A dog training class might help

 

I would start toilet training right from the beginning as if he is an 8 week old pup again I think. Take away the pads and take him out every hour or so or whenever you see any signs he needs to go (guess you definitely know those by now!) and after playing, sleeping etc. When he goes outside, praise and treat; if he goes at all inside just completely ignore it and clean up the mess with a specific cleaner to remove residual pet smells. I would imagine it will take a while and you will need to be very persistent given the amount of time he has been toileting indoors for.

As for all the other problems, do you / did you go to training classes at all? Maybe they would help?

 

Have you tried putting the puppy pad outside?

 

Thank you for your suggestions. He doesn't go to a training class as yet as I was trying to get him to master the basics at home first but as this isn't working I am planning to start taking him to a class in the area.

Thank you for the advice on the toilet training, I will start that today. So if he goes to the toilet in the house, where the pad was, I shouldn't scold him? Just ignore it?

I'll keep you posted on our progress

Thanks again

BM

 

I haven't tried putting the pad outside - do you recommend this? What about if it's raining? As it so often does in Swansea!!

BM x

 

Yes I would ignore any accidents inside but go mad with praise when he goes outside

If it's raining then the pad and dog just get wet; the idea of the pad outside is so that the scent is still there, Basil is more likely to want to toilet somewhere he has done previously.

 

Thank you for your suggestions. He doesn't go to a training class as yet as I was trying to get him to master the basics at home first but as this isn't working I am planning to start taking him to a class in the area.

Thank you for the advice on the toilet training, I will start that today. So if he goes to the toilet in the house, where the pad was, I shouldn't scold him? Just ignore it?

I'll keep you posted on our progress BM

You trained him to go there so ignore it. Just keep an eye on him when he is in that area

I haven't tried putting the pad outside - do you recommend this? What about if it's raining? As it so often does in Swansea!!

BM x

Put his pad outside and take him to that the same as you did when you first trained him He has a fur coat for when it's raining.

 

At 6 months old he is also getting into the teenage stage where everything can become a battle of wills. Find a training class, I like the KC good citizens. Go and watch a couple of sessions and make sure you are happy with the methods used before you join.

 

Without wanting to start an argument or depress anyone I have heard that Beagles can be difficult to train.

I know two Beagle owners. One has tried really hard with everything especially with recall traing but has now given this up for the moment because he is so hard to get back so now he is kept on a lead. The other Beagle lives with a large lively family plus cat and does exactly as she likes!

Both are lovely dogs, loyal and beautifully tempered but definitely wilful in a playful sort of way.

I know two Beagles isn't much evidence but both owners said they knew what they were letting themselves in for but couldn't resist etc etc!

I think all training is hard and ongoing but I do also think some breeds are easier/harder to train - in some things - than others.

 

Without wanting to start an argument or depress anyone I have heard that Beagles can be difficult to train.

I know two Beagle owners. One has tried really hard with everything especially with recall traing but has now given this up for the moment because he is so hard to get back so now he is kept on a lead. The other Beagle lives with a large lively family plus cat and does exactly as she likes!

Both are lovely dogs, loyal and beautifully tempered but definitely wilful in a playful sort of way.

I know two Beagles isn't much evidence but both owners said they knew what they were letting themselves in for but couldn't resist etc etc!

I think all training is hard and ongoing but I do also think some breeds are easier/harder to train - in some things - than others.

I do agree that different breeds can be harder to train than others...I would think that you just require greater reserves of patience, persistence and imagination.

Kilo is hard to train in terms of being very wilful and independent and becoming bored quickly with repetitive behaviours, so I make sure that I mix up the training and find ways to keep it interesting, also I incorporate it into his daily life as much as possible so that he has to work for everything. The key was that research and his breeder forewarned me that the breed was extremely intelligent but capable of extreme stubborness; the OP also says that she was aware that a beagle would be hard work....

It is certainly worth going to training classes as the OP is intending to, instead of just accepting bad behaviours as a 'breed thing'.

 

Without wanting to start an argument or depress anyone I have heard that Beagles can be difficult to train.

I know two Beagle owners. One has tried really hard with everything especially with recall traing but has now given this up for the moment because he is so hard to get back so now he is kept on a lead. The other Beagle lives with a large lively family plus cat and does exactly as she likes!

Both are lovely dogs, loyal and beautifully tempered but definitely wilful in a playful sort of way.

I know two Beagles isn't much evidence but both owners said they knew what they were letting themselves in for but couldn't resist etc etc!

I think all training is hard and ongoing but I do also think some breeds are easier/harder to train - in some things - than others.

They're not the easiest but I have had 4 or 5 pass gold and that is good enough for most owners

 

The puppy pad is now out in the back garden. I took Basil outside to show him and he seemed very interested, sniffing every inch of it but no toileting on it as yet.

Thanks for the encouragement Dogless - I have read that Beagles are harder to train but i totally agree with you that with perseverance it can be done. Basil is certainly not going to get away with bad behaviour because of his breed.
Watch this space...

Everyones advice on here is very helpful, thanks.

I took your advice Hawspot and found a KC Good Citezens class in the area and so Basil and I start Puppy school tomorrow evening

The woman that runs the class seemed very nice when i spoke to her and said that they already have a Beagle bitch in the group so it will be interesting to chat with her owner and perhaps she may have some tips for me.

Everyones advice on here is very helpful, thanks.

Keep the suggestions and encouragement coming, i feel this could be a long process!

BM x

 

The puppy pad is now out in the back garden. I took Basil outside to show him and he seemed very interested, sniffing every inch of it but no toileting on it as yet.

Thanks for the encouragement Dogless - I have read that Beagles are harder to train but i totally agree with you that with perseverance it can be done. Basil is certainly not going to get away with bad behaviour because of his breed.
Watch this space...

Everyones advice on here is very helpful, thanks.

I took your advice Hawspot and found a KC Good Citezens class in the area and so Basil and I start Puppy school tomorrow evening

The woman that runs the class seemed very nice when i spoke to her and said that they already have a Beagle bitch in the group so it will be interesting to chat with her owner and perhaps she may have some tips for me.

Everyones advice on here is very helpful, thanks.

Keep the suggestions and encouragement coming, i feel this could be a long process!

BM x

You are welcome...Kilo isn't a Beagle BTW but I don't think any breed should get away with bad behaviour.

Although it could be a long process as you say, you have made significant inroads just today in moving the pad and booking training classes :thumbup:

 

True enough

With regards to training Basil to walk to heel - does anyone have any suggestions? At the moment he is awful on the lead about 80% of the time, he pulls, constantly swaps sides that he's walking on and generally tries to run into the road. He is also very nosey and so if people are walking past he will try to drag me over to them and jump up. It's strange because if someone approaches him when we're out, he cowers behind me!?

It makes taking him out for a walk a rather unpleasant experience!

A friend suggested that i buy a Halti - do these work?

As always, all suggestions welcome

 

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the group and have joined as i need help!! I have a 6 month old male Beagle called Basil who he is a much loved member of our household but he is also ruining my life :scared:

We first got him from a breeder when he was 8wks old and after a couple of weeks of going to the toilet wherever he felt like he mastered the art of going on the puppy pad/newspaper laid out in the kitchen. That seems to be the only think he is consistently good at.

Looking back I realise how naive we were when we got him. I had read some thinks about how difficult Beagles are to train but stupidly i thought as i had grown up with dogs and had a Springer Spaniel puppy in my teens, how hard could it be??
I think we've have been taken in by his beautiful looks, big eyes and floppy ears. Who can resist that?

Don't get me wrong, i love Basil to bits but he is becoming increasingly stubborn as he gets older and seems to think he rules our household. He is obviously now a lot bigger aswell which makes controlling him even harder.

He does have his good moments and when he is tired he becomes very docile and cuddley (some would say clingy!)

I think the first thing i need help with is toilet training. As i said before, he only goes on his puppy pad now and will go when he is out for a walk but still insists on going on his pad and sometimes comes in from a walk, only to go straight to his pad for a pee. It is so frustrating!! I know that if i stop putting the pad down then he wil just continue to go in the same place!

How do I get rid of the puppy pad and get him to go outside all the time?

There are so many other things i need help with when it comes to training Basil, for instance walking to heel on the lead, dealing with separation anxiety, obeying commands etc.

He still doesn't sit or get down when told and it can be really embarrassing if visitors come round as we obviously have no control over him.

Any help that anyone can offer us would be so greatly appreciated!!

Thanks
BM

I would get rid of the puppy pads in the house, it just confuses them and gives them the message that its the plae to go. Take him out instead every 30/45 minutes, when he starts to go, give at a name, later you can use this as a toilet cue, and even get them to pee on command. When finished lots of praise and treats, chicken, hotdogs, cheese are usually high value ones they love.

If he has accidents clean it up with a speial pet accident cleaner, as any smells left encourages going in the same place. Dont tell him off it can make them nervous about going in front of you, and likely to sneak off to do it.
Look out for circling sniffing and scratching usuallly signs looking for somewhere to go. Get him ut quick then. They usually need to go after drinking eating, play, and sleeping.

At night, if he within hearing and sight then when he wakes ot stirs then take him out. I used to sleep downstairs for the first couple of weeks, to do intensive training and take mine out, you could if you dont want to do that set an alarm and take him out that way a couple of times, if he is not going through the night at the moment.

Another thing to consider is perhaps crate training him for his bed. Usually a dog wont soil his bed or surrounding area. This is an aid to toilet training only and he will still need to to be taken out.
If you have never crate tained though, seek help on how to do it as done wrongly it can put them off the crate and it will fail.

Hope this might help

 

Thanks Sled dog - all great ideas.

I am thinking that the puppy pads were a mistake now too. Oh well, you live and learn.

With regards to the crate, we do have one and that is where he sleeps.

Perhaps we aren't using it correctly as he does wee in there sometimes and i can't figure out why as i was told that he wouldn't do that in his bed?

I hope i haven't hindered his development by not crate training correctly?

 

Thanks Sled dog - all great ideas.

I am thinking that the puppy pads were a mistake now too. Oh well, you live and learn.

With regards to the crate, we do have one and that is where he sleeps.

Perhaps we aren't using it correctly as he does wee in there sometimes and i can't figure out why as i was told that he wouldn't do that in his bed?

I hope i haven't hindered his development by not crate training correctly?

Its probably because he is used to weeing on the pads, Also he will need to be taken out inbetween in the night. Maybe he cant go for the whole night.
Perhaps try taking him out in the night. If he is in there too long and really needs to go then he has no other alternative. Just going to do you a post on walking to heel. Already did it got to the end and Ive wiped it, so going to do it now.

 

At 6 months he is going to be going through the stroppy age all dogs do it.
They start to try to assert their freedom and push at their boundaries to see how much they can get away with.

Part of the pulling when out walking starts with over excitement indoors.
If he starts getting hyper and over excited when you get the lead out. Then just put it away again, sit down and ignore him, and keep repeating it until he gets the message. When he is calmer, get him to sit have tasty high value treats, cheese, chicken, hot dogs are good. If you hold the treat just above his nose and move it backwards, his nose and head should come up and his head should go back as you move it backwards and you should find his bum will go down, as his bum is going down say sit, and as he sits say it again,
then praise and treat. You can build this up to a wait too, once he realiably sits, by following with the command wait, once he sits and repeat wait then give the treat. extending the time before giving the treat, so the wait becomes longer. (hope this makes sense) Then once sitting put his lead on.

You next need to teach him door manners, Get him to sit again at the closed door, once he is sitting and waiting, then open it, if he goes to bolt out, then shut it and keep reapeating, until he will sit with the door open. Then tell him to wait while you go through and invite him to follow you out.

If he starts to pull whe you are out, then stop dead and dont move. Call him back make him sit, then step off again, if he pulls then keep reapeating the whole thing. He should learn pulling doesnt get him where he wants to go.

Another exercise similar is when he pulls, instead of stopping dead, just tuen round and walk in the other direction, he should get to the end of the lead,
wonder what the hell is happening and then have to follow you back the way you have turned. If you do this every time, it should be another way to send the message pulling doesnt get him where he wants to go.

I have found that practising actually walking to heel is sometimes best at home first, by having a treat in your hand down by your side, so they have to walk along side you. using the word heel and repeating it as you are walking along with them showing interest in the treat. Stopping ang giving a treat every so often, before stepping off with a new treat in your hand, saying heel and reapeating it so they make the association.

Hope this might help

 

Certainly Beagles are very difficult to train at recall because they have such a high prey drive, but for every day basics, given the right methods it should be possible to do, though may take longer.

I think it is a big mistake to train a dog to go inside the house on pads or newspaper, because then you have to retrain him to go outside. Start as you mean to go on and don't make work for yourself.

 

Set yourself realistic targets. There is nothing in KCGS gold or in your post that you shouldn't be able to achieve.
Accept from the start that because of breed, character, experience and natural ability some will progress faster than others. It's not a race
Make sure the whole family sticks to rules. Things are much easier if you are all on the same side.
Dogs are gamblers they understand always and never much better than sometimes. So he always sits to greet people, he never runs through the door when you open it

 

Agree with getting rid of the puppy pads,you need to stay outside with him when you want him to wee,wait until he does and then make a fuss like never beforeand then say wee and treat him,if he starts to have an accident indoors,get him outside as quick as possible and then when he goes treat again.It will eventually click if he think there is food at the end of it.If he does have an accident in the house,use a solution of persil soap powder and water this should help stop him,remarking.
Regarding the walking to heel,we used a halti and Alf hated it,spent most of his walks trying to get it off his face and eventually learned to back out of it and slip it off(who said Beagles were stupid?)we use a slip lead,it costs a fiver and we walk Alf to the park on it,it takes 10 mins there so we do a strict heel walk and he is perfect now,I started off by holding it quite tight so that he was right next to me,but he has got it sorted it and walks on a loose lead.He knows the command heel and trots along next to me looking at my treat pocket with those gorgeous eyes.
The problem we made with our beagle was we were totally besotted with him and allowed him to get away with murder You have got to this point and recognised that there is a few problems and that is a great thing to do,alot of people would have given up by now and thats why Beagle welfare has so many dogs in their care.The vet said to me that we have to learn to be as stubborn as a Beagle and that is the best bit of advice I have had.If I want him to sit I make sure he sits,not give up as that just teaches him that you don't really mean what you say.Be consistent always

By the way the pic of Basil is gorgeous x

 

The problem we made with our beagle was we were totally besotted with him and allowed him to get away with murder You have got to this point and recognised that there is a few problems and that is a great thing to do,alot of people would have given up by now and thats why Beagle welfare has so many dogs in their care.The vet said to me that we have to learn to be as stubborn as a Beagle and that is the best bit of advice I have had.If I want him to sit I make sure he sits,not give up as that just teaches him that you don't really mean what you say.Be consistent always

By the way the pic of Basil is gorgeous x

I can totally relate to this, i think Beagles invented that puppy dog look and who can resist it? What the vet said to you sounds like valuable advice. I will definitely strive to out-stubborn Basil.
It's great to talk to someone else who has a Beagle. It's nice to hear that you've been there and come out unscathed I had a look at your album of Alfie, he is lovely!! It inspired me to make a little album of Basil and our cat Roxie, have a look...

Thanks for all the walking advice Sled Dog, tomorrow we are going to start practicing your suggestions.
For today we have moved the puppy pad outside and booked puppy training classes. A good start I think

Thank you all for your help.

Keep the suggestions coming x

 

I think the other two things you were worried about were the possibility he was developing separation anxiety and control of him when visitors were coming.

At the moment if you are allowing him to be with you all the time you are there and he is also following you about, it makes it harder for them to cope on their own. So you need to start giving him time on his own initially when you are there.

If you set up the area where you want him to stay when you are out,with his bed some chews, and toys, that you keep especially for those times when he is to be left. Kongs that a hollow solid rubber toys are good you stuff them with food, you can use wet dog food mixed with a few goodies, like chicken,cheese, biscuits and bigs of ham, to make last longer you can freeze if before hand, although when training him for the shorter periods to start with,you probably wont need to freeze it. Treat balls are good too, you can fill them with kibble and set it to distribute pieces here and there as he plays to keep his interest. Things like an old tee-shirt or jumper you have worn left in his bed can help as it has your smell to re-assure him (providing he isnt the sort of dog to rip and ingest fabric. A radio left on low on a talking station can help as the sound of voices s oothes them. Another good thing is a DAP dog appeasing pheromone plug in diffuser, it is an artificial version of the pheromone mum emits to calm and soothe pups and its keeps them calm.
I would start with giving him some rest time ideally after a walk when he is tired and more likely to settle (In fact any time you have to leave him for real a walk is better first gets rid of any excess energy too) I would do this several times a day even for 10/15 minutes at a time at first, just get him used to coping. Dont make a big thing of leaving. Try to return when he is quiet and calm, just let him out and dont fuss him straight away,just leave it a minute or two before you do. Keep to the same routine every time he is left and just build up the time scale a little each time.

When visitors come, No doubt because he is so cute, they probably make a fuss and talk to him straight away. They usually get overexcited with visitors coming anyway and attention straight away tends to make them even more so, to the point they can get so hyped they dont listen. If you keep a tin of treats by the front door, take him there on a lead and get him to sit before the visitors are allowed in, pre warn them to totally ignore him and walk in staight through and just sit. Then bring him in, still asking them to ignore him.
Get him to sit a distance away, and only when he is calm,then take him up to be introduced. but still tell your visitors to ignore him. If he carries on sitting,then they can then give him a treat and gently fuss him. Once he seems to realiably be able to control himself and greet calmly then, try it later without the lead. If he really gets hyper and wont stop at all even with the ignoring, then put him out for 5/10 minutes in his area, then he is calm then bring him in and try again. and keep doing it until he is calm.
Eventually they usually learn that, calm polite behaviour gets treats and attention and barking and attention seeking doesnt.

Hope these other things to try might help.

 

Thanks for the advice Sled Dog. I have tried some of the above. I often put him in his cage in the kictchen with toys, chews etc and we always leave the radio on as i have heard that this helps.
At night he is fine and will sleep soundly all night. If, however I do this in the day when I am home, or going out he will bark and howl incessantly for at least 10mins, sometimes longer. It is driving me mad and i worry the neighbours will complain. I don't know why he does it, I do everything I can to make sure he is comfortable and has things to entertain him. I will look into buying a kong tho - good advice.

With regards to the visitors issue, i will try your suggestions. He definitely can't get any worse when people come round!

 

Thanks for the advice Sled Dog. I have tried some of the above. I often put him in his cage in the kictchen with toys, chews etc and we always leave the radio on as i have heard that this helps.
At night he is fine and will sleep soundly all night. If, however I do this in the day when I am home, or going out he will bark and howl incessantly for at least 10mins, sometimes longer. It is driving me mad and i worry the neighbours will complain. I don't know why he does it, I do everything I can to make sure he is comfortable and has things to entertain him. I will look into buying a kong tho - good advice.

With regards to the visitors issue, i will try your suggestions. He definitely can't get any worse when people come round!

Someone on heres dog started whining in the night and I suggested the DAP diffuser, and they had one from when theirs was a pup with some left in it and found it helped, so it might be worth a go. You can get them from vets and pets at home but usually cheaper on line. I still use one for times of stress and things like fireworks. I get mine from Vet-Medic - the same medicines as your vet at consistently low prices. if you want a look. First one I got was double the price at the vets. One of the uses is separation anxiety too.