No, when he 'willingly' wees we pointed etc, and was asking for advice for the best way to deal with that and most people on here have been very understanding and offered very useful (not condescending or patronising) advice. At no point did I say that we ever told him off for being scared, the weeing being part of that.

I take it your one of these people who generally likes to assume theyre superior, or assume people asking for advice about a subject your obviously an expert on, are sumwhat 'challenged'.

I used to think this too...but Lola loves her crate now! Its her little safe comfy bed! Stress free time out zone all of her own! I couldnt do with out it. Especially when go away or something she goes in it no problem where ever we are!

__________________

Walter - Whippet
Lola- American cocker x Jack Russell
Ruby-Exotic Long hair
Pepper- Persian

i'm sorry, but i could not help but laugh when i read the title of this thread! as my first beagle did the exact same thing!! ate the kitchen floor hehe.


ok advice from a fellow beagle owner. (il admit i havent fully read everyone elses responses, so sorry for any repeated stuff)


housetraining - if you have just adopted him, it could be hard to say what housetraining he has already had? so the best thing is just to act like hes a little tiny puppy again, get him in the garden every hour or so, and huge praise when he does it outside. yes its time consuming, but it works! if he has an accident inside, just clean it up. say nothing. do nothing to him. he wouldnt understand anyway.
the exercise you are giving him sounds fine to be honest. sounds like a lucky boy. i have to say my beagle is a lazy sod haha.

destructiveness - this can be a common trait of the beagle! they are pack animals, and dont like being by themselves. my first beagle was a lone dog and i think this is why he was being so destructive. the one i have now, lives with anotehr dog and he has never been that bad. he has his moments of ripping up beds and things, but nothing drastic. (im not suggesting u get another dog by the way hehe)

i used a crate, and he absolutely loved it. i got a massive one though, german shepherd sized so he had loooooads of room to play around in. dont think of them as cruel, they are not, as long as used correctly. they should NEVER be used as punishment. they are meant to be a happy safe place for them. if he isnt used to being in one, start by treating him when he goes near it. put yummy things in it. even feed him in there sometimes if u like. leave it open all the time when you arent specifically using it, and you will probably find him investigating it, and eventually just going in for a wee snooze!
hes possibly not used to being left alone, so you might want to work on building up the time you are leaving him alone. starting with 5/10mins every so often, even jsut leaving him alone in one room whilst your in another, and gradually build it up.
leave him with safe things to do. safe toys (preferably solid sorts of things so he doesnt chew them up and swallow bits), filled kongs, nylabones are also great.

the nervousness is just something you are going to have to take time with. if you have visitors over, dont let them crowd him. rather tell them to ignore him, and let him investigate them in his own time.
i know its hard, but also try not to fuss over him too much when he is nervous, coz that can in a way reinforce the behaviour. if you start going "oh, its alright, dont worry" it can give off signals that he SHOULD be worried. just stay calm and collected, and keep the situation calm, and he will eventually realise that he doesnt have to worry.

i hope some of this helps. x

__________________

6th Jan 2008 - 22nd July 2009

I would agree with alot of previous posts. I am picking up my new puppy 2moro so this is mostly things I have read up on. I would recommend Victoria Stillwell's book - It's me or the dog as it goes back to basics of training etc so might help you out.

I have never been a fan of crates but my friend swears by it for toilet training as it is rare that a dog will mess its own bed so I will be trying it out with my pup. I've read dogs like to have a little den where they can go to whenever they want but to be sure you don't get a crate that is too big or they can end up finding a corner away from their bed to go to the toilet.

If there are any accidents in the house just ignore them - it is tempting to be mad at them but they don't associate your anger with what they have done. Just give high praise and treats when they do it outside and he'll soon learn.

When you comfort him when he is scared of new people coming in all he hears is a nice tone and thinks you are praising him for being nervous so in future just ignore him when someone new comes in and get your guest to do the same. Once they are in get your guest to throw some treats down for your dog and he'll soon feel comfortable.

The best thing to do all round is to ignore bad behaviour and praise good behaviour and he will soon train well. Plenty of exercise and toys will keep him occupied and tire him out more so he is less likely to chew your house.

Keep at it and persevere and soon you will have a well trained dog
good luck xx

I agree with you. Tarnus I can't help but notice you tend to reply to threads with this better then thou attitude. She never gave the impression to me that she hits or drags the dog. You made that assumption up on your own and it's incredibly pathetic. She is asking for advice. So give it to her without sounding like a pretencious snob.

I just want to expand on two things I've said in this thread:

1) When I original said about "him" being dragged across the house and shouted at or hit, I worded it very badly and it obviously did come across in the wrong way, and I do apologise for that. My intention was not to accuse the OP of actually doing this, my intention was to give a general example of what might happen in that situation. Yes it is at the extreme end of the scale but really what you have to consider is that while you may think "my dog would feel really scared if they were getting dragged around or shouted at like that", you have to remember that whatever you are doing to tell him off is probably distressing him to that level anyway. So yes you may think "I'm not being THAT harsh on my dog when I tell him off", well maybe in truth you are, you just don't realise it.

2) I fully take back my "ETA: but you said you show him it and tell him off...make your mind up." comment in my last reply. I put my reply up and quickly browsed through the posts which were made while I was writing and the red mist had already descended. I didn't read the full context of your reply, and I apologise for saying that.


As for...

No, I just like to be succinct when I give advice. If it comes off as "better than thou" then that's just how you want to interpret it, in which case that's fine I don't really care what you think. It certainly isn't how I'm intending to write it. Maybe if I throw in loads of exclamation marks in my advice it wont sound quite as pretentious to you!!!

I like coming here and having a bit of fun and when someone comes asking for advice I will try to pass on any knowledge I may have on the matter. If you don't like my advice, just ignore it.

__________________

Another vote for crate training, however this can take some time to crate train so please make it a gradual process.

Also with his nervousness, are you cuddling him and telling him its ok when he gets scared? If so then you are reassuring him that it is OK to act like that.

You need to ignore him fearfulness and act as if nothing is happening, that way he will feed off your confidence that it is ok when people come into the house.

3 hour walks a day??? for a puppy that is a heck of a alot of exercise. They dont need this amount of walking, it is not good for their growing joints. The general rule is 5 mins per month born. Try and interact with him in the garden alot more, play games instead of walking, mental stimulation is more tiring then physical exercise.

__________________

Your advice was great! but your tone was very pretentious. And to assume... It was very rude.

But you apologised for it so that's good.