Toilet training your cavoodle puppy in the rain
So what do you do when it’s going to be a very wet summer, and you have to toilet train your cavoodle?
Well, I have experienced this first hand!
When I bought Bambi home just before Christmas 2020, the weather decided it would rain for 2 weeks straight; thus my puppy toilet training routine became much harder to enforce outside. She was barely even 2kg. I felt terrible forcing her to go out in the rain and do her business, plus the noise of the rain scared her, still does if it's really loud and heavy.
All I can say is thank goodness for puppy pee pads! We still use them to this day inside when we aren’t home and even when we are (we don't have a doggy door because we are in a rental right now, but when we move into our own house, I definitely will be installing one and training her to go outside more frequently).
Also, Bambi has always had a really small bladder, she could go up to 10+ more times a day some days, and so I found it easier to use puppy pee pads as otherwise nothing around the house would ever get done waiting for her to do her business 10 times a day.
Pee pads might not be the option for everyone or the cheapest option, but for those with cavoodles that live inside in small houses with no backyard, apartments or even go on lots of small holiday trips it might be the solution to having a really well-trained pup, she now goes on command which can be a lifesaver! It just takes a lot of patience and repeating the same word over and over again... "do pee pee, do pee pee....", you might get a few strange looks from your partner, but hey it works!
Bambi will still go to the toilet outside, on walks, at the park, in the backyard, but I found she is really comfortable knowing if we can’t make it outside or she’s at home by herself she has a safe place to go.
We tried the puppy grass mat, but she just thought it was a toy and would start tearing it apart, and I could just see what a mess she’d create in the house trying it with real grass!
After using heaps of different puppy pee pads and being disappointed I was always going to have to clean up the floor daily with a mop because some would seep. I then found the Kirkland Signature Extra-Large Absorbent Puppy Pads 100pk from Costco. They are the best for their size, strength and also only cost $39.99 for a 100 pack making them 0.39c each! These are also double the size of normal puppy pee pads, which means I was able to train her to use them more than once, sometimes she can go on the same pad 3-4 times and the box can last me up to a month or so.
But it’s totally up to you what you’re comfortable with, if you have a cavoodle that lives outdoors you probably don't have to stress too much about it, but if you have an inside cavoodle you might or might not be fazed letting them come back in a little damp or with wet paws or smelling a bit on the “doggy” side.
But Bambi is so cheeky sometimes I don't know if i could trust her to not do zoomies in all the puddles outside in the rain while i try to catch her! Would be a funny show for the neighbours at least…
If you really are struggling with toilet training, just remember they are like children, it takes time, patience, consistency and routine. But if you need help you can always contact a local dog trainer to make your life easier and get the basics right!