage for him to get it right. It really is that simple! The more times he is rewarded for going to the toilet in the right place, the quicker he will learn.
  2. It’s equally important that you must never punish any mistakes that he makes during this learning time. If he thinks you are going to punish him then you’ll only confuse and worry him and the training will take much longer.
  3. Find a place you can keep your Cockapoo where it’s okay for ‘accidents’ to happen – but this is only for brief times when you cannot supervise him during training. For example, an indoor kennel or crate or an area penned off in the kitchen (baby gates work well). It has to be a relatively small area, which will discourage him from going to the toilet there. Place his bedding and water in his safe area and also use this space to feed him in. (Please note: if a Cockapoo or puppy is shut in an indoor kennel or pen for long periods of time, this can become a serious welfare issue and is not something that we recommend.)
  4. First thing in the morning, take your Cockapoo outside, stand with him and wait for him to go to the toilet. When he ‘goes’, give him lots of praise as he finishes (being careful not to interrupt what he is doing) and give him a treat. He should need a wee and a poo, so wait for him to do both.
  5. When he has gone to the toilet, you can take him back inside and have a play or cuddle. Let him have full access to the room that you are in – but only as long as you can give him your full attention and watch him – otherwise return him to his safe area.
  6. Take your Cockapoo out every hour on the hour from morning to last thing at night, to give him the opportunity to go to the toilet. You will also need to do this after exercise or play and after meals.
  7. When he goes, praise and reward him with a favourite treat (and write down the time of day that he went and what he did). If you keep a note of this every day, you will find that a pattern of when he goes takes shape. You can then use this to predict when he’ll need to go to the toilet. After about a week you shouldn’t have to take him out as often as every hour.

TIP: There will be times you can’t watch him, so place him in his safe area with a chew toy. It’s kinder to put him in his den area when you cannot watch him, than him sense your disappointment if he toilets in the wrong place.

When ‘accidents’ happen

There will be accidents. You must be prepared for this.

Remember Humans take at best three or four years to get this right; dogs take only two or three weeks!

It’s important to clean up any spray or odour left by accidents.  Try cleaning the area with a one part non-biological washing powder / four parts water, or a branded product. This will take away any smells and stains. Make sure you do not use cleaning products that contain ammonia, as this smells like urine to Cockapoos, and will encourage him to use the same spot again and again.

Don’t make a fuss – your Cockapoo has not done it on purpose. If he is still going in the wrong place, then it may be because you are not watching him carefully enough. If you can’t watch him, he should be in his safe area. It’s not fair to keep letting him get it wrong.

Calmly place him in his den, whilst you clear up the mess (well enough it doesn’t become a sniffing place), then let your Cockapoo come back out and it’s all forgotten.

Don’t make this housetraining mistake

If you tell your Cockapoo off when he has accidents you will only cause him to worry and be afraid to toilet anywhere near you. It’s a common training issue that he may accidently learn to go inside but out of sight, in order to avoid the owner’s telling-off he is expecting.

This behaviour can spiral as it makes it harder for you to praise and reward him for toileting correctly, in the right places, because he won’t want to do his business in front of you anymore.

Toilet Training a Cockapoo Puppy

Some puppies may be too young to hold on for too long, as their bladders may be too small to cope. If this is the case, then you will need to take him out more often until he is a little older.

If a Cockapoo has diarrhoea or soft, runny poo and needs to go very often, then you may need to change his food, so it becomes more solid. Ask your vet for advice about this. Infact, if toilet training problems aren’t resolved in a few months, ask your vet to check your Cockapoo hasn’t got a medical condition that is behind the accidents.

Remember, some young puppies find it very daunting to toilet outdoors. They have developed a preference for, certain types of indoor surfaces during early accidental socialisation with their early environment.

Summary

  • Make it easy for him. Make the effort to take him outside as often as you possibly can to give him the greatest opportunity to toilet in the correct place.
  • Don’t leave him unattended for too long because he will pee when he sees you in excitement.
    By rewarding your Cockapoo at the right time and ignoring mistakes, your Cockapoo will soon get the idea and be ‘accident’ free in no time at all.
  • If you put him in his indoor den or in your bedroom overnight, he’ll let you know when he needs to go out and this will help speed up the process.
  • Find a friend – having a fully vaccinated, friendly older Cockapoo to visit and ‘show him the way’ can be very helpful and speed up the process.

Good Luck!

 

Cockapoo Training

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Cockapoo Puppy Training

A well trained dog is a joy to live with. You don’t have to worry when someone visits or if there are children around. You can just relax and enjoy your time together. That’s why Cockapoo training is so important.

 

Every puppy deserved to be trained

 

Your Cockapoo will be excited about almost any outing you can imagine. So having a well trained Cockapoo will allow him all the freedom he craves. You can take him everywhere with you, to visit friends, to the park, to the pub even to work, because you know he will be well behaved.

It’s not just about freedom though- it’s also about safety. You owe it to your dog to keep him safe, well behaved and appropriate in what he does. And also to ensure anyone that comes into contact with your Cockapoo is safe from being jumped on.

Learn How Your Cockapoo Learns

When you bring a new dog into your home, particularly a puppy, nearly all his activities will be controlled. Most people get into trouble with their puppy because they give them way too much freedom. Mayhem ensues and the ‘fun puppy’ experience soon turns sour.

That’s why it’s important to establish an early bond with your dog during training. As the Cockapoo training programme develops over weeks and months your Cockapoo will gain your trust and you can entrust him with more and more freedom.

The Cockapoo is the perfect example of a dog that has become skilled at learning from, and anticipating, human behaviour. The Poodle is known to be one of the cleverest dogs on the planet. Also the toy and miniature Cockapoo varieties have been bred as companion dogs. So you have a dog that wants to learn and wants to please- the job is half done!

 

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A Cockapoo Training Programme

As well as learning from his owner what is and isn’t acceptable, your Cockapoo is also interacting and learning from the world around him. This is sometimes referred to by dog trainers as ‘accidental learning’.

Dogs do what works for them. If they are rewarded by doing something they will do it again.

 

Start training your Cockapoo from Day one

 

If your Cockapoo has a bad experience from doing something he will quickly learn to stop doing that thing.

If he doesn’t get anything beneficial or bad from doing something he will gradually lose interest and stop.

With that in mind, canine psychology can be summed up in three ways:

  1. Experience something good = will do more of
  2. Experience something bad = will stop doing it
  3. Experience something neither good nor bad = gradually stop

Once you have learned that dogs will do repeatedly whatever they experience is good for them, you can use that to great advantage with your training programme.

A well trained Cockapoo is a happy Cockapoo and having him well trained will make you a happy and proud owner.

Other Important Cockapoo Training Tips

When you do embark or a Puppy Training Programme, remember to build up his exercise slowly.

It’s also important to socialise puppies to people to make them a pleasure for any person to meet.

For your own sanity, Toilet or house training is one of the first things you’re going to teach your Cockapoo do as well as teaching him not to bite. And most dog owners believe crating is a indispensable training aid and necessary for you and your poo.

Before you start on any of those topics you might want to learn how to handle a puppy for the first time. Or if you have any particular training issues or questions, just drop a comment below.