How to train a beagle??

dub0605 · 17-08-2010 9:40am #1

Hey, got our new (and first dog) on saturday from the Dogs Trust. She is a 4yr old female beagle and just the most gorgeous dog. Shes very placid but nervous aswell and likes to sit in the corner most of the time.

Issue we are having is peeing in the house at night. Her bed is in the kitchen and thats where she sleeps at night. Sunday and Monday morning I came down to pee and poo, let her out while I cleaned up. Last night I washed the floor with non-bio washing powder and put down a puppy pad for her. Got up this morning and she went on the puppy pad (even stood beside it to show me) but had also done 2 more little pools.

Any idea how we can stop this?? We did let her out several times before she went to bed. When she goes outside and we see her doing it we make sure to give her plenty of praise.

I know she is a rescue dog who is nervous and it will take time but any help/advice is much appreciated.

Lead training is another issue we are having (and the fact she never wants to come home and has to be dragged) but one issue at a time I think!!!!

CreedonsDogDayc · 17-08-2010 11:43am

"get off" works wonders, spray it around the room ( and after you clean up her mess) but don't spray near the puppy pad. That discouraged my dog from peeing inside.

Also you could crate train her which would be good for her confidence too if she had somewhere to retreat to where she felt safe.

ill copy and paste this from advice i just emailed a client

With the crates (we sell them here much cheaper than most pet shops) you begin by putting his bed into the crate, and leaving the doors open. put some treats in there and leave the room, let him enter and exit the crate at his own pace. NEVER force him into the crate, or lock the doors before he's ready.

Next, sit on the floor by the crate and toss treats in. Every time he goes in, say 'Into Bed' when he picks up the treat give him lots of verbal praise. If he will stay in it, keep giving him more treats while saying 'into bed' and praising him. Once he's staying in the bed happily, you can close the door, pass him in a treat, then let him out again. Work on the length of time he stays in the crate, making it longer and longer. If he freaks out, let him out, and go back a few stages.

Then work on the distance. Close the door, take a few steps away, then come back and reward. Build that up so you can leave the room.

Then after a week or so, he should sleep in his crate over night, and you can shut him into it when you leave the house for an hour or two. NEVER leave him locked in the crate for more than 4 hours, or put him straight in it after food for a long time. What should happen is he won;t go to the toilet in his crate, so you put him in there for an hour or so, then take him straight out side. Wait until he goes to the toilet, then lots of praise and rewards.

Put the crate somewhere out of the way where people arent passing so when he is in his crate he feels safe and isn't disturbed!

Toulouse · 17-08-2010 12:13pm

What time are you feeding her at?

A 4 year old dog should be able to hold it but you may have to go back to basics with her as you have been. Bring her out (don't let her out) and stand with her until she goes and then praise, praise, praise. Bring her out first thing in the morning and every couple of hours after that and do the same.

My girl gets her last feed at about 4.30pm and has a long walk at about 7.30pm and never has any accidents. The most important thing is to get her into a routine. You've only had her since Saturday so don't panic just yet. Start as you mean to go on with having her go outside and do away with the pads as it'll only confuse her into thinking you want her to go inside.

My older girl wasn't house-trained when I got her but she was trained within a fortnight, the older ones pick it up very fast.

Vel · 17-08-2010 12:56pm

Toulouse has given you some good advice. Even an older dog who had been previously house trained may revert back to peeing inside as they struggle to adjust to their new circumstances.

It took our first rescue dog about a week to 'get it'. Like Toulouse, we used to bring him out regularly, not just let him out himself, often on lead and as he started to wee we would say 'do your busy' and when finished he got lots of praise and a treat. It might mean that you are out with the dog for up to 10 minutes at a time until they actually pee but it is worth waiting as she should pick it up quickly.

Very quickly he picked up that that phrase meant that he should go to the toilet and now without fail when we say 'busy' to him he knows we want him to go out to the toilet.

You might also initially want to keep an eye on how much she is drinking after a certain time. One of our oldies has a slightly weak bladder so we carefully monitor her water intake from about 7.30pm to make sure she isn't drinking gallons before bed.

Good luck and don't worry, it will all come together given a small bit of time and patience

Toulouse · 17-08-2010 2:20pm

Agree with having a phrase like Vel suggested too. Mine is 'Go for a pee' and she knows what I want her to do.

My friend uses 'Be a good girl'

dub0605 · 18-08-2010 8:50am

Thanks everyone for the replies. We ended up taking her to the vets last night to get checked over because there was a lot of pee done yesterday and she hadnt drank much at all. So we just have to drop down a urine sample (which I collected off the floor this morning). Vet said it doesnt seem normal the amount she is peeing and drinking so best to get it checked.

CreedonsDogDayc - We had discussed crate training but not sure about it yet. We are a bit afriad she wont take to it at all. Shes very nervous and is only slowly coming around now. Do you think it would help her?? How much are the crates??

Toulouse - We feed her at about 7am and again at about 5pm and thats it. She loves her food and has no problem eating at all. You would think the older ones are easier but not this little one!!!

Vel - I took her out last night before bed for a long walk but she done nothing but when I got home she went out the back (and got plenty of praise) but in the time that we got home and she went to bed (about an hr or 2) she didnt drink any water at all.

CreedonsDogDayc · 18-08-2010 9:01am

Mod edit: No advertising.

Toulouse · 18-08-2010 11:39am

Hopefully the urine test will give you more information, keep us updated.

dub0605 · 18-08-2010 1:41pm

Toulouse wrote: »

Hopefully the urine test will give you more information, keep us updated.

Well update is that test showed all clear so shes perfectly healthy and no problems.

So now I think its just the matter of getting her into a routine and training her. May take some time

CreedonsDogDayc · 18-08-2010 1:44pm

Just to make a point, I wasnt advertising above! The OP asked how much dog crates were and I told him how much we sell them for!
I was also giving him advice on crate training so if you want to edit the post and take out my price for crates thats no problem, but perhaps you could leave the training info?

CreedonsDogDayc · 18-08-2010 1:47pm

Dub it shouldnt take too long. If you make sure you use pet cleaning products when cleaning up (household cleaners contain aemonia and smell like urine to dogs) and after you clean, if you get "get off" in your local pet shop and spray it on the floor it'll stop your beagle from wanting to pee on that floor.

Then loads and loads of trips outside, and lots of praise when she goes!

She'll soon learn!

Toulouse · 18-08-2010 1:57pm

dub0605 wrote: »

Well update is that test showed all clear so shes perfectly healthy and no problems.

So now I think its just the matter of getting her into a routine and training her. May take some time

Excellent! Now just get her into her routine, keep up with taking her out first thing, last thing and every couple of hours in between, praise praise praise and in a couple of weeks you won't know yourself!

boxerly · 18-08-2010 11:57pm

Some dogs love crates,its like a little safe haven for them.I have a rescue who was so so nervous when she came and wasnt housetrained.I got a big crate and put a blanket over it,a big comfy bed treats and her water.She used to go in by herself for a sleep or if visitors called and she felt uneasy she went in xx

dub0605 · 19-08-2010 10:18am

Maybe a crate would be a good idea for her. At the moment she mainly sits in a corner in the sitting room and would just sit there all day but we are trying to get her out of that. We sat on the floor with her last night and today her corner is blocked up so she has since come out and sat on her nice big cushion in the middle of the room so she seems to be getting there slowly.

I am just afraid that if we buy her a crate that she wont like it and it will be a waste of money.

With regards the toilet, she went out last night and done everything. We took up her water last night and I was greeted with only a little puddle this morning (Thank God!!!)

CreedonsDogDayc · 19-08-2010 10:29am

Dub, she's only finding her feet and will soon be all over you, if you give her time.

I definitely wouldnt block up her corner, thats her safe place, so she should be allowed stay there until she feels safe enough to come out at her own pace.

If you try the crate, you could put it in that corner, put her bed into it, cover it with a blanket, and put a few treats into it.

You should let her be when she is scared, or unsure of herself.

Sitting on the floor with her is great, but dont pick her up and bring her to you, you guys sit on the floor and call her to you, or offer her treats. you could also lie face down on the floor and let her sniff ye when she is confident enough!

How to train a beagle??

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