New Puppy Woes

Okay, my fiance and I have just gotten our first puppy, a little beagle girl almost 8 weeks old. She's cute as can be, and for the most part seems to be pretty smart--she doesn't seem to make much out of the Java programming I've been trying to teach her; she seems determined to stick with VB. I'm hoping it's just her age and she'll grow out of it soon . Seriously though, she's fairly quick on the uptake. We've had her for about a week, and she's already pretty good about going outside (except when it's raining.)

I've never tried to raise an indoor dog though. I've had plenty of dogs in my time, but we always kept them outside, and the only puppy we had we got when I was too young to really notice much about it. And of course my parents did most of the raising, I just got to play with them.

My main problem with her is that I work from home, and it's tough to keep an eye on her when she's ready to play (pretty much equates to when she's awake.) She's always either ready to go or out like a light. I have no problems playing with her at all, but I need to be able to get her to calm down while I try and work.


We've got plenty of toys for her, from stuffed animals to rawhide bones. I've tried petting her and talking calmly to her--"mommy" has some success with that at times, but she always thinks I'm ready to play when I'm around, whether I pay any attention to her or not. I've tried ignoring her, I've tried scolding her (which has no effect whatsoever), and I've even tried swatting her a couple of times when she gets really out of control--not hard, just enough to try and get her attention. That's definitely not a method I want to use, but between the frustration and the lack of effect anything else has, there's times when it's all I can think of.

I know she's a puppy, and even as a puppy she's still quite young. But I have absolutely no clue on how to start trying to train her to control herself at all. We are crating her, and while it works great at night--she goes right out--when she's ready to play during the daytime she won't stop whining to get out. It's a little hard to concentrate on work with her going in the background; even ignoring the pity the noise is just a little unbearable.

How long does this stage last? What would be the best way to start teaching her to calm down? Any tips or ideas would be much, much appreciated.

get an old wind up alarm clock (don't set the alarm! )
Wind it up and place it under the blanket / pillow.
The tick-tock simulates the mother's heartbeat and will comfort the puppy.
This has worked on all my dogs GL!

Are you crate-training?

If so, then often they simply chill out in their crate when you're otherwise busy...(we still keep ours around, but the door open, as they love to just go in there and curl up in the blanket, usually with their favorite treat or toy, hehe...)

Thing is though, dogs need attention. Our first and best solution.... Have TWO dogs. They keep each other company and entertained.

I'm still trying to figure out how we ended up with 4 dogs though....

Okies, being a wailing banshee owner myself...er Beagle owner, I may have some tips for you.


First up, 8 weeks IS very young to have a puppy. You are at a critical time for a puppy, ESPECIALLY a beagle. Beagles are very smart and stubborn and if you don’t start off right, your doomed, DOOMED! I would have recommended you do this during a vacation if you were able too. But alls not lost...Yet.


Toys aren’t going to cut it right now, so don’t push them, just make them available. What the puppy wants more than anything is your attention (duh) right now, and due to the early age, she really needs it too. Most dogs at this age are still with their littermates and get all the attention they need.

Instead of dropping what you’re doing all together and losing your gig, take 5 minutes each hour and play with her. But just 5 minutes and that’s it, make it a strict routine and stick with it to the minute. This way you can give her REGULAR attention and not sacrifice too much of your productivity. The dog will also get used to the routine and be comfortable with it.

I also HIGHLY recommend a crate, scratch that, I DEMAND you get a crate. Training crates are wonderful and the puppies will love them too. Crates are SAFE places the puppy can hide in and feel secure, reducing its dependency for attention (bingo!). The reason crates are so awesome is that the puppy can feel protected while still being able to see what’s going on around them. You will find over time that your dog will not only willingly go into the crate, but be really happy about it. Try covering half the crate with a sheet or light blanket, but just half of it. Put a comfortable towel or small blanket in there as well a COUPLE of toys, don’t throw too much in there. Crates are also great ways to potty train your little howlers too.

At first the dog is going to hate it. She's going to cry and whine and you are going to feel like a big a$$ putting her in there. But don’t waiver!! In just a day or so the dog will start to feel comfortable being left in there and then things will start to go perfectly. And with your regular hourly play visits of 5 minutes, the dog knows you aren’t that far away.

IMPORTANT!!! Put the crate someplace where the puppy CANNOT see you. A quite, bright room is perfect.

Good luck (you’ll need it), and enjoy the little wailing beast!!


My Beagle is named "Buddy" and is 13 now. Way to smart for his own good, that little basta....Er, good boy!






[edit on 30-9-2005 by skippytjc]

Got a beagle myself. Great dogs. The previous posters have given you very good advice. The wind-up clock works great. Get her used to the crate and you'll all be happier. When the pup's not in the crate, you need to know where she is, because beagles are notorious chewers, especially on anything made of wood. As a form of discipline, you might try getting an empty soda can, dropping in a couple of bolts and taping up the hole. When the dog's doing something you don't want it to do, shake the bejeebers out of the can. It'll startle the pup enough to make her quit. For disciplinary purposes, it's imperative that you catch her in the act or it won't have the desired effect.

Another tip- when she's noisy, make her lay down. They can't bark from that position. May be a little early to try that, though. But keep it in mind for later.

Good luck. I know she'll be the source of a lot of pleasure and fun for you, but there will be trying times.

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. kenshiro, the wind-up clock was suggested to me the other day and I haven't had a chance to get one yet. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

We are trying to crate train her as best as possible right now, but the "crate" we have is much smaller than what she needs I'm sure--it's a puppy/cat carrier loaned by my sister so we'd have something to work with for the first few days. This is something my fiance and I have already discussed, and we're going to go ASAP--most likely this weekend--to get a bigger one. Any recommendations on the size of it? Unfortunately we live in a rather small house, so space is a bit of a premium. Good sized yard, so plenty of room to play, but the house is little bigger than a single-wide mobile home.

I came into this knowing that puppies need attention, but I was looking at it more from a adult dog's perspective: play with them for a bit, then they go off and lay quietly somewhere out of the way chewing on a sock for a few minutes before sleep. Needless to say I was a little surprised when I started trying to work on Monday But I'll give the scheduling a try for sure.

I know two dogs would keep each other better occupied than I could, but the thought of two of these little beasties makes me shudder...

Okies, crate selection:


You want a steel crate, a traditional style one. It needs to be open and the puppy needs to EASILY see around. As far as size is concerned, dont get too large. Id say get one big enough for an adult Beagle to comfortably turn around in and stretch out. If its too big you run the risk of accidents, the dog wont have an issue making a mess if its too big. You want the dog to NOT want to mess and sit in it. Id say no bigger than 30" x 36" or so for a beagle. Dont be afraid to ask your vet, they know.


And just to make you feel better, my Beagle lived all but the last year in an appartment. he gets to run in a femnced in yard about once per month, but he is a wonderfull "city" dog. I take him out to pee no less than three times per day. Puppies of course need more than that. But your dog is perfect for a small home lifestyle.

ARRROOOOOOOOOOO!!!! (thats my beagle howling)

Any recommendations on the size of it?

Get an actual metal puppy crate, one of the smaller sizes will do.
As mentioned, the important part is that they feel safe, but can still see their surroundings. Make sure to get a nice kozy blanket for it to sleep on too, but still have room for food/water.

Thanks guys. One question though:

Originally posted by Gazrok
... but still have room for food/water.

Most of the reading I've seen hasn't said anything directly about this, but alluded to the food and water not being in the crate. A book I was leant said one way to get them used to the crate is to hand-feed them through the bars so they associate the crate with being fed.

I guess it does make sense to have it readily available to them, but again, I have no clue what's best for raising them like this.

I'm gonna say it's NOT a good idea to have food & water in the crate. Not only will it undoubtedly get dumped over, but a pup will be more likely to ap-cray in the ate-cray, if you get my drift. Ideally, the dog shouldn't be left in a crate unattended for a period of time where not having food or water would be a detriment. Just my opinion. Gazrok might have some space beagle where these rules don't apply.

Lots of good advice already. Skippy has given some very good advice. A couple of things:

- When the puppy cries, you must ignore her. The longer she cries, if you 'give in' and go to her, she's just learned that persistence pays off. You should never go to her unless she's quiet and calm.

- As she gets older, you should have baby gates to confine her to puppy-safe portions of the house. These were invaluable to me!

- A tired puppy is a good puppy. And at that age, it doesn't take too long to tire her.

- Two is easier than one! They keep each other company and don't demand so much from you. Good luck!

Two words -


obediance school!

not only will you get her trained, but also you will be trained yourself in how to take care of her and train her properly!

Also, dont forget to get her de-sexed and all her shots etc etc etc.

Here is my 13 year old Beagle looking frumpled but very comfortable:

Cute dog skippy

We went out and got a real crate this weekend, much bigger than the little cat carrier we were trying. She's in there whining away--and you were right skippy, I'm not terribly pleased with myself at the moment. But she seems to like it much better anyways.

From the reading I've done online, obedience school should wait for a few more weeks. beaglesunlimited.net... seems to have some good info, although I have nothing to really base it on. According to them, right now (8-12wks) she should be able to learn the regular stuff--sit, stay, no, etc. Obedience school comes in around week 13, when they're a little more mentally capable. (The site is in frames, so it's hard to link to the particular article; it's at Beagle Training->Critical Periods in Your Puppies Life.)

We will most likely be getting her fixed when she's old enough, although I am toying around with the idea of breeding her. I know the world doesn't really need more animals, but is she turns out to be a great dog training wise, she might make some great puppies. Still got a couple of months before that's even an option though.

I really appreciate all the advice here though, and feel free to throw anything else out that you think is worthy. When we get some decent pics of her I'll try and post them.

One more thing I remembered in reference to beagles being notorious wood chewers (and shoes, clothing in general, etc.). You might want to get some "bitter apple" spray and spray it around the chairs/table legs. it won't harm the furniture and will discourage that destructive chewing behavior. It wears off after a couple of days, so you need to be persistent. You can get it at about any store that sells pet supplies. It's cheaper than replacing the furniture.

Also, if she gets "nippy" you can spray it on your hands to train her to not bite.

WARNING: some dogs actually like the taste. You'll just have to see...