If you’re looking for tips on training a Maltipoo there are several basic rules that it would be a good idea that you followed, no matter what type of training you’re looking for.
When looking for guides online you can find several thousand different tricks, tips, and varying opinions when it comes to Maltipoo training and what is considered the best method to develop the most desired behavior in a Maltipoo.
And I have no doubt that most of those tips and tricks have worked well at some point for most dog owners, but every Maltipoo is different, so this guide isn’t meant to tell you exactly how you should train your pup, but it’s more like a list of guidelines with 12 different tips that I’ve had a lot of success with when training a new pup.
Maltipoo Training Tips – How-To Train The Perfect Dog
Let’s take a look at my list of some important Maltipoo training tips you should follow!
Challenge Them Mentally
Maltipoos are quite intelligent little dogs, so you have to prevent boredom.
Almost every single dog owner knows that when you have a dog they require daily exercise and proper nutrition and, but a surprising number of owners tend to forget to challenge their pups’ brains and this is a problem that might end up leading to numerous behavior issues. It’s not uncommon experiencing such issues as aggression, biting, and a completely destructive personality in a dog.
A good idea is to find some games to give your Maltipoos’ brain something to really work with! So make sure that when you’re looking for Maltipoo training tips, that you also consider other aspects than only their physical wellness.
If you’re running out of ideas on how to get going with mental exercise, you can take a look at my review of Brain Training for Dogs which has been an awesome help to me personally when I was looking for inspiration as a dog trainer.
Do it the Same Way Every Single Time
Beginning from the very first repetition, all the way to the job is done.
We’ve all heard the old saying practice makes perfect, and when it comes to training a Maltipoo, that is without a doubt the best way to do it, as long as you make sure you start from an exercise that you know your dog can handle, before moving on the more difficult tasks.
It doesn’t matter if the task you considering working on involves your dog having to perfectly sit beside you, or if you’re looking for methods on how to stop him from growling at other dogs and strangers.
As long as you always begin from a point where your Maltipoo is able to do the exercise properly, and wait to do other more challenging tasks until the time is right.
You should only move ahead at a pace where you’re sure that your dog can perform the task at hand in a way that gives a satisfying result for both of you.
If It Doesn’t Work While on a Leash
It most certainly won’t work while off a leash.
Perhaps your dog is one the occasionally jumps onto visitors, or perhaps onto your couch. Or perhaps he’s just not that great at coming when called upon. If you find yourself answering yes to any of those issues, it probably also means that your pup isn’t leashed.
Something you can try when you’re having a guest over at some point is that you try and walk to the front door while keeping your dog leashed. You should keep the leash quite short to avoid any slack that the leash can’t tighten if your dog suddenly starts jumping.
Now when you open the door, using a leash like that will prevent your pup from jumping up and down the unsuspecting guest. Typically, the dog will stop jumping up and down rather quickly, and now you can tell him to sit.
You can also have your guest pet your dog for even a brief period, and only as long as you make sure that the dog keeps sitting. When done, feel free to start the exercise over again multiple times.
If you find that your dog won’t listen when you command it to sit or to stop entirely, what you should do is that you grab a hold on your end of the leash, and then pull the pup down from the guest or furniture.
Remember that you’re not supposed to yank the dog around the room, just make a quick turn around with your pup attached on the other end of the leash, and make sure that your dog follows you.
This is another thing you should start over and try several times until your dog has understood the message completely.
Focus on One Issue at a Time
An exhausted dog isn’t exactly the same as a well-behaved dog.
While a small problem might seem insignificant, they often have a tendency to only get bigger in time if not taken care of properly.
If you have a Maltipoo that can’t do something as basic as sitting still when you’re trying to put a leash on it, you probably shouldn’t expect him to patiently sit and wait by your front door.
If it isn’t able to sit and wait patiently at the door, it won’t be able to start your daily walk in a nice and positive way. And if your pup can’t start a walk properly, you can probably expect the rest of the walk to be quite difficult.
In time, your dog will become tired and usually end up walking slower and slower, and suddenly seem well-behaved, but having an exhausted Maltipoo by your side isn’t the same as a well-trained Maltipoo.
Have a Restoration Point
Maltipoos are able to connect specific emotions with very precise areas.
What that means is that if you are having problems with certain behavior, and your pup ends up losing interest or being stressed, try shifting to another area and train something that your dog has previously shown as being talented at.
This will allow your Maltipoo to have a sense of accomplishment.
And while you don’t exactly have to get in your car and drive across the state, it might even be more than enough just going to another corner of the dog park you’re already in, or even your own garden.
Maybe you’re trying to train your pup how to jump onto a table, but you aren’t having a lot of luck, what you can then do is just find another lower table. Something as simple as that can be a game-changer when dealing with dog training.
And after a few successful attempts on that new table, go back to the harder table and try again. Coming straight from a handful of completed jumps, your dog will be full of confidence, and will most likely be able to get on the harder table with no issues whatsoever.
If Your Dog Can’t Sit Properly
Don’t expect to ever be able to go anywhere without problems.
A Maltipoo who hasn’t properly learned how to sit beside you when told so, will probably never be able to walk beside you correctly.
Reactions towards other people, vehicles on the road, other pets and animals, aggressive demeanor, growling, and generally being overly enthusiastic.
The solution to basically all these issues starts with the ability to do nothing at all.
If your Maltipoo isn’t able to do absolutely nothing, don’t expect him to listen to your commands at a point where you’re supposed to be the only thing your dog is focused on.
Using delicious treats, or even basic crate training is one of the numerous ways you can teach your Maltipoo to be calm and to show him that he doesn’t have to react to every little thing that’s happening around him.
Like humans, Maltipoos need to be focused and use their complete attention before being able to learn new things.
You are Outside and Your Dog Refuses to Return Inside
Of course, your dog won’t listen, the natural habitat of a dog is the outside.
In this situation, you should put your dog on a long training leash and ensure that you’re holding a firm grip on the other end before signaling for your pup to return.
Pull on the leash with only just enough force to get your dogs’ attention. When your dog returns to you, give it some treats or its favorite piece of toy. Repeat this step until you are sure to get the best possible result every single time.
This is also a point where a lot of people start making mistakes with their Maltipoo training.
When adopting a cute new pup, they are always completely enthusiastic about training and end up buying all the best products they can find, but within the first week, they start losing interest and before they know it, they end up letting the dog do basically whatever it wants.
It’s completely crucial that you keep doing the above-mentioned exercise until you don’t even have to pull on the leash anymore. Not even just a little. Your voice is all that’s required.
If you find that it takes you about a month to get to a point where you’re sure that the dog will return to you without you pulling on the leash, you should consider keeping the leash on for an equal amount of time before removing it, just as a safety measure.
It’s in a dogs’ nature to be a bit of a gambler, so if you allow it to win the “battle” even once, you can be certain that it will acquire a taste of winning, and you risk having to start from scratch with the training.
Make sure that you get the desired results until it is inevitable that your Maltipoo is done seeking its’ opportunities.
Avoid Commands You Won’t Follow Through On
As mentioned above, your
You might take your Maltipoo through 2 months of very intensive dog training, following a great program you found on Youtube, and now that you’re done, you think it’s all golden and your dog is completely trained.
Your Maltipoo has learned the meaning of stay, sit, and so on, and it’s suddenly getting late in the evening and your pup for some reason doesn’t really bother to listen when you tell him something, but you’re getting tired after a long day, and decide to just let it slide, as it’s probably no big deal.
Congratulations, you’ve just made sure that give yourself a lot of extra work.
If you say a command and don’t follow up on that until you get what you want, your dog now knows that there are possibilities, and you can expect that he will challenge your rules time and time again.
Quit While You’re Ahead
Before your dog becomes mentally exhausted, stop the training.
Sometimes we end up working on our Maltipoo training that they will eventually lose all motivation. They might become bored, and that will only result in you being annoyed that your pup doesn’t seem to be making any progress anymore.
But instead, it’s actually your dog that should be annoyed with you because you haven’t recognized that your dog has been doing the very best it could be the previous 30 times you wanted it to do something.
And now 30 minutes have passed and your pup is exhausted and just needs a small nap.
This is something that’s really important when you’ve been working on more challenging tasks.
You should stop the exercise of your choice as soon as you can tell that your dog comprehends the concept of what you’re working on, and avoid “rewarding” your Maltipoo by doing the exact same exercise 50 times more afterward.
If Your Dog Becomes Stressed
Return to the previous point where your dog felt totally comfortable.
When a dog becomes stressed it will typically return to spontaneous and undesirable behavior, so it’s not exactly a great idea to only train your dog in surroundings where it’s completely quiet.
You have to work in situations where your pup might have a strong reaction, and then you must work through those less than ideal situations.
The only way to ensure proper Maltipoo training is to overcome these situations by getting your dog to a point where they are able to master anything.
This doesn’t mean that to achieve perfect Maltipoo training you should throw them directly into the deep end, but you should remember to train them in situations where they might typically end up feeling a bit stressed.
To avoid it becoming too much for your dog, you can try and do it in a controlled environment, after you have gone through the most basic training with your Maltipoo.
If you’re reluctant at putting your Maltipoo in these situations because you’re afraid of what reaction they might show, you should work with it in less stressful surroundings before proceeding onwards.
Sometimes You Have to Take a Step Backwards
Before being able to take two steps forward.
Try looking back to the Maltipoo training tip regarding the use of a leash. That tip isn’t only for when you’re at home in your house, or outside in your garden.
The tip is applicable every single time you and your pup find yourself in new situations.
This is particularly critical when training your dog in that phase where it has learned something, but now you’re moving to the point where it needs to be able to do it consistently without any nuisance.
So even if you have a dog that might be completely reliable without the use of a leash in your garden, you can’t expect it to behave in the same desired way when you’re at a completely new time and place.
So put the leash on your Maltipoo until you are sure that your Maltipoo also has full control of this new situation, before resuming with an exercise.
Avoid Testing Your Dog
Testing and exams are fine when we’re talking about kids going to school, but it’s an optimal solution when dealing with Maltipoo training.
When you’re together with your dog, always remember that you shouldn’t test and see if he’s going to do the right or the wrong thing. Instead, you should be sure that you act as the leader and help guide your pup as much as required. Constantly. This is something incredibly important to remember.
When I’ve been training other dogs I’ve noticed several times that a change in attitude to a milder more delicate approach works a lot better.
Your actions when you want to take your pup through some Maltipoo training might not change, but the attitude and emotions you send back to your dog certainly will.
And to a Maltipoo just trying to find their place in your world, that makes all the difference.
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