All dogs, even teacup Maltipoos, need to learn some commands to grow as a well-rounded canine. Aside from housebreaking, pet owners should also spend time and effort in Maltipoo obedience training. This will dampen your little guy’s affinity to chewing, scratching, and barking.
Maltipoos are intelligent dogs, thanks to their Poodle parent. Their Maltese side also has the smarts but you have to deal with the angsty phase. Teacup Maltipoos may inherit the demanding and imposing nature of their Maltese parent.
Understanding the Maltipoo’s nature
Teacup Maltipoos are very active dogs and they always like to have fun. This might get in the way of your training but a little patience should go a long way.
When it comes to trainability, it’s no surprise that Maltipoos aren’t really hard to deal with. They are intelligent and easy to train but you have to know that they have an affinity to barking.
Also, Maltipoos have a high tendency to wander around. It’s like they have an exploding ball of energy inside their body that they can’t contain.
Since they have a high tendency to initiate play, it can be a bit challenging to keep them engaged in a single activity. You need to be creative to see results.
Based on my experience, teacup Maltipoos will yield to consistent training. Just make sure that you show them who the boss is. If you let the pooch reign over, they will try to do things their way.
Some problems that may get in the way
Just like in any dog, Maltipoo obedience training won’t be a piece of cake. You have to save a lot of energy and patience beforehand. Also, I think that it will help if you know these problems that may hinder your training efforts:
🐾Excessive barking
Maltipoos really like barking at night or just whenever they love to do so. Although Maltipoos are not known as yappers, they tend to have problematic patterns of barking.
There are many reasons why Maltipoos act out and give a fit of vocalization. First, they use it as a way to get attention. Some pet owners fuel this by running into their dogs whenever they hear the bark.
Also, some health problems may lead a Maltipoo to become vocal. Another aspect is when they need to eliminate while trapped in a crate for long. I suggest that you fix this part first through proper crate training and stopping the attention-seeking behavior.
🐾Getting too hyperactive
This is one problem that almost got into my nerves when training my new teacup Maltipoo pup years ago. The pooch will jump and initiate play. They will keep on running in circles and jumping to you until you satisfy what they want.
I suggest that you use playtime for training if your doggo really can’t focus. You can also let them stretch and have a nice romp around without draining their energy too much.
Also, you have to consider that teacup Maltipoos kept indoors for too long will be ecstatic to smell and explore the outdoors. This is why I always advice fellow Maltipoo owners to expose their dogs to these stimuli so it will be easier to train them later on.
🐾Separation anxiety
This one is pretty notorious among teacup Maltipoos. They really get depressed when you leave them behind or when they don’t see you for a few minutes. As lap dogs, or even Velcro dogs, they always want to stick beside their owners.
This can be a challenge when you’re teaching your dog the stay command. At all cost, don’t spoil your dog or use treats as bribes just so they won’t whine.
🐾Accidents
When my teacup Maltipoo gets overly excited, she tends to plant bombs all over my floor. Just like when we can’t contain our emotions when seeing someone we miss, Maltipoos will also experience the same thing.
If possible, I suggest that you perform the training outdoors or in a space that you can easily clean. I personally used our garage for this. Just make sure that you secure all the bits and bobs that may steal the attention of your pooch.
Problems obedience training will fix
Even if it will take weeks of hard work, Maltipoo obedience training is worth it. If done right, it should fix the following problems:
🐾Chewing
Teacup Maltipoos aren’t really notorious chewers but their separation anxiety can trigger their mouthiness.
🐾Biting
By teaching your Maltipoo how to stop pulling or biting, you can avoid the embarrassment of bad behavior when the pooch is exposed to other people.
🐾Barking at people
This one is really a very beneficial part for the owners of teacup Maltipoos. Controlling barking won’t just save your face from your guests. It will also avoid any altercations with your neighbor due to your dog’s noisy vocalization.
🐾Pulling
For Maltipoos who love pulling the leash during a walk, obedience training will do the trick.
Difference between correction and reward
Before we dive into the commands, I’d like to differentiate two important aspects of training first: correction and reward.
Correction – This is the process of teaching your dog the difference between bad and good behavior. When correcting your Maltipoo, just use a firm “no” to let them know that you’re not pleased. At all cost, don’t spank or use violence as forms of correction. Punishments will only lead to more behavioral problems.
Reward –Edible rewards like biscuits and other treats are used as a form of positive reinforcement during the training. When the Maltipoo receives the reward, the dog will know that s/he’s done something good. Pair it with a verbal cue like “Good boy!” or “Good girl!”
Commands you can teach
For this part, I’ll teach you how to train your Maltipoo to recognize 4 basic commands: sit, stay, stop, and come. Take note that these are based on my personal experience. The approach may vary per Maltipoo depending on their personality.
🐾Sit command🐾
This is the easiest of all commands yet very useful on social settings. The sit command is the foundation of other commands so make sure that you start this one right.
Step 1. Prepare some Maltipoo treats. Choose the most stinky and delicious product in the market.
Step 2. Hold a piece of the treat and hold it in front of your pet’s nose.
Step 3. As the dog sniffs the treat, lift it up and say “sit”.
Step 4. Your Maltipoo will surely raise its head to reach for the treat. At this point, use your other hand to assist his bottom to touch the floor. Say the word “sit” again.
Step 5. When the dog lets you put him in a sitting position, give the treat and praise the pooch. Make sure that you give the reward the moment the dog’s butt touches the floor.
Step 6. Repeat this consistently until you no longer have to assist the dog’s back to sit. This may take a few days or up to weeks.
In this video, you will see how to use the treat to get your doggo to sit:
🐾Stay command🐾
Before proceeding to the stay command, make sure that your dog has mastered the sit command first. This next command is all about teaching your dog self-control. It’s important that you’re also consistent with the reward and correction process. Most of all, never give a treat that your dog didn’t win over.
Step 1. Start by asking your dog to sit.
Step 2. Open your palms and put it in front of your dog, gesturing a stop sign.
Step 3. Say the word “stay” repeatedly in a calm manner.
Step 4. Take one step backward and see if your dog stays. If he does, give the pet a treat.
Step 5. Repeat the same process but take two steps backward this time. Increase the backward steps you take until your dog can stay in a far distance.
Step 6. Always give a reward if the dog stays regardless of how long or short.
Step 7. Practice this outdoors and in different settings. Once your dog can stay in command, add distractions to improve its self-control.
In this video, dog trainer Zak George teaches us the three Ds of the stay command:
🐾Stop/”leave it” command🐾
We will expand the self-control of your dog with the addition of the “leave it” command. Here, you’ll teach your dog how to suppress its curiosity over a new object, especially dangerous ones.
Step 1. Put a treat on both your hands.
Step 2. Show your dog one of your closed hands with the treat inside.
Step 3. Your Maltipoo will surely try to access the treat by licking or pawing your hand.
Step 4. Say a firm “leave it” and see if your dog will stop. If the dog stopped, give the treat from your other hand.
Step 5. Repeat the process and see if your dog will stop. This time, your pooch should leave your hand and keep eye contact with you. If the dog does it, give the treat from your other hand.
NOTE: Don’t give the treat on the hand that you show your dog. This will make the dog think that it will only take some to get or access the object they are curious at.
In this video, Zak George teaches us how to use a clicker and a few treats to teach the “leave it” command:
PART 2:
This one is my favorite when teaching the “leave it” command to my dog.
Step 1. Use two different treats. A high-value and a low-value treat. High-value treats are larger and more delicious.
Step 2. Put the low-value treat on the floor and cover it with one hand.
Step 3. Your dog will approach and will try to get it but say “leave it”
Step 4. When your dog follows your command, remove the low-value treat and give the pooch the high value one. If the pooch ignores your command, remove the treat and walk away.
Step 5. Repeat the process many times until your dog learns the command.
🐾Come command🐾
The last of the four commands is the “come” cue. This will teach your dog to come to you when you call its name. It will be a useful command outdoors and when you need to get your pooch away from harm.
Step 1. Decide about the cue you’re going to use. It can be a whistle or the word “come” followed by your dog’s name. This cue is what you’ll use all the time.
Step 2. Try catching your dog’s attention by using your cue. Don’t hold any treat yet. If your pooch comes, give it a treat and praise it.
Step 3. Repeat the process and give a treat each time.
Step 4. Once your dog gets comfortable with the command, refrain from giving a treat randomly. Substitute it with affection until your Maltipoo can come without a treat.
Here, Zak George and doggo Chestnut shows us how to train a dog to come when called:
What to avoid
Keep practicing these four simple commands. Once your Maltipoo masters all of it, it’s ready for advanced training. Just avoid the following mistakes:
🐾Teaching your dog to beg
You’ll never want your dog to develop a begging behavior (showing off skills to get a treat). This will lead to other behavioral problems.
🐾Using rewards as bribes for good behavior
Don’t let the treats become a bribe for behaving well. Over the course of training, you’re supposed to shed the number of treats you give until your dog can obey without it.
🐾Asking your dog to bite playfully
Playful bites will give your dog the notion that it’s okay to put their little daggers to everyone. They may injure other people along the way.
🐾Hurting the dog when they don’t obey
Using violence to train your dog is a mortal sin. Never spank or hurt your dog just because it’s not responding as you wish. Learning takes time, especially for a young dog.
🐾Using the crate as a punishment
It’s easy to fall into the idea of crating your dog when it doesn’t respond to your command. When you do this, your dog will associate the crate to negative emotions. Soon enough, all your housebreaking efforts will be ruined since your dog wouldn’t want to step into the crate anymore.
Conclusion
What do you think of my Maltipoo obedience training tips? Do you have more commands to add? Feel free to comment it below!
