Are Poodles Easy To Train: A Beginner’s Guide

Are you planning to have a dog at your home? Great! Dogs are the most loyal animals to humans on this planet. There can be various reasons why you may want a dog in the house. Maybe you are looking for a dog, which can keep the strangers away from the house.

There are even chances that you may want a new companion in the house. Having a dog in the house is a memorable and enjoyable experience. You get to play with them and even increase your physical workout.

However, having an untrained dog in the house is extremely challenging. How? Well, first of all, they will develop bad habits, which will be inappropriate in the long run. There are instances where dogs develop bad habits like peeing in the house or chewing your shoes. This increases your stress, as your responsibility to look out for the dog increases.

This becomes an issue if you have a poodle dog. These dogs can be easily spoiled if you do not train them. There are numerous breeds of dogs in the world, each has its characteristics. Some dogs are aggressive, while others are extremely friendly.

Poodle dogs can neither be placed in the category of aggressive nor friendly nature. The personality of a poodle dog completely depends on the way you raise them. Training a poodle dog is an effective way to groom its personality.

In this blog, we will discuss the most effective methods to train a poodle dog. All these tips were chosen based on our in-depth research about the behavior of poodle dogs and practical experience with them.

Also, we will share some points that you must not do, while training a poodle dog. You have to make sure that you follow these tips properly and with a lot of patience. Moreover, you must not expect the results of the training within a few days. You will have to wait at least a few weeks.

Poodle dogs

Have you seen vintage movies? Well, if you have, then you must have observed these dogs. They were usually used to represent luxury and charm. However, what we have seen on the screen is not always true.

Poodle dogs are all-rounded breeds. They are highly obedient to their master and love sports. They love to spend hours walking outdoor and exploring things. They have an instinct of learning, which makes them a great student. You can even observe them exploring their surroundings frequently. Thus, you will not face any issue while training them.

To be honest, these dogs are overly protective of their house, and its members. Thus, a poodle will take a long time to get friendly with a stranger. Therefore, you may even have to look into his habits, when a guest comes in the house.

Overall, poodles are highly intelligent animals and it is extremely easy to train them. Let us say that if you do not train a poodle, then what will happen? In that case, the dog will be spoiled, less active, and develop various bad habits. Thus, if you have a poodle dog, then you must focus on its training.

[7th Steps] How to train Poodle Dogs?

There are various ways to train a Poodle. You can approach a professional and many more. However, we will discuss the most effective methods through which you can train them by yourself. Is training the dog yourself better? Yes, by doing so, the dog will listen to only your commands.

Make sure that the inception of the training process should be as soon as the dog enters the house. You must not delay the process, as each passing day will double the efforts during the training. The efforts may even increase by four times when it comes to adult dogs. Let us start with the training process without further delay.

First Step

The first step is to know the perfect age to train the Poodle. Usually, people believe that they can train the dog anytime and at any age. Due to this, they delay the entire training process, which is regrettable in the long tun. Thus, you cannot train the dog at any age. There is a specific age at which the training is most effective.

Whenever you will go to buy a Poodle, you will have two options. Either you can buy a puppy or an adult Poodle.  If you want the training process to be extremely short and stress-free, then you must always go for puppies. It is extremely easy to train a puppy as compared to an adult Poodle. Moreover, the grasping power of poodle puppies is at leak during puppyhood.

However, let us say that you have an adult Poodle. What to do? In that case, we will recommend you to be extremely patient with the process and expect results after a few months only.

Second Step

The second part of the training is to know that you must not use fear as a tool. The most common mistake during training a Poodle is to use fear as a punishment. Irrespective of the level of the bad behavior of the dog, you must never scold it or hit it.

By doing so, you are just making the Poodle afraid. This will lead to a weak bond between you and your pet, which will significantly affect the training process. Moreover, the stop may even start revolting by not listening to your commands. So, what must you do?

Let us say that the behavior of the Poodle is inappropriate. In that case, you must ignore it. Over time, the Poodle will itself change those habits. All you have to do is to focus on good habits. If they do something appropriate, then you must give it a small treat. Usually, a dog biscuit is a perfect treat. However, you may even go for a bone or any other thing.

Just make sure that you do not try to build fear in the dog for you or if it does something wrong. You will have to be patient with the process of developing good habits.

Third Step

The third step is to start with the correct commands. Most dog owners fail at the training of the dog, as they start with complex commands like rolling, jumping, and many more. It is extremely difficult for the dog to understand these commands.

Instead of giving these commands, you must start with the simplest commands a dog can understand. What are they? Well, they are ‘sit’ and ‘stand.’ There are instances where you would want the dog to sit and not move from the place.

However, how can you train the Poodle to sit? Well, it is simple. You need to keep a treat like a biscuit in your hand far from the dog. Make sure that the Poodle can see the treat. Now, you have to say ‘sit’ repetitively. If the dog sits, then you must keep it the treat.  However, if it does not, then you must raise the treat higher such that the dog is forced to sit. You have to repeat this process at least 5 times a day.

This is even applicable for the other command, which is ‘stand.’ Just make sure that you give the treat only if the dog obeys the command. What if you give it without obeying? Well, then the dog will think that even by not obeying you it can get the treat.

Fourth Step

The fourth step is to be extremely disciplined with the schedule or time table. Usually, as per most dog owners, the most annoying habit is peeing or pooping at the wrong place. This can happen if you do not explain the dog the right place to pee or poop.

If you want the Poodle to understand the correct place of peeing or pooping, then you will have to start with scheduling the food. You have to fix the time of giving food to the dog. Generally, we would recommend you to feed the Poodle at least 3 times a day. However, feeding four times is also considered healthy.

Now, after eating, the Poodle will surely show a particular trait, which will say that it wants to go out. It may even show a trait of peeing or pooping. You must take the dog outside immediately. Make sure that the dog spends at least 30 minutes outside the home.

Let the poodle explore the area around you. Why? Well, it is because poodle dogs tend to decide their place for peeing or pooping. Once, it has identified the place, the dog will always call you to go to that place. Just make sure that you follow the feeding and going outside the schedule strictly.

Fifth Step

The fifth step is to increase the pace of training slowly. When it comes to training a dog, you will not get results in a short period. This applies to almost every breed in the world.

Yes, poodles take a shorter time to train, but that does not mean that you will get the results immediately. You have to be extremely patient with the training process as much as possible. It is even recommended for simple commands.

There are instances, where dogs take some time to catch-up. Make sure that you give the dog an appropriate time to grasp and learn new habits. Also, you must always ignore the bad habits rather than scolding them.

Sixth Step

The sixth step is to train the behavior of dogs in front of guests. If we talk about poodles, then they are extremely unfriendly to strangers, which includes guests at your home. Why? Well, they consider them a threat to their master. Thus, growling and barking by these dogs are very common.

Now, the basic idea of the training is to make the dog understand the difference between strangers and guests. You would surely want the dogs to be aggressive towards strangers, but not guests. Therefore, whenever, a guest comes to the house, you need to pet the dog, and try to calm it down. You may even start the command ‘no’ to tell the dog to stop being aggressive. If it stops the aggressive behavior, then you must give it a treat.

Make sure that the treat you give is very small. It should be light to digest for the dog. Thus, we will recommend you to give a biscuit or a cookie to the dog. The treat should not have sugar or salt in it, as dogs are allergic to them.

Seventh Step

The seventh and last step is to socialize the dog. You need to teach the dog that the world outside is friendly. There are various ways to socialize a dog. You can take it for a walk in the park and let it interact with the dogs there. You can also let the dog interact during vaccination at a vet clinic.

Another way is to enroll the dog at a dog socializing club. Irrespective of where you take the dog, you must know the basic idea behind this activity. What is it? Yes, to make the dog socially adaptable. This will be highly beneficial if you are planning to take the dog on a trip with the family.

Most Commonly Asked Questions

Is the poodle dog too aggressive? What can you do?

Usually, poodle dogs are a little aggressive during their puberty time. If you are observing a little aggressive behavior, then it is completely normal. However, the real problem starts, when they remain aggressive in every activity. Maybe you are taking the dog for a walk, and it is pulling the leash. In that case, there are certain steps, which will reduce this aggression.

One step is to start with the command ‘with me.’ You need to repeat this word and slow down your pace a bit till the dog starts walking with you. Initially, you need to start with a 5 or 10-second walk. If the dog walks for this period with you, then you must give it a treat.

Repeat this for several days and start increasing this period. We would recommend you to increase the walk period to 15 seconds after a week and so on. Soon you will observe that the dog has started walking with you automatically.

Even in other situations, where the poodle dog is aggressive, you need to be as calm as possible. Also, patience is the key to reduce aggressive behavior in poodle dogs. You can also go for neutering as the last option. 

What are the types of poodles in the world?

There are three types of poodle dogs. Mostly, they differ in terms of size, but you will also observe a few differences in their personality. Let us discuss each one of them.

• Standard poodle: These are the largest poodles in the world. They are usually 22 inches tall. They have a brave and energetic personality, which makes them perfect for guarding the house.
• Medium size poodles: They are also known as miniature poodles. Usually, they are about 13 inches tall. Moreover, they have a balanced personality. Thus, they are good at guarding the house and playing with kids as a family dog. This is also the most preferred poodle dog in the world.
• Toy poodle: As the name says, they are the smallest poodle dogs on the planet. They are about 8 inches tall at max. They are not good for guarding, but are the perfect family dogs and easily get along kids.

How can you stop the poodle dog from chewing things?

Biting or chewing is one of the most common habits among puppies. Before we jump to the solution, let us understand the reason behind this behavior. This usually happens, when the teeth of the puppy start to grow. In that situation, puppies have an instinct to chew or bite things. They do this to strengthen the jaw.

The most effective method is to give the dog a bone or a toy to chew. However, if you have an adult poodle dog, then you must contact a vet immediately.

Do poodle dogs get along with kids?

Whether or not a poodle dog will get along with a kid depends on the level of training. You need to train the dog to be as calm as possible. You also need to make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before it mixes up with kids. However, that does not mean you should completely focus on the behavior of poodle dogs.

Make sure that you teach the kid to not disturb the dog while having food. It is a common practice among kids that they try to snatch the bone of the dog. Stop them as soon as possible. Moreover, you need to involve the kid in the training process of the poodle. This strengthens the bond between the dog and the kid.

Wrap up

Now you know everything to train a poodle dog. By following these tips, you will be able to train the dog within a few weeks. Moreover, you will be able to eliminate every bad habit from the dog. Let us recap the most important points.

You need to make sure that you do not scold or hit the dog, irrespective of their behavior. You have to treat the dog for appropriate behavior every time. Also, you have to be extremely patient with the dog. Make sure that you do not get irritated on the dog even in the worst scenarios.

Lastly, you have to keep the pace of the training process very slow so that your Poodle grabs it comfortably. It is also recommended to commence the training with the simplest part.