Are Cavachon Hard to Potty Train?

As smaller dogs, the Cavachon tends to be harder to potty train. These canines have much smaller bladders than other dogs, which means that they can’t go quite as long between trips to the bathroom.

You will need to take these puppies out more often if you want their potty-training experience to be successful. Because this requires more work, you can easily consider these dogs more difficult to potty train.

They aren’t particularly more stubborn or unable to understand potty training, however. Often, they will catch on just as fast as other dogs. You need to be more proactive about taking them outside.

With the right consistency, these dogs will likely be potty trained relatively quickly.

Is it Difficult to Potty Train a Cavachon Puppy?

It can be – mainly because they are smaller dogs. No matter the breed, smaller dogs are more challenging to potty train. This is mainly because their bladder is smaller, so they will need to go to the bathroom more often.

They aren’t less intelligent than other dogs or more stubborn towards potty training efforts. Instead, they need to go outside more often, which means more work for you.

If you don’t take them outside enough, they will have accidents.

It is essential to have appropriate expectations when it comes to your Cavachon puppy. They can only hold their bladder for a couple of hours at most. You can’t leave them home all day and expect them not to have an accident.

In the beginning, you need to take them outside more than you think.

How Do You Potty Train a Cavachon Puppy?

These dogs take well to potty training and need to be trained similarly to other dogs. You should have a plan before you bring your puppy home.

Designate a place where your puppy will use the bathroom. While “outside” maybe good enough when your dog is older, it is best to have a specific spot when they are puppies. A couple of yards is often large enough.

By providing them with a specific location, they’ll associate that spot using the bathroom more readily. It is much easier for them to associate that specific spot with the bathroom than the whole outdoors.

Some people decide to invest in an indoor potty area for these dogs, as they need to be taken outside very often. It depends mostly on what your home is like. Those in apartments may not want to walk their puppy down the stairs every few hours.

This is an entirely appropriate option. However, plan on using this potty space for a while. Once you teach your dog to go to the bathroom indoors, they will likely continue to do so in the future. Weaning them off of it isn’t so simple. You’d be potty training them twice.

Next, you should set up a specific schedule. A consistent feeding schedule helps, as these dogs will often base their potty times on their eating times.

You should plan on taking your puppy outside every two hours. At night, the puppy will likely not drink as much and therefore hold it for longer. Many may need to be taken outside in the middle of the night until they get a bit bigger. It depends on the size of the puppy and their ability to hold their bladder.

Either way, taking your puppy outside first thing in the morning and last at night is essential. You want to make the time your puppy has to hold it at night as short as possible.

If your puppy doesn’t use the bathroom when you take them outside, you will need to take them outside every thirty minutes until they do. This is to prevent accidents. The goal is to catch your puppy when they need to urinate. If they don’t when you take them outside after a two-hour wait, they likely will in thirty minutes or so.

Any time your puppy uses the bathroom in the correct place, give them lots of praise and a treat. Dogs usually pick up on this quite often.

If your dog does have an accident indoors, it is crucial to take responsibility for it – not blame the dog. Often, it isn’t the puppy’s fault, but some problem with your scheduling. You should be catching the puppy every time they need to go outside. If you aren’t, then you need to re-evaluate your schedule.

When Should You Begin Potty Training?

As soon as your puppy is home, you should begin potty training. If you’re adopting a dog from a high-quality breeder, they have likely already started the process.

You can talk to the breeder about the dog’s current schedule. Try to match it as closely as possible to prevent accidents. If your dog is already on a schedule, it makes little sense to change it.

It is more challenging to train smaller dogs, so some owners may be tempted to wait until their dogs are older. However, puppies are much more adaptable than adult dogs. You also don’t want your puppy getting used to using the bathroom inside. Then, you won’t just be training them a new habit but eliminating an old one as well.

How Often Do Puppies Need to Use the Bathroom?

It depends on the size of the dog. The smaller the dog, the smaller their bladder will be. Therefore, it is crucial to take small dogs outside very often, as they can’t hold their bladder for very long.

Because this is a small breed, they are typically more challenging to potty train. If you take them outside consistently, they usually have the new habit down over a few weeks. The key is to take them outside more than you think they need.

We recommend taking them outside about every two hours. You should take them outside about 45 minutes after they have a meal. If they don’t use the bathroom when you take them out, continue to do so every thirty minutes until they do.

You should also pay attention to the puppy’s behavior and routine. If they have drunk a bunch of water, they will probably need out in about thirty minutes. If they start sniffing around, you should try to take them outside right away.

The key is to catch the puppy whenever they need to use the restroom. At first, they won’t understand that they should ask you. Many will catch on to the where before why understand the how. Therefore, your puppy may know that they need to use the bathroom outside but not understand how they are supposed to get outside.

Some people teach their puppies to ring a bell to compensate for this problem, but many dogs will figure it out independently. Eventually, they’ll whine at the door and realize that it helps them get outside.

Conclusion

Due to their smaller size, the Cavachon needs to be taken outside more often than you might imagine. Their bladder is tiny. They can’t hold it for very long. This is not a problem specific to their breed – many other small breeds are quite tricky to potty-train, such as Chiweenies or Mini Aussies.

The key is to take them outside often. They will catch on at the same speed as other dogs – or even faster, given that they will be using the bathroom more often. Most of these puppies will need to be taken outside more often than you’d probably think.

We recommend every two hours in the least, though you will need to adjust this based on your dog’s behavior. Keep an eye on your puppy for signs that they need to go. If they can’t be supervised, then they need to be in a crate to prevent accidents.

Overall, these dogs are more challenging to potty train due to their small size – not because they are stubborn or lack intelligence.

Author: Kristin

Kristin was born in Tennessee and currently lives there with her husband and children. She is passionate about educating pet parents and helping them make the best possible decisions for their pets. She currently owns one dog, two cats, a lizard, and a variety of fish.