When you want to get a new small dog, one of the many things you may be wondering is how competent they will be. Being as how you are researching Cavachons, you might be thinking about if they are smart or not. This is always an excellent question to ask yourself if you want a new fur baby to join your family.

Whether you wish to potty train your cute little fur baby or show them a new trick, we can reassure you that Cavachons will learn at a relatively fast pace. Overall, these animals are very eager to please their owners, so always provide them with positive reinforcement every time they learn something new. 

This article will discuss ways you can train your dog in both the potty training method and some cool tricks that they can quickly learn. Overall, our goal is to help you know how to use your Cavachon’s intellectual abilities.

How Can You Tell If Your Dog Is Smart?

There are quite a few ways for you to tell if your pup is competent or not. Most dogs are brilliant, but some distinctive characteristics can help you determine how they are brilliant.

One of the things we should remember is that there are many different kinds of intelligence. Some dogs may be better at social interactions, while others might be better at learning a new word. Other fur babies will even be excellent at problem-solving, or they may have another different skill entirely. This may be why some dogs do not answer you when being called but can solve a problematic issue quickly.

Here are some other ways to tell your pup is intelligent:

• They can remember a command from a year ago.
• She or he can solve a treat puzzle.
• Your puppy can find the open door.
• They can start a game with you.
• Your dog will snuggle with you when you are feeling sad.
• She or he understands when you are about to leave.
• They bump your hand for scratches, or so you can pet them.
• They can learn new tricks from just a few tries.
• Your pup will take safety precautions.
• He or she looks at you for instructions before doing something.

Easy Tricks to Teach Your Pup

It is straightforward to teach your dog to sit and lay down, but what about other tricks you can teach your dog? It is always essential to use positive reinforcement when training your dog and not exceed longer than 10 minutes once or twice a day.

1. Roll Over

Place your puppy in a downward position. Afterwards, you are going to be putting a treat behind their necks. Your goal is to get them to turn their head backward without standing up.

After this, as your dog’s head reaches back to sniff the treat, gently roll them over. Once they roll over, provide them with the treat and instantly enthusiastically praise them. You will then repeat this process over and over. As you start to roll them over, say the command “roll” or “rollover.” When they roll over, provide them with a treat and give them praise once again. You will do this command for 5 to 10 minutes.

After you finish with the first session, you will then try again later for another few minutes throughout the day. Eventually, they will understand the command, and the rolling-over process will be linked together. You will know when they finish learning this trick after they roll over when being asked. It is always important to praise your puppy when they perform this correctly and not get frustrated if they do not automatically get it right away.

2. Shaking Hands

The second trick we will be discussing today is to shake hands. Most dog owners tell their canines to “shake,” but you can call it whatever you wish, such as “give me paw” or “paw,” etc. Overall, this command is relatively easy because some dogs will naturally raise their paws at you if they want a treat.

You will start this command by putting them in a sit position, putting a treat in your hands, and slowly moving it towards the ground near the pup’s paws. As your dog raises its paw, use the command you want to give them and provide them the treat afterwards. As you practice this command, make sure you hold your hand gradually higher so your dog can raise its paw higher to grab hold of the treat.

Overall, your goal is to have the dog raise their paws to its chest. Make sure to continue practicing and always use the same foot for training. Once they understand this, you will then use another command such as “other” so they can switch paws. Eventually, they will hold their feet on command, and you can change the other paw for better understanding.

Once they are more comfortable with this command, you can eventually eliminate treats and go with praise instead.

3. High Fives

Once your Cavachon masters the shake command, high five comes relatively easy. You will be using yet another order of your choice, but most dog owners say, “high five.” Start this off by working on the shake command, then begin to hold your palm out. Once your puppy hits your hand, you will then say “high five” and give them praise and a treat immediately.

The goal of this is to get your dog to raise their paw as high as they can to touch the open palm of your hand.

4. Speak

Cavachons are a bit more on the quiet side besides when it comes to strangers, so that this command may take a bit more time than usual.

However, you will start by getting your dog excited by playing ball or talking in an excited tone. Then you will put your dog in a sitting position and wave a treat by their noses. Continue to wave the treat without allowing your dog to see it until they whine or cry. Once they make a sound, reward them with a treat.

Afterwards, you will repeat the process but use the command “speak” as your dog begins to make this noise. Make sure not to reward your dog until they make this noise, and tell your dog to hush or stop talking and walk away when you need them to stop.

If your Cavachon tends to bark at everything passing by, make sure only to use this trick while they are sitting. Barking at everything passing by should not be encouraged and never rewarded with praise or treats.

5. Dancing

Seeing as how Cavachons are a smaller dog breed, learning how to dance will be a much easier time to train than large dog breeds due to how heavy they might be.

You will start your dog in the sitting position and hold a treat close to your hand near their noses. Slowly lift your hand over and barely behind their heads so your puppy looks back and starts to stand on their hind legs.

Once they stand on their hind legs, give them praise and a treat. Repeat this process until they stand quickly and sturdily on their back legs.

After they do this, begin to move the treat above their head in a small circle. You are going to want them to twirl on their hind legs. Once they start to step in a circle, use the term “dance” or “twirl,” then offer praise and a treat.

Make sure to use the treat as a baiting system to get your little furball to stand up and turn in a circle. Make sure to avoid this trick if your puppy is prone to having back trouble. Dogs with back pain will often yelp if they are moving or be touched from their backs.

Are Cavachons Easy to Potty Train?

You will soon notice that Cavachons will be relatively easy to potty train given the right attitude coming from you. Your puppy can be potty trained within weeks, given the fact that you will be using positive reinforcement. Make sure to provide a lot of patience and consistency.

When Should You Begin Potty Training?

Immediately once you take them home, your Cavachon needs to begin the potty training method. This will reassure them that you mean business and will not tolerate peeing and pooping inside the home.

Tips to Potty Train a Cavachon

Since we went over a few commands you can teach your pup, we do not want to leave out tips and tricks on how you can quickly potty train your Cavachon. Here are some steps you should take to ensure success in this process:

Step 1: Preparing Beforehand

Make sure to prepare your puppy to spot to go potty before they arrive at home. It is essential to ensure this is done beforehand so you can spend every moment bonding with them and creating a relationship instead of worrying about this after the fact.

Step 2: Observing Their Behavior

You will be spending the vast majority of your time observing their behavior. Your dog will provide signals that they need to go, so it is essential to learn these behaviors during the first initial days so you can potentially catch them happening right before they start to relieve themselves. For example, if you notice they are sniffing the floor continuously, you’ll know they need to go and look for a place to pee.

Step 3: Create a Schedule

Making a schedule for your fur animal will help both you and the puppy to realize when is the best time to go. Make sure to find out when their “natural timing” is or how long it takes before they have to pee. Is it typically 30 or 45 minutes? You can even create a chart to see how long they can hold themselves.

It would be best to take a Cavachon puppy potty before and after their nap times or after a feeding.

Step 4: Take Them to a Specific Spot

Many dogs like to pee in the same place as before, and as soon as they go, reward them with a treat and positive reinforcement to ensure this is good behavior.

Step 5: Be Prepared for Accidents

When you initially start, you need to be prepared for any accidents that are going to occur, especially in the beginning.

Step 6: Provide a Command

It is also a good idea to provide a command for your puppy, such as “go potty” or something else. Make sure to be consistent with these words, so they understand what this command means.

Final Thoughts

To summarize everything, in a nutshell, Cavachons are brilliant animals. They will learn all of these commands you wish to provide for them relatively quickly. As long as you are consistent and positive, there should be no issues with training your puppy!