Bartop

We are hoping to get a Beagle Pup in a few weeks time. We''ve been along to see the litter and the lady selling is a well known reputable breeder and shows Beagles at all the big shows so no concerns there. The dogs will be registered etc all look very happy and well adjusted and super temperaments..

Anyway, the reason for the post is that she is recommending that we buy a crate/cage for the puppy to sleep in overnight for the first 9 - 12 months or if we have to leave it alone for a few hours etc.
I've done a bit of googling and it seems to be a well recognised method to help with house training etc and the dogs quickly become used to it but I must admit I've never heard of this before..

If anyone has any experience or advice on this it would be much appreciated as well if anyone has had Beagles before and can offer any information...


btw I'm trying to persuade the wife to call him Smeagle but no luck so far

OllyK

Yes it is a well known method, horses for corses. We didn't use one, but had some sleepless nights for a week till our pup was house trained.

I recommend "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey - an excellent book, covers different house training methods as well as countless other essential tips.

davegtt

lol @ Smeagle

mate is using the crate method at the minute, seems to be working (slowly I might add) must admit though it doesnt seem any better than just the traditional ways....

Ours picked it up really quickly, I just wish the little blighter had a stronger bladder, we have to walk him really late at night to gaurentee no "doings" in the morning...

Sub97

We used one and it was brilliant. Wished we'd had one for all our puppies.

It massively reduces the amount of crap (literally) you have to clear up, as they only have a smaller area to mess up. The seem to get the hang of toilet training quicker, as they tend to associate going in the crate as going to sleep, so if you've only left them for a couple of hours you can get them outside quickly and they go outside. Also, they tend to like to go to toilet away from where they sleep, so it encourages them to wait. You also have the added bonus that they can't chew your cuboards, shoes etc. Only what's in the cage.

On top of this, all the dogs we've had have been more than happy using them. On the odd times they've been scared as puppies (window cleaner, thunder etc) they've all gone shooting back into their cages. So they obviously associate being safe in there.

Couldn't recommend them enough mate.

OllyK

Lol - I'm amazed how strong a bladder ours has, goofed one day where the misses thought I had taken him out in the morning and vice versa. It was lunch time before he was bouncing off the walls and we wondered what was up. He managed 14 hours - wish I could do that!

Diablo

Yup

No experience of beagles, but plenty with crates.

Basic pointers are that

a) It generally works very well
b) The crate should be a place of refuge for the puppy, NEVER one of punishment
c) Try and ensure the crate is primarily a sleeping place, so the puppy's bed should be in there at all times
d) Make sure you have adequate water in the crate!
e) Don't annoy or tease the puppy in the crate - it should a safe haven devoid of human intervention
f) Some advocate feeding in the crate on the pretext that pups don't mess where they eat and sleep.
g) It is a great way of ensuring the pup doesn't destroy your house when you are out - but never leave it in for more than a couple of hours during the day.

There is loads more info and many good books available on the subject.

To be fair, it doesn't work for all dogs. When we were house training our last pup, the crate didn't appear to make any difference at night.

We did find the answer to the night time messing, but that wasn't in any of the books

HTH

Markus

It might sound cruel to put a pet in a crate/cage, but it's not. I have had experience of crates. When we got Maggie (the ever loveably Weimaraner) we had a cage for her. Now, it wasn't small, put it this way, I could happily fit in it and move around and I'm 6ft 4in

It does help with house training, as the dog would be making it's own space unclean. It's also a "home" for them, somewhere they can retreat to when they want to, just like a dog baset.

It is also handy to prevent chewing of unwanted things when you're sleeping or out, as you can simply close the cage to stop the little darling from roaming freely.

After 12 months you might still want to keep the cage, as said, the hound will consider it a refuge, so they might get upset if you take it away.

My friend's a breeder (of weimaraners) and she swears by cages, the pups she's kept from Maggie's litter have been crated and they don't have any problems with it at all.

It is very common, and I would consider using a crate for any new puppy I'd get.

davegtt

lol... Olly, think mine has made about 10 hours before which I was REALLY suprised at. most of the time though he struggles to make 8 hours (which is my average nights sleep) cant have a lie in cause of him....

OllyK

I think it has been mentioned, but some pups really don't take to it. Ours didn't, we tried to coax him in with food and he didn't want to know. If we lifted him in he'd cry till you took him out. We just left him with newspaper on the floor in the kitchen, for the first night only, as he shredded the lot. Thereafter, we took him out every hour for the next few days and got up several times a night. Within a week he got the hang of it. Since that first week we've only had a couple of accidents, one of those was in somebody else's house, but I think that was a nerves thing. He doesn't even have a basket or blanket now, we bought them but he refused to use them and has always preferred to sleep directly on the floor, preferably in a draft.

Bartop

Many thanks for all the replys - sounds much more common than I though and has certainly reassured me into giving it a try

Will get a few books and do a bit more research as suggested - cheers

btw Diablo what was the method you found that wasn't in the books ? :intrigued:

Cheers

David Lock

We used one most effectively. Also useful for transporting a pup to the vet if you don't have a helper to hold on lap! In fact we got ours because we had a boisterous Retriever and were concerned that if puppy (Cavalier) snuggled up in the main dog basket she might get slept on!! Just make sure toys don't fall out of cage where puppy can't reach dl

Stringpants

Had to get rid in the end....smoked 40 Park Drive a day, just could not afford it.

Good Luck.

Stringpants.

Bartop

Thanks for the tip - I'll stock up on the nicotine patches then...

R 14NS R

we have kept our bull terrier in a cage for four years.

when i say kept him in, i meant he uses it as a bed, still and he is now four.

any puppy you get will cry and tear things up when you first get them and leave them on their own, however if they are in a cage at night they can not break or tear things unless it is 'their own'. we also put some old clothes of mine and my girlfriends for him to sleep on, in there.

OllyK

On that note, it is actually worth taking a blanket to the breeder and leaving it with the mum and litter for a couple of weeks before you pick it up. You can then bring the blanket with you and pup still has the comforting smell of mum and siblings in its new surroundings.

sti-04!!

Interesting thread !

I am doing some research on this at the moment as well

Silly question time - If i buy a 2nd hand cage (cheapskate ), would the pup use it ?? My thinking is that it might smell another dog has used it & refuse to associate it with its own

I dont have a problem buying a new cage, but i dont want to waste a few £££ incase the pup doesnt take to it either

Cheers

OllyK

Should be OK, a couple of things worth doing:
1) Clean it with biological washing powder diluted in warm water - it gets rid of the smells better than most things, other things like bleech just mask them.
2) Get the blanket as described above and put it in the crate for a couple of hours before you try and encourage the pup in.

Brendan Hughes

That's advance planning! We took a towel and rubbed it over the mum when we collected the pup. Threw it in the cage together with an old section of carpet, and he was very happy sleeping with the towel in the cage for a few days.

Again, no problems here with the cage.

In fact, it came in very useful on holiday - we produced it at hotels and even on a bus trip (20 mins) where dogs normally weren't allowed, and they became much more relaxed about it and let him stay/travel. It packs flat and goes in the back of the car, couple of blankets and he just sleeps on top of it, so no space problems.

SVVG

iTrader: (1)

My parents have got a crate for our Retriever - (very un pc to call it a cage and tends to upset the guys who sell them for some reason!! - rd rag to a bull I might add ) I agree with the advice above - the pups don't really like the crate at first, but after a while associate it as being "their" space and it really helps with toilet training - after two "incidents" when we first got our current dog when he was a pup, he soon learnt that if he didn't wait to go outside he'd end up having to spend the night covered in his own sht - soon got the message.

Also, you should leave the crate door open during the day and not hassle the pup when it's in it - then it'll waddle off there to go to sleep whenever it wants as it knows it wont be bothered, and importantly that it wont always be locked up in it - and as suggeted above, it will know that it is not being punished when it's locked up.

It can sometimes be difficult with our dog to get him in it as he knows it means he's not coming with us, but my dad tends to crawl inside the cage which makes the dog jealous/protective and so he gets in too (comedy value to watch my 61 year old slightly portly dad do so, especially when in his suit for work!), but this could be a bit more difficult if you buy a smaller cage for a smaller dog - although I guess if the dog is smaller, his cooperation will be less of an issue!

Haven't read all the threads above, so not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but they are also bloody useful for car journeys, and also in lots of hotels, where if you tell them you have a crate that the dog will be left in, it tends to make most hotels a bit more relaxed about the possibility of it p*ssing everywhere and chewing stuff up (we used to have a G.Shephard, and she once closed the door on herself when she went to get a drink form her water bowl whcih we'd left in the hotel bathroom we were staying in - and she DESTROYED the door and the frame in order to get out - and it put about £300 on to the bill!) It also means you can be a bit more flexible if you go to see friends/realtives who live a fair distance away - most of my parents' friends are quite happy for the dog to be left in their utitly room or spare room etc if he's in the crate - and you can leave a water bowl in there too etc.)

PeteT

Have a look on ebay, I got mine from there and it's really good quality. (Sorry, can't remember the sellers name)

Adrian F

I had a crate for the van to keep the puupy from bothering the older dog and a indoor pen of 5' square to use to keep the puupy safe at night or when i went out. it cetainly helps with the chewing problem and most importantly keeps the dog safe.

But i think house training is just a case of putting in the time and effort, most dogs understand in a couple of weeks the idea if you take them out every hour or so during the day also i spent a lot of time playing with my latest puppy in the garden so then praised her whenever she went as we were out side.