Τraining a dog can be gruesome. Training a beagle puppy to poop and pee properly requires time, dispensable carpets, swift cleaning equipment, air freshners, three pre-arranged appointments to a neurologist, and all the patience in the world of dog owners.
You’ve guessed it right. I am an owner of a two-month beagle puppy (he was one when we first adopted him). His name is Merlin. Well, in reality, he’s a mixed breed, half beagle – half devil. He’s stubborn, disobedient, extremely hyperactive, and – as you’d expect – he’s soiled the entire house.
My life, since I adopted him, has gone from peaceful and organized to “Where the hell is my other shoe?” and “Bad doggie Merlin, what have we said about not pooping on the carpet?” I’m constantly getting awaked by yelps (which were sweet at the beginning but grew as obnoxious as an alarm tune), barking and pungent smells.
So, armed with a couple of methods we either obtained from websites or fellow dog owners, me and my sister entered the journey of training our little dog—we refrained from calling him a puppy, because his manipulating skills best befit a grown-up dog, rather than a pup.
It turns out, you cannot trust any advice on the internet that promises to “train your dog in two or three months.”
Stage I: Crate training
The core principle of the crate training method speaks to the very nature of dogs. Dogs are “den” animals, which means they love sleeping in places surrounded by walls, with a single opening for entrance and exit. This is why you will often notice pups circling a spot or rubbing the ground, before lying down onto it. In their perception, they’re forming a nest or digging a hole to sleep in. It is the most primitive instict dogs have. As hunting animals, sleeping in dens is their way of protecting themselves from other predators. Beagles are the house version of hunting dogs – meaning they are a wild breed that can also be petted. We gave Merlin a basket with low walls he could easily climb over. However, most often he prefers sleeping under the coffee table in our living room. (He pooped there once as well – It took us an entire day to find the source of the awful smell.)
The main steps of crate training your dog are simple and most websites claim that it is the fastest way to housebreak your dog, since it is sewn with their natural insticts. You might find better luck with it than we did, so here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1
Choose a crate with only enough space to fit your pup’s bed and ease their mobility inside it. The height should also be according to his estimated growth size.
Step 2
Select a permanent location to place the crate in. Make sure that you can keep it there during winter or high temperatures and that it is separated from the place where your dog plays, eats, drinks water and takes care of its business.
Step 3
Lock the pup in during the night or while you’re away from home. Because it views the crate as its home, it will refrain from soiling its own bed. (My own additional advice would be to wrap the crate with soundproof material, but that would probably be cruel.)
Step 4
As soon as you let the dog out, lead him outside to the specific spot you’ve saved for their dirty business.
Step 5
Reward them with a small treat whenever they empty their bowels and pee outside and be consistent in offering praise.
This about sums it up.
We didn’t buy an actual crate, so perhaps our failure in using the method shouldn’t debunk its effectiveness entirely. As I mentioned, our own “den” was a wooden basket. We used a cardboard box to confine Merlin in, with proper apertures to allow air inside and a cut-in door that we secured with industrial tape.
Despite all the speculations on the dog’s nature, our half-beagle puppy did potty inside its den. Several times.
So, after we got the results showcased on the picture above, we applied the cardboard box and hoped to get a good night’s sleep. Wistful hoping. As soon as he did his business, Merlin started yelping. We thought, “Let him cry. He’ll realize at some point that we’re not gonna change his bed and try not to soil it.” Not only he didn’t stop crying, but at some point we also heard his paws on the cardboard and his first, high-pitched, baby bark. It was the cutest thing (remember those manitulating skills we were talking about earlier?), so we gave in. Lifting off the box was like removing a gift wrapper. Only the present inside was a smelly towel with fecal cherries. It might be a breed thing, but we learned that forcing Merlin to do something or remain confined was doomed as a training method.
Stage II: Observe & Apply
After crate (well, basket) training proved to be fruitless, we browsed the internet for tips, tutorials and even personal stories of individuals who successfully trained their beagle doggies. Most sites offered contradictory instructions. For example, while one website preached against frequent trips to the designated bathroom area, so that the dog’s bowel muscles strengthen and it learns to hold their needs, another advised that you should take your puppy outside every two hours. To be specific:
- Immediately after any confinement
- As soon as it wakes up
- Right before bedtime
- 20 minutes after a meal
According to canine science, full grown Beagle dogs can hold their needs for up to 8 hours. For puppies, the endurance lasts 1 hour per month (2 hours for a 2 month old, 3 hours for a 3 month old, etc.)
We noticed that whenever Merlin wanted to go, he would start sniffing the floor. At first, it worked as a useful indicator. The problem was, he is a hunting breed, and as such, sniffing is his second nature. As time passed, Merlin would sniff the ground all the more often. So we took to running outside, holding the little dog like the Lion King (well, lower). Most of the times, as soon as we put Merlin down to his bathroom area, he would look at us, his gaze literally saying “What happened?” And then he would pee as soon as we brought him inside. So much for a sign.
Another web source shared that when it’s time to go, a puppy’s anus will puff out. So, we starting checking for this physical indicator. It was helpful in preventing most accidents. However, it also meant we should keep an eye all the time. It wasn’t a training method, just pure supervision.
No matter how much we strained with pointing fingers to the place he should use to poop and pee, Merlin had chosen his favorite spot: on the carpet next to the coffee table. A gift of his would always wait for us there.
A friend of mine had recommended potty pads. She explained that “he smells his previous pees and poo, that’s why he keeps soiling the same spot on the carpet.” So I bought some from a pet shop (they cost about $16 on Amazon) and laid them down to the place he’d chosen as a bathroom. After a few accidents, he finally made us proud.
Still, there was another issue to consider: the ick factor.
The living room is the natural place where we welcome guests and drink coffee. Urine and fecal smells weren’t the exact companion we wanted to have. In addition, we couldn’t sit properly with our legs down and had to be careful not to step on the pad whenever we stood. Finally, while reading an article on the Housebreaking Bible, I came across this:
‘Another very important note on choosing a potty area: Don’t let the dog choose his own potty area unless it’s the same one you would choose. It’s not unusual to see a potty pad right in the middle of an expensive rug in the living room or to see several all over the house. When asked why the pads are there, the dog owner inevitably says, “That’s where he always goes, so we put potty pads down for him.” That’s not potty training, that’s giving up!’
You can imagine my frustration.
Umbilical Cord Training was another method we tried. The basic premise is that you keep your dog on a leash that you control at all times. This way, you can supervise your dog and prevent any accidents. Most dogs will feel uncomfortable taking care of their business right next to you, so this could also work as a restrainer. (Merlin peed on my sister once. Well, in his defence, he did yelp prior to that and she was just late to interpret the sign.) If you decide to follow with this training method, you cannot indulge in giving your dog any freedom within the day, as they will interprete it as the only time they can poop and pee safely around the house. You can also tie the puppy to a nearby object, like the leg of a table (make sure the object will not budge at force and that it won’t be likely to fall on your puppy and crush it).
Merlin is a happy dog. But most happy dogs settle with chasing their tails, hanging out their tongues and biting on toys. Our dog hops and runs and bites and pulls and barks for no apparent reason. Usually, his fits of craziness occur in the morning and toward the afternoon. Keeping him on a leash during those times immediately felt to be reversed – he guided us wherever he wanted around the house. Not us. We tried tying him on the water pipe, but he strained to get free so hard, at some point his barks came out choked. We got worried he would hurt himself, so the leash eventually got discarded.
For more information on the Umbilical Cord Training Method, visit this site.
Stage III – Consistency & Patience
Beagles are curious puppies, they sniff and take the world in, and they have no idea they’re supposed to follow any rules other than their canine instincts. Thus, it is the owner’s responsibility to show love and patience through guiding them into becoming properly trained dogs.
And also, though we wouldn’t believe it at the beginning, training a dog makes them happy. As an intelligent species, they want to feel like they “fit in”. Showing them the way and praising them with every accomplishment will give them a sense of belonging in the family “pack”. This also means that you need to establish the fact that you’re the “pack” leader.
And this does not include punishing your dog. Refrain from rubbing their nose into their pees and poos, or calling them “bad doggie” and yelling at them. This is only going to teach them to fear you and soil the house when you’re not around, hence when they consider it “safe”. You don’t want your dog to feel unsafe in your presence. We did yell at Merlin at first. His ears would drop each time, but as soon as the reprimanding was over he was off hiding in some corner and tending to his business. They have no idea what is expected of them and will be unlikely to link the punishment to their mistake.
But what does serve as an effective training method?
One recipe: patience and consistency.
No matter what you choose to train your dog with, be firm, patient and consistent in your teaching methods. After having dropped so many options, I finally found some tips that were working for me. Still, when you consider applying any of the following advice, proceed with care. Always keep in mind the special traits and character of your dog. Different breeds demonstrate alternate reception of teaching methods.
Tip 1
Don’t: Rely on the internet to learn how often your fur-baby will need to go.
Do: Observe your puppy’s bathroom routine and adjust your training tactics to it. You could also use an app to track their pee and poo.
Tip 2
Don’t: Expect to take your pup outside and watch them take care of business within 2 minutes.
Do: Give them sufficient time to finish. Most often it will take a puppy between 15 and 20 minutes to urinate and defecate. Bring a chair, your smartphone, a newspaper or a book and wait patiently.
Tip 3
Don’t: Just unleash them outside to pee and poop while you’re minding your own business inside the house.
Do: Hang a ribbon of bells on the door and tap their paw on it, clearly uttering a short phrase that includes “potty” or “poop”, before proceeding toward the designated bathroom area. This will train the pup to signify that they need to go. You should repeat the phrase you’ve chosen accurately each time.
Tip 4
Don’t: Play with the puppy during bathroom time. Your fur-baby needs to learn to differentiate play from potty.
Do: Resist the urge to pick them up. If you walk around, they will most probably follow you. Try to stand still or sit and don’t budge no matter how hard they rub your leg (If they bite just give them a gentle push, but don’t offer them a toy to use their teeth on instead.)
Tip 5
Don’t: Alter between potty locations.
Do: Make a thorough selection of the bathroom area. Nothing else should be done there, including playing, feeding or talking. Take the weather into consideration. For adult dogs, low or high temperatures are not usually an issue. On the other hand, puppies are more subjective to cold and winter snow might deter their natural bowel movements.
Tip 6
Don’t: Get disappointed and punish the puppy over accidents.
Do: Immediately carry the dog outside to let them finish business and then come back to clean up the mess.
Tip 7
Don’t: Read how-to pages on the internet. Most of them are not actually familiar with the struggle and usually have the intention to promote a product.
Do: Search for individual stories of people that actually succeeded in training their dogs. Pictures are often a sign that the source is genuine.
Housebreaking your dog requires vigilance and consistent effort on your part. Before you decide on which method to use, educate yourself on the characteristics of your pup’s breed. Be adamant in applauding right behavior and teach yourself to ignore accidents. They are part of the deal and also, a fun story to narrate in the future.
Merlin is still under training. He still has accidents sometimes, but now there are also times he barks at the door and rings his bells to give us a sign. It’s certainly a progress, but one we were willing to take right from the beginning. In the end, our love and persistence to keep him won over every other training method.