Okay, maybe it’s not ‘easy’. But potty training your Goldendoodle puppy does boil down to two simple principles:
1.) Prevent puppy from having accidents in the home
2.) Reward puppy for pottying in the correct spot as often as possible!
Most professional dog trainers agree that using positive reinforcement is the most effective and kindest way to teach a puppy. What that means is we focus on rewarding a puppy for what we DO want them to do, and we manage their environment in order to prevent the behavior we do not want.
Prevent Your Puppy from Making Mistakes
To avoid giving your Goldendoodle puppy the opportunity to potty inside, when she’s in the house she should always either be:
- in her crate – Training a puppy to feel relaxed and comfortable in a crate is one of the most worthwhile things you can do for several reasons, and it is an absolute must for easy potty training.
- in a puppy-safe playpen with a designated potty area (such as a patch of fake grass or weewee pads) – this is what we call ‘Long-Term Confinement’, and an option for families who may have to leave their puppy alone for longer than they can be expected to ‘hold it’.
- attached to you by a leash so she can’t wander off to potty in the house – I recommend new goldendoodle owners have their puppy dragging a light ‘house leash’ any time they are in the home. So many puppy owners have told me the ‘house leash’ is a game changer!
- under your direct supervision – direct supervision means you are looking at her at all times. The minute you turn your attention away, she’ll have a potty accident! (Puppy Code of Law section 308)
Build Rewardable Habits from the Start
The first thing you will need to do is develop a daily routine. Since no two puppies and no two families are alike, there is no perfect formula for potty training success. These are the first steps to creating the schedule that works for you and your puppy:
- Decide on regular daily feeding times
- Outline a schedule including feeding, exercise, play, training and all scheduled potty times.
- Keep a daily Puppy Log where you record all your puppy’s activities and all ‘input and output’
- Use the information gathered in your Puppy Log to learn from any accidents and adjust your schedule for the next week.
If this seems daunting, know that the closer you can adhere to the schedule in the beginning, the faster potty training will go! Above all, know that mistakes will happen, sleep will be lost, but puppyhood will not last forever! Soon enough you will be past the 7pm puppy crazies, razor-sharp puppy teeth, and surprise puppy piddles, and you can once again put down your expensive antique rug. Then it will be time for puppy adolescence! But I digress.
If routines, schedules and record-keeping is totally your thing – great! You will be a whiz (haha) at potty training your Goldendoodle. If you’re the competitive type, even better! Your mission is to get to 4 weeks straight without a potty accident. Let’s do this!
Creating A Daily Schedule for Your Doodle
Follow this process to design a puppy schedule that works with your goldendoodle’s natural rhythms and fits with your family’s lifestyle and commitments.
Step 1: Determine Your Puppy’s Feeding Schedule
Most puppies will need to eat 3 times a day from 8-12 weeks old. That means you will feed them every 6 hours, and you want to feed at the same times every day. Determine the times that suit your own schedule.
An example of a 3-a-day feeding schedule would be 7AM, 1PM and 7PM.
To meet your puppy’s need for mental stimulation, I suggest using these 3 feeding times to provide a few minutes of short, fun interactive training sessions! This will go a very long way toward building your bond and depleting your puppy’s rambunctious energy.
When to give your puppy water:
Some people may suggest having scheduled water times as well; I am not a proponent of this. My recommendation is to provide access to fresh water throughout the day. You will need to be vigilant though, and take note of how much and how often your puppy is drinking. You will want to remove access to water 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Step 2: Create a Daily Schedule for Exercise / Play
Raising a goldendoodle puppy is a Lot like running a pre-school. In between potty and nap times, your job is to direct and guide your puppy’s mental and physical energy in satisfying and appropriate ways. A young puppy will need to potty soon after any physical activity, so to encourage predictable potty times, you’ll want to schedule their exercise and play.
Play is the most important way all young animals learn and practice social and life skills – here again you have a golden opportunity to educate your puppy while exercising them with puppy games for impulse control, social bonding and skill building!
Step 3: Create your Daily Puppy Log
You now have all the information you need to design your puppy’s house training schedule.
Enter all the following details into a spreadsheet or chart on paper:
- When you wake – (potty trip will be the VERY FIRST THING you do)
- Enter your puppy’s feeding times.
- Enter the times you will exercise and play with your puppy.
- Write in scheduled naps for your puppy at Least every 2 hours in their crate or confinement area.
- Enter a scheduled potty trip after each feeding, play/exercise and nap time.
- Add scheduled potty trips after any length of time longer than your puppy should be expected to hold it according to their age. (25-30 mins at 8 weeks, 30-45 mins at 10 weeks, 45 min-1 hr at 12 weeks, 1-2 hrs at 16 weeks, 2-3 hrs at 20 weeks).
- All other time is SUPERVISED free time – more on that later!
You might assign each family member a time of day to care for the puppy; have them check off each task on the puppy log as it is done. This way you will always know where you are on the schedule and what your puppy needs.
Step 4: Record all ‘Input and Output’ on the Puppy Log
Add columns going across in the puppy log to record all your pup’s bladder and bowel movements. You should also make notes about your puppy’s activities and behavior.
This is important information you will use to streamline your puppy routine going forward. You can even use the puppy log to skillfully troubleshoot and resolve problem puppy behaviors.
Helpful things to note:
- Successful pees
- Successful poops
- Sleep times
- How long they took to eliminate after being taken to the potty spot
- Potty trips where puppy did not pee or poop
- Any accidents and why they happened (spoiler alert – mistakes are always Our fault, not the puppy’s!)
- Any unscheduled play or other excitement (Puppies will usually need to pee shortly after any burst of activity! And again, you can use the Puppy Log to help you address any troublesome biting or puppy crazies – if you don’t know what that is, you soon will.)
Basically, write down anything food, activity, or potty related so you can look for patterns to help you going forward.
Step 5: Gain Wisdom and Insight from the Puppy Log
By dutifully keeping your puppy log each week, you will get a helpful visual of your puppy’s natural rhythms and potty habits. When you record where and when mistakes happen, they become valuable learning opportunities for troubleshooting and making adjustments going forward.
Did the puppy sneak off and have a pee accident while you were busy getting the kids out the door to school? Direct supervision is key anytime the puppy is free in the home. If you can’t have two eyes on the puppy, you might tether them to you with a light leash, or put them in the crate.
Maybe puppy peed in the crate after an hour? – Puppies can only be crated for as long as they can hold their bladder. (The general rule is one hour per month of life; until you get to know your puppy better you should err on the side of caution.) Make sure the puppy has recently emptied before putting them in the crate.
Have you caught your puppy ‘in the act’ 3 times in a single day? Good on you for watching them closely enough! However, if they tried to go 3 times inside, you’ve learned that you likely aren’t taking them out to potty often enough – increase the frequency of potty trips.
Perhaps the reverse happened, and you noted that 3 times in the day when you brought the puppy out to potty, they didn’t go and you returned them inside for 10 minutes before trying again? This shows your puppy doesn’t have to potty as often as you thought and can last longer between potty visits. Therefore, you can stretch out the time between potty trips by 10 to 15 minutes the next day.
Note how long it takes the puppy to poop after their mealtime. Some puppies will go 5 minutes after eating, some after half an hour. The Puppy Log is where you learn this valuable information about your individual young dood.
Keep the Puppy Log somewhere accessible where all the family members can easily write in notes throughout the day. If you’re tech-minded there are numerous puppy potty training apps on the market such as Puppy Potty Log or Pup-to-Date.
How to Have Successful Potty Trips
It is wise to designate a preferred ‘potty spot’ somewhere outside your home. This could be a corner of your yard or a spot right outside of your building. You will appreciate this if you have cold, snowy winters, and it will also keep your yard cleaner.
Take your puppy out to the potty spot on leash. Especially in the beginning when your young puppy cannot hold their bladder at all, you will likely have to carry them out to the spot. It’s a good idea to keep the leash right on top of the crate so that you can scoop the puppy up and put the leash on as you are en route to the spot. Then set the puppy down, stand with them on leash and be very boring.
Once outside, your Goldendoodle puppy will be as Shakespeare said, ‘a feather to each wind that blows.’ Which is to say that puppies are very, very distractible, and it will be your job to keep them on the task at hand. So, stand at the potty spot, only giving them the length of the leash to move about, be very quiet and give them enough time to sniff, get bored, and pottyOnce they have completely finished (don’t interrupt the flow! You want the puppy to empty) throw a party with warm praise and one or two small, yummy treats! It’s important to make a very positive impression on them when they’ve done the behavior we want. You can further reward the puppy with some free exploration outside. Again, you are building the very desirable habit of getting ‘business’ out of the way before the fun stuff commences.
After a successful potty, the puppy has earned 20-30 minutes of ‘free time’ inside your house. And by ‘free’, I mean:
- dragging a lightweight house leash
- directly supervised (two eyes minimum on the puppy).
This is your time to play, snuggle, and hang out with your puppy inside the home. Keep in mind that any physical activity will stimulate their little bladders, so watch the puppy for telltale signs of needing to go again which may include:
- sniffing the ground
- circling
- suddenly seeming distracted or restless
- heading toward a secluded spot or trying to leave the room
- heading toward, barking at, or scratching the door to the outside
- whining and/or barking
- getting very nippy and naughty (if it’s out of character. These may also be signs your puppy needs a nap!)
If you see any of these signs you should immediately take the puppy out to the potty spot. There may be some false alarms, but better safe than sorry. “When in doubt, take them out!”
Soon enough you will start to recognize your puppy’s individual signs of needing to go.
Teach a Potty ‘Cue Word’
Teaching your puppy to do their business ‘on command’ is a very helpful life skill! But you must be able to accurately predict the behavior before you can associate your chosen word or phrase with that action.
So, for the first week or so, simply observe your puppy, praise and reward their successes, and write them faithfully in your Puppy Log. In doing this you will become adept at predicting the ‘slam dunk’ times you know your puppy will go. You will also get to know the behaviors that immediately precede your puppy eliminating.
When you see your puppy’s telltale signs – many puppies will sniff and then circle just before they squat for example – then just as your puppy starts to go, say your chosen word. Say it calmly (so as not to distract your puppy and interrupt the flow!) and say it Once.
I suggest choosing a word or phrase you won’t be embarrassed for the neighbors to hear you yelling from the back porch. I like ‘Go Potty’, or ‘Get Busy’.
You are creating a rewarding pattern – puppy hears the magic word, puppy goes potty, puppy receives a delicious treat, praise, and play.
If Your Puppy Doesn’t ‘Go’
Be sure to give the puppy a full 5 minutes to eliminate. Resist the urge to coax them, you’re only going to distract them. Stand there and count 5 minutes on the clock. If they don’t go, take them back inside, put them in the crate and take them back out in 10 minutes. Repeat as necessary.
This is often a tough one for owners, but it is the best course of action. With consistency, the message that ‘fun time starts only after you do your business’ will be a powerful one.
Once back in the crate, keep an eye to make sure they don’t have an accident in there. A properly sized crate should call upon a puppy’s natural instinct not to soil their living space; you want to avoid messing that up.
What to Do When Accidents Happen
1. Interrupt:
If you catch your puppy in the act of going, interrupt them with a sharp ‘Ah-ah!’ You are not looking to punish or scare the puppy but rather just to startle them enough to hopefully interrupt the flow. Then whisk your puppy up, take her outside and set her down in her appropriate potty spot. Praise and reward her if she finishes pottying outside. Then vow to watch her more carefully!
2. Clean up thoroughly:
Clean the accident by sopping it up with a rag or a paper towel. (Put the puppy in her pen or crate first! Your puppy will be enticed to play and chase the paper towels as you clean, and you will be frustratedly attempting to pry pee-soaked paper towels from your puppy’s jaws.) Then soak the carpet or wipe the floor with an enzymatic urine-neutralizing cleaner such as Nature’s Miracle. It is important to use a dedicated pet urine cleaner, as puppies will be attracted to the smell of their urine and compelled to potty in the same spot again. Many household cleaners which contain ammonia will exacerbate this effect.
3. After the Fact:
If you find an accident your puppy has made in your absence, roll up a newspaper or magazine and Bop yourself on the nose because you weren’t watching the puppy closely enough!
Seriously, scolding a puppy after the fact will be completely ineffective and only serve to teach the puppy that you are unpredictable and scary. Consider that you wouldn’t punish a human baby or toddler for having an accident. I promise your puppy will Not make the connection between your anger and the action of eliminating.
4. Write it Down:
Record it on the Puppy Log so you can learn and do better next time.
Can a Puppy Hold it Overnight?
Your very young goldendoodle will not be able to last through the whole night without needing to potty. Their bodily functions will slow during overnight sleep however, but between 8-10 weeks, expect that you will have to wake up once during the night to take them out. (It is highly inadvisable, and illegal in many states, for a breeder to sell a puppy younger than 8 weeks.)
Do not give your puppy any food or water for 2-3 hours before bed. Take a last potty trip as close as you can before putting them in the crate to sleep.
Then set an alarm for 4 hours after their bedtime when you must get up and take them to their potty spot.
It’s a good idea to keep your puppy’s overnight crate close to your bed for this reason, at least in the early days. It will also help them acclimate to their new environment if they can smell and hear you to comfort them during the night.
When the alarm goes off, take the puppy out and to the potty spot. Stand on leash, wait for them to potty and then praise softly and take them back to their crate. No treats or play or snuggling. You don’t want to teach them that nighttime is for anything other than sleep and quiet.
If your puppy cries or barks in the crate at night, you can take them out for a potty trip – nothing else. You do not want the puppy to learn that crying in the crate gets them anything but a trip to potty.
After a few successful nights without an accident, you can start to set your alarm for 15 minutes later and continue this every few nights. The time a puppy can hold it overnight increases dramatically during their first few weeks.
By 12-16 weeks most puppies will be able to hold it for 8 hours through the night.
Medical or Behavioral Issues
If you seem to be making little progress and your puppy is having frequent, random accidents, or just doesn’t seem to be developing bladder control, it could be due to medical reasons.
If you are feeding, training, exercising, and playing with your puppy on a schedule, and the Puppy Log shows no pattern to the times they need to potty, consult your family vet for a checkup.
Also, if your puppy’s stools are consistently loose, too soft, too hard, very dry, etc., the issue may be with their diet or a medical cause. Again, seek the advice of your vet.
Potty issues may also stem from anxiety or some other behavioral reason. If your puppy has been cleared of any medical issues but is still having accidents in the crate or in your home, you may want to consult a professional trainer.
How Long Does It Take to Potty Train a Goldendoodle Puppy?
The answer is going to be different for every individual puppy of course, and will depend heavily on how diligent you are with the process outlined.
The average puppy on a potty training schedule will become pretty reliable at about 5-7 months old. Mini or petite goldendoodles have smaller bladders and may take closer to 8-10 months.
If you have followed the process, you will get to know your unique doodle, their rhythms and habits, and have a good sense of how much freedom they can handle. Err on the side of caution to avoid setbacks. Remember your puppy is still growing up and learning.
Your puppy may be progressing along nicely, and suddenly one day seem to forget everything and have an accident out of nowhere! Know that this is a normal part of growing up, and take it in stride.
The most common mistake puppy owners make in general, is giving their puppy too much freedom too soon. If you are diligent and consistent, before you know it your puppy will be making you proud with their successful pottying habits and all-around good behavior! You’ll be tempted to give your super smart puppy total freedom!
Be careful. Because just as your puppy blues are starting to lift, it means that the next stage of your puppy’s development is around the corner. Adolescence! That magical time when all of us – yes, dogs too! – are biologically compelled to test boundaries, feel big feelings, and make questionable decisions… Routine and structure will be as important as ever as you guide your young dood through this next phase of life. Your pup is only young once! Keep up the hard work for the first year of their life, and you will be rewarded with a well-behaved, enjoyable companion for many happy years to come.
Melissa Schiraldi is the founder and owner of True Love Dog Training located in Westchester, NY. Melissa has been working professionally with dogs since 2013. She is an ADI Certified Service Dog Trainer, a NADOI Certified Dog Obedience Instructor, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.