Housebreaking

Crate Training

Handling

Obedience

Biting 

Socialization

Health Info

Recommended Reading

Flea Tip:  Try catching those pesky little critters with a Lint Roller.  Sometimes fleas are really hard to catch and kill....if you have a lint roller you can run that on the surface (even your leg or arm) and catch the little critter and be able to squish it with your fingernail.  A lint roller works well on bedding too.

Housebreaking:

Every time the puppy takes a drink, set a timer for 15 minutes.  When it goes off, take the puppy outside to go potty.  If the puppy doesn't go within a couple of minutes, bring it back inside.  Set the timer for 5 minutes,  take the puppy out again.  Continue every 5 minutes until the puppy goes potty.  As soon as they do, praise him/her generously and soon he/she will start to understand what you want. 

If the puppy makes a mistake, it is usually the fault of the owner not paying attention to the pup.  Just clean the mess up and go on.  Do not scold the puppy as it doesn't know the rules yet.  If you rub its nose in the puddle you are teaching to puppy to find a secluded spot where you can't find the mess.

The hardest part of housebreaking is getting the puppy to let you know when it has to go.  One idea is to put a bell on the doorknob and go out the same door every time.  Teach the puppy to ring the bell to tell you that it is time to go out by taking its paw and ringing the bell.

Be consistent.  If you can't watch the puppy, put it in a safe place, like its crate, and give it a chew toy or something to keep it entertained.  Bored puppies get into trouble.  

Put the puppy in the crate during naptime and take it outside to go potty as soon as it wakes up.  If you let it sleep outside its crate or a small confined area and you get busy, it will wake up, relieve itself and then come looking for you.  If it is in the crate, there is a good chance it will let you know that it is awake and ready to go potty.

Limit the amount of water after 6 p.m. (unless you have played hard with the puppy). You won't have to get up as many times in the night.  

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Crate Training:

The correct crate size is important.  It should be just large enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, stretch out and sleep comfortably in.  Too much space in the crate gives the puppy extra room to potty.  A puppy will do everything it can to not soil its sleeping place so keep the area small in the beginning.

You can purchase multiple crates depending on the size or you can buy a crate that will fit the grown dog and then block off a portion of the crate with a box to make it "puppy size" until the puppy learns to go outside or has outgrown it.  Some crate manufacturers include a removable partition with their crates.

If you play hard with the puppy and wear him out, he/she will be more agreeable to being put in the crate.

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Handling: 

When you bring your new puppy home you are going to want to do lots of specific "handling" of the puppy.  This will make your groomer and vet very happy.  Get them used to being touched all over. 

Some specific things to do:

Lift their ears and look inside

Open their mouth and look at their teeth

Touch between the pads of their feet

Move the hair on their paws to expose their nails

Move the tail...up and around...take a sneak peek under too

Hold each leg...if the pup is standing...take each leg up off the ground a bit...if it is laying down move the feet and legs

Start brushing with a gentle brush.  You don't have to worry about covering the entire body at first.  You just want him to get used to the brush so that he isn't fighting you.  The more fight that there is in the beginning...the more you need to do this.

Handle the pup all over.  If there is a particular spot that the pup does not like being touched...Well that is your clue to work on that area.  But do it gently at first.  Start at a place where they like being touched...then sneak a touch over in that place where they are not so excited about being touched...and then go back to a place where they like....eventually they will figure out that being touched is a good thing and they will let you touch them everywhere.

Touch the pups collar...put your fingers under it and hold it for a second

Without forcing, see if you can get the puppy on his back and rub his tummy

There are a lot of different things to can and should do.  Be creative and gentle and your pup will love the time you spend together.

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Obedience:

I like Clicker Training!  I tried regular obedience school and learned a lot.  But have done some extraordinary things with using the clicker.  Check out from your local library for books on dog training.  Cockapoos tend to be very sensitive dogs that want to please so you don't need harsher methods to accomplish good results. 

Be consistent with the commands that you choose.  It isn't the human word that make them "sit" but the fact that when they are sitting for you, you are marking the behavior with a word.  You could just as easily say "orange" for "sit" and they would sit at that word. 

Don't wait until your puppy is "old" enough to train...start the day after you bring him home with simple things.  I recommend that you enroll you and your pup with a qualified trainer for obedience.  Hands on training with someone helping and encouraging you is a sure way to make your pup the best it can be.  But working with the pup when it is young will give you a great start for more formal training.

Basic Commands:

These are a few really basic commands in simple format using lures.  To do it with a clicker you would still use the lure but click as soon as the desired behavior is done and then reward.  I recommend that you read one or more of the books on the Good Books Page for more in-depth training. 

Name:  Teach the puppy his name very early.  Always use it in a happy tone...no scolding using the pup's name.  You want the pup to be excited when he hears his name.

Sit:  Slowly lift the lure (treat) up and back over the puppy's nose right between the eyes.  As your puppy looks up its bottom will go down.  When you are getting a sit consistently, you can then add the word "sit" before you move the lure.  Soon your hand movement will  become a hand signal also so you will have double trained the pup. 

Come:  I start "come" very early.  I use a portion of the pup's kibble and keep it with me in my pocket.  At first I teach the pup to come by saying its name when it is on its way to me anyway.  When it comes it is rewarded with a piece of kibble and a pat.  You want to make sure that you touch the puppy too so that it gets used to coming and being touched.  This is in preparation for the leash or if you just need to get a hold of the pup.  If you touch their collar and then hand them the kibble treat and praise them they get used to not being afraid if their collar is touched.  So if you need to call them to come in from playing with their doggy friends they are used to their collars being handled and will not back away or not come all the way to you.  

All the members of the family can join in the training exercises.  Sit in a circle (size depends on how many are playing the game)  Take turns calling the puppy and treating the puppy.  This way the pup learns that anyone who calls him/her is going to give him/her a treat and praise.  Even young children can participate in this.  Slowly make the circle bigger....eventually you can all go to different parts of the house and call the puppy to come to you.  If you use a command like "Go to Johnny" and then Johnny calls "Rover, Come" then you are also teaching the pup the names of the people in the house and a "Go to ..." command.

Stay:  When you have a good sit you can make the puppy stay a little longer to start teaching "stay".  At first start with a second and then release the pup with a "release" word.  I use "okay" but sometimes that is used too much in conversations.  If you have your dog in a sit/stay or down/stay and you are talking to someone and use the word "okay" the dog will think you are talking to him and he can now leave the position he was in.  Slowly add time to the stay...and then distractions.  If the pup is breaking the stay you are moving too fast and need to back up and go slower so that he understands what you want from him.

Down:  Hold the lure (treat) in front of the pup's nose and move it straight down to the ground.  Your pup's nose will tend to follow the lure and so will his body.  Add the command "down" to it once you are getting reliable downs.  This teaches them the word for what you are asking from them.

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Biting:

One thing that seems to work is treating a dog as a pack member.  Give a loud "YELP!" (or OUCH!) that lets the puppy know that they have bitten too hard.  And then for a few seconds withdraw your attention from them...then go back and praise them for not biting.  The puppy will usually start licking your hand as an apology for biting.

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Socialization:

It is important that your puppy meet people during the pup's early days with you.  The experts say that the puppy should be introduced to at least 100 people by the time they are a few months old.  That is a lot of people!  Introduce them to all kinds of people including men, women, children and a variety of ethnicities.  Remember to make sure that there are people with hats, beards, umbrellas, long coats, sunglasses, etc.  This makes them better all around pets.  

Also introduce your puppy to other dogs .  This is a little bit trickier as there is a risk of disease if you take them where there have been unvaccinated dogs.  With some common sense you should be able to avoid places where there might be danger and take the puppy out for adventures in meeting people and other animals.  Its a good thing to take the puppy out to meet people and other pets.  This should be an adventure for the puppy and a chance to show him/her off.  Enrolling in obedience school also provides the pup with socialization with other puppies in a controlled environment.

Sounds are another thing you want your puppy to become used to.  The vacuum cleaner, horns honking, kids yelling, trucks driving by...etc.  Expose them to lots of different sounds too...being careful not to coddle them if they start to be afraid.  Acknowledge the sound to them but don't baby them and reinforce their fearful behavior.

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Health Info:

Eyes:  For those of you with light colored dogs whose under eye hair shows tear stains--a suggestion.  Make sure that you are giving your dog a high quality dog food.  There is an iron that is not easily processed by the dog and then you get the unsightly tear staining.  Another thing that I have tried and it has seemed to work with my lighter colored dogs is Spring Water.  There is iron in the water in most places and when I tried switching to the Spring Water I noticed that the stains are almost completely gone.  I have heard of using Distilled Water but that did not work on my dogs.  I have used the Wal-Mart brand and have had no staining problems when I switched....worth a cheap try.

NEW!!! I have heard from a Bulldog breeder that a tablespoon of cooked brown rice also takes away the staining. Don't have anything to prove it but thought I would put it out there for you with staining in their eyes.

Ears:  If you are getting chronic yeast infections in the ears...look once again at the food that you are feeding.  Is there Brewer's Yeast in the food or in the treats that you are giving your dog?  I have one dog that gets yeast infections if she eats anything with yeast in it.

Bowls:  I recommend using a stainless steel feeding bowl.  The bowl should be washed every day to keep it from accumulating unseen "gunk" in the bowl.  A stainless steel bowl can be kept germ freer easier than a plastic or ceramic bowl.  I use a ceramic water bowl and wash it every day and refill it with clean, fresh water.

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Recommended Reading  Click on the link for my list of recommended books....to date :)