Have just adopted a beautiful 10 month old Beagle (Jimmy). He's been with us for about three weeks now and he's fantastic with the kids, very gentle and just want to be cuddled all the time. We know its probably going to take him a while longer to settle in, but all in all he seems to be quite comfortable and at home here.

A few things though......

He's so nervous of anyone new that comes in to the house. So much so he shakes and wees and runs to us for comfort- He does eventually calm down but it takes so much reassurance. Its difficult to know what to do and its heartbreaking to see him so scared.

House training!??! 3 walks a day and he just wont go properly! Yet seems to love doing it in the house - weve showed him and told him off, but that just makes him nervous, so he wees again!! Defeating the point!!

He also destroys everything if we leave him alone in the house. We've only ever left him for a maximum on 1 1/2 hours to do a shop - at first we tried to let him have a run of the house as he's just so calm when we are here he usually just cuddles up - big mistake! And took hours to clean up!! So we tried putting him in the kitchen (which is quite large) with his bed etc - another fatal error as my Husband, who went into the house first, quickly sent us to the park, and was white!
The flooring had been ripped to shreads, the door pannel scratched to an inch of its life and walls, floors, worktops etc covered in all things nasty!

The house can be cleaned and repaired, and if all of this is teething then thats fine. But I would really love some tips on the nerves etc - its so difficult to know what to do! And getting a bit expensive - shares in 'Dettol' next on the list....!!

(Reposted from General)

Hi There

Poor thing sounds like he's quite distressed! I would go back to basics as if you were training a puppy!

Crate training could be the only way to save your house and also seems to be a quick way of toilet training him too. There is a sticky about crate training.

I am no expert on training so im sure someone will come along soon. I was a bit dubious about crates i thought they were "cruel" but i have totally changed my opinion over the last 12 months when i crate trained my 18month old Cocker x jack russel and her behavior improved two fold. I am now crate training my 10 week old whippet and he has not once been to the toilet in his crate in the 2 weeks we've had him. He has had some accidents in the house but we just ignore them, clean them up and take him out! He is getting there.
Thats my suggestion anyway back to basics puppy style!

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

Not sure who told you to do that, but it will never work. Showing him what he's done wrong is an old-wives tale and doesn't work. Dogs cannot make the connection, so in his head he's probably lying down having a nap or a chew and all of a sudden he gets dragged across the house and shouted at or hit (I hope you are not telling him off physically) and it all just adds to his nervousness. No wonder he wees again.

Crate training is an excellent idea and there are plenty of threads here about how to do it. The important thing is to ignore any house accidents and make a massive fuss when he does it outside. Big praise and tasty treats, he'll soon learn. If he does have an accident in the house, make sure you clean it up thoroughly, otherwise he'll pick up the scent and think that is his toilet and do it again.

You need to build up his confidence, leave him along for short periods of time and when you return don't make a big fuss of him, just casually come back and act like it's no big deal that you're back. You've gone, and now you're back. Act like it happens all the time (because it does) and he'll pick up on your body language.

when you do leave him, make sure he has plenty of toys to play with. Stuffed Kongs are quite simply the best thing ever as they are safe to be left with dogs and done properly can keep them occupied and focussed for hours!

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Oh my god no! We just point and say no! Ive been quite honest in asking for advice and I think Ive stated how loved and welcome he is. To assume hes being dragged across floors and even hit is slightly out of order - comments like that would perhaps stop people asking for advice?

I'd also go with the crate training - brilliant things, it need not be forever if you don't like them, but for the first year or so they are a must, then he can't destroy your house and has a little safe patch of the house where he can get away from it all!! But you need to choose where to place it - somewhere quiet in the kitchen, and introduce gradually - don't just shut him in it or he will panic!
Put toys in to keep him busy and a radio on to help him adjust - keep going in and out of the house and ignore him - just casually come and go, and increase the time you are gone from seconds to minutes etc, he'll soon get bored of following you backwards and forwards and go and chew on his toys in his crate.
I'd also restrict his access to the rest of the hose until you have the house training thing down to a tee unless under strict supervision or just in the evening after he has done everything! - if you see him sniffing around intently take him straight out for a pee - will also be easier to keep the pee smell out of your carpets if you have them!!
How often are you feeding him?, what are you feeding him?, and at what time of day? - the time of day will give you an idea of when he will need to poop - change the time you feed him and you can then have him more likely to poop when you want him too! A good quality of food will mean less poop - the cheaper stuff goes through them at a rate of knots and often means they need several poops! Also at his age he really only needs one meal a day which also means less poop!

As for him being nervous when people are around and you comfort him until he calms down - you are actually reinforcing his behavior and assuring him that there must really be something to be afraid of! Just ignore him and tell visitors to do the same - curiosity will get the better of him and he will see you acting in a totally normal way and will follow your lead eventually, and praise him when he does come and say hello. Give visitors a treat or 2 and tell them to not make eye contact with him, as that is a threat, but make them just drop them for him - I've never known a beagle say no to food!!
The peeing himself is a dogs way of saying 'don't hurt me I'm no threat at all' - it's a fear response so don't tell him off for peeing as you are basically terrifying him.

As the other poster said telling him off for going in the house is a big nono - it gets you nowhere, and you need to use a really good type of cleaner that is designed with animals in mind - anything with amonia in it smells like pee to an animal so will make them mark the same spot!
You need a firm routine just as you would with a puppy - as soon as you get up in the morning take him straight out and use whatever command you choose, I use "Go for a pee" and praise like mad when he does do it and repeat the command a few times while they are doing it so they start to learn.
The more times you take him out during the day the less chance of accidents to happen - a faff i know to start with but he will soon have a lightbulb moment and realise that he's supposed to go outside, then you can lessen the times to a normal amount!
You really need a few more than 3 walks a day - it's a beagle - they are pretty active dogs!, plus the more walking he does the more it will get his gut going, the longer he walks for and the more desperate he will get and he will have to poop outside - he'll gradually get more comfortable doing it outside on a walk!
It takes a lot of time and patience especially with an older pup, but well done for giving him a home, he will settle eventually but most will take 6 months to a year to become totally happy with their surroundings and their new owners!! - good luck!

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Another vote for crate training. Our Loki is the first dog we have had that has chewed, and I don't mean socks and books he literally trys to eat the house.
I got to the point were I was frightened to go out because of the destruction. Once we came back after being out for an hour and the house looked like we'd been burgled.
Since crating him he seems a lot calmer in himself (prob just a coincidence) he's just this minute gone in it on his own to chew his nyla bone.
Got ours off ebay just recently paid £28 including delivery came next day for a large one so hut around for a saving.
Got a cover over one end so its like a den for him.

Jimmy goes out to the woods every morning with my husband before work for an hour - then I take him to the park with the kids for another hour about midday - 2pm, then my husband takes him out for another run in the woods after work for a good hour plus. We know they're active dogs, how many walks would you suggest?? We also live near to the coast so take him often for one of those walks to the beach for a good run -

He also has a free run to the garden during the day - ?

(also you mentioned about telling him off for peeing when he's scared - we do not do that at all - and totally understand about the fear response -)

When the people first come do they immediately try to win him over by talking to him and going to stroke him. If they do its likely too confrontational and intrusive for him. He needs to be able to decide in his own time that the people are not a threat or someething to be afraid of. Ask them insstead to totally ignore him as if he isnt even there, no looking at him even and deffinately no talking or going to stroke him, Just get them to come in and sit down and still ignore him, Make sure though that they either have really tasty treats of give them some on the way in. Find out what he really likes beforehand and finds irresistible, favourites usually inslude cheese,chicken,hotdogs,sausages anything liver based. When he seems a little less nervous and if he starts to show interest and a little curiosity, ask them to slowly and gently throw treats in his direction but still ignore him, as he geet braver and maybe approaches nearer, then ask them to throw treats but maybe a little nearer to them. Gradually
the idea is to get him to approach them more and more in his own time, finally taking a treat, then speaking to him in a soft gentle voice, then a gentle stoke and finally eye contact. Giving a treat everytime. You need to do it slowly at his pace though, even if the first visit or too, they dont make contact but he will take the treats thrown in his direction, and seem calm around them its progress you can build on.
Telling him off can make dogs nervous about going in front of you, making them more likely to sneak off and try to do it in secret. I would start puppy house training basics, take him in the garden every 30//45 minutes, if he does strt to go use a word, eventually they associate the word with the act and you can use it as a toilet cue. When he finishes lots of praise and give him a tasty treat. Look out for sniffing circling or scratching at the floor, usually signs they are looking for somewhere to go, Make sure you take him out after drinking,eating play and sleeping. If he has got himself into a tizz about going in fron of you take him in the garden for a ball thrwing or play session, they usually forget then and go automatically then you can do the naming, praise and treating when he gets it right. Just concentrate on the garden, when he has got that, you can use your toilet cue to encourage him to go on walks praising and treating when he does then too. Any accident btw, make sure you clean up with pet accident cleaner, any smell left can make them repeat accidents.
But no telling off whatsoever if he does one.
He obviously gets stressed when left, he needs to be be broken in gently by very short periods on his own while you are in at first, built into his daily routine.
You can try crate training him, but if you have never done it before seek advice first, done wrongly it can put them off a crate.
Good things to get are Kongs, solid hard rubber but hollow you can stuff with wet or wet and dry food from his allowance, maybe coating the inside with a thin smear of peanut butter or cheese spread and adding bits of chicken and ham, you pack them solid and can even freeze them to make them last longer, treat balls or toys are good too, you fill them with kibble and set them to distribute pieces here and there as he plays. A good variety of chews that are safe stag bars are good. All thes things are good destressers and keep dogs occupied. Set up his area where he is to stay whilst on his own, put in his bed,
an old t-shirt or jumper you have worn on his bed as your smell can re-assure him, a radio on low on a talking station, and give him a chosen one of his goodies, Walk away no fuss no talking and leave him. Always give him his rest period alone after a walk or play session, as if he is tired and got rid of excess energy, he will settle easier. Then leave him to it, even if you only leave him for a few minutes at first, make sure you return before he gets stressed, let him out ignore him for a few more minutes then you can give attention. Build up on these few short periods a few times a day, after activity, but keep exactly the same routine. What you are doing is teaching going means you will always be back, by doing it for short periods and building, you are teaching him slowly to cope. If you build it into his routine it will become normal.

DAP diffusers can help to calm and soothe dogs, its an artificial version of the pheromone mum emits to calm and soothe her pups. Available from vets and pets at home, but usually cheaper on line, I get mine from Vet-Medic - the same medicines as your vet at consistently low prices.
if you want to look at those.

Hope this may help.

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My original point is still valid, he simply will never understand that pointing at his mess and saying no will never connect. I think the windows to praise/correct any action with a dog is a matter of seconds, so if you catch him in the act you can definitely give a firm NO or AH-AH sound (whatever you want to indicate he's doing something wrong) and pick him up and take him outside, but if you walk into the room and he's literally just lifting his bum back up and walking away - too late, he'll never make the connection. For example, you let him into the garden and he goes and does a wee on the grass and then walks back into the house, and you give him a treat and lots of praise - in his head he's thinking "wow, all I have to do is walk through this door and I get treats!" He wont remember that he's just done a wee outside!

I wont apologise for what I said and I don't appreciate you calling me out of order. You've come here asking for advice and I gave you advice. You were using a method that probably everyone on this forum would tell you is wildly outdated and proven not to work. People might claim that when they use this method, when their dog does toilet in the house they look guilty like they know they shouldn't have done it, but that look is actually just fear of you "randomly" telling them off because to them that's what happens. My assumption was that you're fairly new to dog ownership and quite frankly it wouldn't surprise me if you or your husband did shout at your dog, or get a bit too rough out of sheer frustration when he did something wrong, and that's fine; you're only human like the rest of us and it's forgiveable because you're not doing it out of hate or anger. Everyone has a limit. I never claimed you hit your dog (I only said I hope you don't) although quite frankly that's also forgiveable in my eyes if you're new and someone else suggested that to you. I also never said you didn't love your dog. It's the love for your dog that made you come here to ask for advice on helping him get over his nervousness, help with his toilet training and generally help him to have a fantastic life.

I've offered my advice and now I've said my peace and will leave it at that. You've genuinely asked for advice and I don't want to see this thread descend into an argument and get locked, so as a great businessman once said, I'm out.

ETA: Removed as was mistaken

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Have just read about the crate training. Interesting stuff - we did buy a cage (crate) when we adopted jimmy, but you cant help but think its slightly cruel. But after reading about the training will definately give it a go