How Hard Is It To Train A Cockapoo? The Real Truth

So, many are asking: how hard is it to train a cockapoo? In this post, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about training a cockapoo, plus, we’ll also give some toilet and crate training tips.

How Hard Is It To Train A Cockapoo?

Cockapoos are easy to train just like their crossbreed parents, the cocker spaniel, and the poodle.

Despite being around since the 1950s, cockapoos are still not established as a breed.

Thus their mannerisms cannot be predicted, but most people consider them to be among the easiest dogs to train. They are considered the second brightest breed after the border collie, and they come with an unmatched charm.

Cockapoos are energetic social pets eager to please, and this makes training them relatively easy and fun. They are very playful, and leaving them unattended can create boredom, escalating to destructive behavior very fast.

As the owner of the cockapoo, it is essential to take your pet to specialized training where they get to socialize. The owner can also learn a few training tricks during the sessions.

How Long Does It Take To Train A Cockapoo Puppy?

To successfully train a puppy, one needs consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement to build a bond and instill good habits. To fully train a puppy, it will take approximately 4-6 months, but others may take longer.

Some factors can affect training, including the puppy’s previous living conditions and the puppy’s size.

Cockapoos being smaller breeds of dogs have smaller bladders and higher metabolism, and this necessitates frequent trips to the toilet. This means they are more likely to have more accidents than the bigger breeds of dogs.

These setbacks should not be a concern as long as there is adherence to the training and management program. Rewards play a significant role in ensuring the cockapoo follows the training.

Training begins typically at an early age when the puppy is between the age of 12-16 weeks old. At this age, the puppy has started having control of its bladder and bowel movements, hence can learn how to hold it.

If you get a cockapoo puppy that is older than 12 weeks, training may take longer as the puppy’s behaviors may need to be reshaped.

How To Train A Cockapoo Using Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a training technique that uses the reward system to encourage the cockapoo to repeat a behavior. If, for example, you want to train the cockapoo to sit, you reward it for sitting, and it will start associating sitting with the reward.

Positive reinforcements create a platform where everyone can get involved in training their pet without necessarily using harsh tones and strength.

To make positive reinforcement successful, the dog owner rewards only the behaviors they want and ignores those they don’t want. It does not put the lives of family members in danger since even kids can be taught how to handle the dog and train it without punishments.

Rewards can come in different forms, including food, petting, special praise, allowing them to play with a special toy and any other special treat.

The dog owner can easily know if the cockapoo likes the reward by checking its approval meter, such as how much its tail is wagging.

To successfully train your cockapoo using positive reinforcement, you will need to learn the basics of the technique or hire a trainer. You also learn how to communicate with your dog since the dog learns how to decode your language.

Dogs aim to please, and they are likely to repeat behaviors aiming for the reward. Punishing the pet for habits not learned mostly brings out the opposite effect.

If the puppy urinates or has any other housebreaking accidents, smacking it or scolding it only acts to remind the puppy that it cannot do that when you are around, but it does not train the dog that it is wrong. This makes the dog cause those accidents when left alone because they assume it is okay.

How Do You Train A Cockapoo Not To Bite?

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Cockapoos love jumping and biting because they think its fun. It is essential to teach the puppy the difference between biting and soft mouthing.

When the cockapoo bites, it is necessary to ensure it knows that that’s wrong by making a loud sound such as ouch and walking away. This teaches the puppy that biting is not part of the play and calms them down.

Once the puppy calms down, you can get your attention by allowing him to touch your hand with his nose, mouthing your hand softly and pawing.

If the puppy bites again, you go back to being boring by walking away. The idea is to consistently train the dog that biting is boring and uninteresting to humans.

When growing up, puppies usually learn from their siblings and mother that biting is painful and undesirable, but it becomes the responsibility of the owner to train them how he wants them to behave.

The idea is to show the cockapoo that biting hurts and is not ok. Just as puppies make a sound when a play goes too far, the owner needs to do the same to ensure that his cockapoo learns what is desirable and what is not.

Cockapoo Toilet Training Tips

Many people would love to have a cockapoo as a pet but they are bombarded continuously by how hard it is to train a cockapoo successfully. When toilet training your cockapoo, the most important things to remember are supervision, consistency, and repetition.

Important Reminders For Potty Training

It is essential to acknowledge that the puppies will not learn overnight, and sometimes training may be a one step forward and one step backward affair. Puppies learn at different rates as they develop, and it is essential to persevere and be consistent in your training.

Cockapoo puppies of approximately 6-7 months do not have fully matured sphincter muscles hence cannot hold themselves for long, creating the need for frequent toilet breaks. They also need night toilet breaks and they frequently whimper to let you know it needs to pee.

However, as these puppies grow, their ability to hold increases, increasing the intervals between toilet visits.

How Puppies View Their Sleeping Areas

It is important to note that a healthy cockapoo puppy will not want to relieve itself in its sleeping area or where it eats and drinks. You put the puppies in the crate after they have been to the toilet or when they need to rest.

As soon the puppies are out of their crates, they should be taken for a toilet break. Some people prefer the use of puppy pads, but this has the disadvantage of making training longer since you will need to reteach them.

Toilet training involves taking the puppies out for 30 minutes to one hour to the garden where you want them to the toilet and allowing them time to relieve themselves.

Toilet breaks should be factored in at regular times and may include eating and drinking, before bedtime, after waking up, and following a play session. It is essential to keep in mind that toilet time is not playing time, and the puppies should not be interrupted during this time.

How To Tell Your Puppy It’s Time To Go

Pick the right words and use them repetitively to indicate to the dog that you want them to go, e.g., “Go toilet.” After the dog poops heap praises and gives treats to encourage the puppy to learn that the words are its cue to go.

You can then play with the dog afterward, and this teaches the dog the routine. Some people use poochie bells on the door where the dog rings when they need to go to the toilet.

In the learning process, the puppies are bound to cause accidents, which should not cause concern. In case an accident happens, do not reprimand the dog but clear the mess immediately without a fuss as this may cause anxiety in the pet.

Using biological powder to neutralize the area prevents the puppy from using the same spot again.

Cockapoo Crate Training Tips

How hard is it to train a cockapoo to use a crate? This is a question that continually bothers pet lovers.

Cockapoos and all dogs in general love crates the same way they do tables, sofas, and beds. Crate training helps the cockapoo get used to going to its crate following either a command or safety and comfort.

Dogs usually don’t like to soil their resting spaces; hence crates become very useful for house training the cockapoo. You can also use the crates to safely transport the cockapoo.

How To Pick A Crate For Your Puppy

Before one embarks on crate training, you need to pick a spacious, comfortable, and secure crate for the dog. The size of the crate should be big enough to comfortably allow the dog to stand up and move around but not too big as the cockapoo may use one corner as the toilet.

If your cockapoo is a puppy, an adjustable crate will be more economical. This way, you can adjust the crate as the dog grows. Since cockapoos are known to be social animals, it is essential that the crate is not isolated and placed where the dog can see you or the family and in a beautiful quiet corner.

You will also have to put a crate pad, beddings, and a bowl of water. Add toys as well in the cockapoo’s crate before you embark on training.

How To Help Your Puppy Get Into The Crate

To train your cockapoo, start by playing with it near the crate. Then, entice it to get into the crate by showing it its favorite toy or snack placed inside the crate.

Reward the cockapoo once it enters the crate. The reward can either be praising it or gently patting it to help it associate positive feelings with the crate. Repeating this process will encourage the cockapoo to get into the crate even without any prompting.

Hope you enjoyed this post about how hard it is to train a cockapoo?.

Drop any questions in the comment section below!

If you’re looking for more information and tips to best take care of your Cockapoo, then check out these awesome posts:

• How Much Food Does A Cockapoo Puppy Need?
• How Much Is A Cockapoo Puppy: Everything You Need To Know
• How Much Do Cockapoos Weigh? Full Breakdown
• How to Stop Your Cockapoo From Chewing

Thanks for reading! You can get many more tips and tricks for your Cockapoos here.