THE LITTER BOX

We are happy to tell you that we get your puppy started on litter box training.  We use a low plastic container and pine pellets to train our puppies.  We have tried several different potty systems, and for our needs, the basic pine pellets work the best.  Your eight week old puppy is young enough to be molded with any potty training plan that you would like, but we encourage you to continue with what has been started, at least until your puppy is mature enough to make it outside.

THE TRAINING

We follow a precise schedule that involves reaching certain milestones during the litter box training process.  We begin with a “Beginner Setup”.

During this stage, your puppy will begin to toddle off the bed and use the litter box.  He is simply following his natural instinct to not soil his “den”, and it’s so exciting to watch their first steps as they navigate over the lip of the crate .

As your puppy successfully completes each stage of the litter box training process, they are given more freedom until they are reliable in the “Advanced Setup”.

For the best results with your new puppy, we want you to duplicate our puppy setup.  Your puppy does not have full bladder maturity, so when he feels the need to go, he needs to find a place very quickly.  You may wonder if you really need to get the litterbox for your puppy.  At eight weeks the puppies are just too young and taking away their litter box is like trying to potty train a 1 year old to the toilet and eliminating their diaper.  The one year old is just not quite ready, even if they can do it sometimes.  Your puppy is the same way.  You *might* notice his need, and get him outside quick enough, but why take that chance?  Eight week old, small breed puppies simply aren’t ready and don’t have the physical maturity bladder-wise to hold it long enough to get outside.  We recommend having a litter box in your puppy’s  “puppy zone” so he doesn’t have to go very far, or wait very long to relieve himself.

THE PUPPY ZONE

Besides giving your puppy a familiar setup, the “puppy zone” that you create in your own home will be a safe space for your puppy.  You will want to set up this  “puppy zone” on a surface in your home that is easy to clean.  We recommend a simple metal exercize pen, that will form a 4 x 4 ft area.  You’ll need one that is at least 3 ft high, as the puppies, and especially the Cavachon puppies will get over a 2 ft x-pen in no time!!  Your puppy will spend his time in the “puppy zone” when you are not actively interacting with him.  This is his safe space, safe from items in the house that could be harmful, like chewing electric cords, and safe from having accidents on the carpet or any other place in the house that is not his designated potty spot.

In the “puppy zone”, your puppy will have everything he needs…his crate, his bed, his litter box, his food & water dishes, and all his wonderful toys that squeak, and bounce, and tug, and snuggle.

USE THE LITTER BOX FOR THE LIFE OF YOUR DOG

We recommend transitioning your puppy to a turf system if you plan to use a litter box for your adult dog.  These work nicely with one or two dogs and are easy to maintain.  We have trained a few Accelerated Puppies to a turf system and it has worked very well overall.