Puppy House Training may be the most dreaded part of puppyhood. Our Labradoodles are very smart and easy to train, but every puppy, and dog for that matter, needs to learn their new environment. None, trained or not, can walk into your house and know where the bathroom is. With some consistent steps and a plan for success, you can quickly teach them the goal. I think it is all about setting them up to succeed.

A playpen or ex-pen is essential

The essential puppy house-training purchase is the playpen or ex-pen. An ex-pen is a wire fence that you can move around your house or into the yard. You can connect it to the crate to make your pup’s safe place when you are not available or just not able to focus on him. I really cannot see how you would house-train a pup without this.

Make sure you have easy access to the playpen

Set up the playpen where it is easy to access and near the door if possible. Inside is an excellent place to put her food & water, bed/crate, and some old towels in case of accidents. Add lots of chew toys too. I usually set mine up in a rectangle shape with a crate/bed at one end, food and toys in the middle, and old towels at the other end. The ex-pen is where my young pups hang out when I am not actively managing them. When you pick them up out of the pen, go directly outside for potty.

Please don’t give up it could take a few minutes

Be patient as it may take a few minutes. After 5 minutes or so, if they have not done their business, unfortunately, they will need to go back into the pen or stay outside longer. If you give up and bring them into the house now, they will pee on your floor. When they are successful outside, they can come back in and play with you. Praise them highly for their success.

When your focus is elsewhere, keep your pup in the pen

When you need to focus on something else, please put your pup back in his pen. As soon as you start doing something else, the pup is apt to pee or poop somewhere. The goal is to create only opportunities for success, not failures. If the pups are nearby and can see what I’m doing, they are a bit more content. I usually have my pen near the kitchen and sometimes one in my office.

Try the bells when you have a bit of a routine started. Hang them on the door you use with your puppy and place them on the floor in front of bells. Show them, touch the bells, see if you can get them too also. If so, hooray! Praise and rush outside.

*Don’t try this first thing in the morning or right after eating because they might not be able to hold it.

If you would like to kick start the training process check out our Labradoodle training package.