Hi folks -
Been reading through the threads and appreciate all the great
information found here (and definitely don't appreciate the crazies who
post incoherent messages :-)).

We brought home a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. She is now 10
weeks old and we love her to death. She has been remarkably well
behaved and is training well. I wanted to run by this group what we are
doing to housetrain her and get any feedback.

Here's the current setup:

1) Sleeps in the crate at night, in our bedroom. We let her out
around 9:00p and go to bed around 10-10:30p. Usually around 4:00 or
so I can hear her rustling so I take her right outside, she pees and
then I put her back in the crate. She sleeps the rest of the night
until 6:00 or so when I let her out again. I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate? She would have made it through the entire night the other
night, if I weren't nervous and insisted she go out. :-)

2) We feed her in the morning and immediately take her out
afterwards. Sometimes she does her business, sometimes not. Usually
she does, though.

3) When we are home during the day/early evening, we let her stay in
the living room with us and we let her out every couple of hours. So
far we've only had 1-2 accidents, and it has only been when she has
bolted up to the bedroom (where it's carpeted) and she's gone really
fast before we could catch her.

4) During the day, while we are at work, we leave her contained
within the kitchen. Her crate is there, but open, so she can sleep
and then there is a litter box with a piddle pad. She has been using
the piddle pad exceptionally well during the day, and has had no
accidents outside of that area.

Given that we can't not work, we read that the piddle pad/litter box
was the best solution for when we can't be with her for extended
periods of time. I can't see leaving her in the crate with the door
closed for 8-10 hours a day. It seems cruel and she is too little to
hold it that long. I'd rather her go in the litter box then on the
floor and since she is a small beagle, it's not messy at all.

She doesn't really "ask" to go out when we are home we just take her
every couple of hours. Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that? She whines now in the crate when
she has to go, which is good.
Thoughts on our approach so far?

Thanks,
--Dan

"Dan Miller" wrote:
I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate?

Hard to say. Some puppies make it through the night as young as 6 weeks old.
Others (like my bc) don't seem to have the control until around 5 months.

In general, a dog can hold it Age In Months + 1. For example, an 8 week old
puppy can go 3 hours. But much of this depends on the dog's activity level.
While sleeping, the pup's metabolism slows down and he may be able to sleep
through the night without having to go. When he's up and active, he may have
to go every 15 minutes.

Madigan would wake up several times throughout the night, so I would have to
take her out.

Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

She'll find a way to tell you she has to go, but you might have to be sharp to
figure it out. :} MacKenzie scratches at the door. Madigan puts her paw on my
arm. Murphy waits until I'm near the door, then just walks over to it and
looks at me. Holy Smoke used to stare into my eyes.

Thoughts on our approach so far?

Sounds good. However, you may want to read some of the threads on the
controversy over use of a puppy pad. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html

"Dan Miller" wrote:
I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate?

Hard to say. Some puppies make it through the night as young as 6 weeks old.
Others (like my bc) don't seem to have the control until around 5 months.

In general, a dog can hold it Age In Months + 1. For example, an 8 week old
puppy can go 3 hours. But much of this depends on the dog's activity level.
While sleeping, the pup's metabolism slows down and he may be able to sleep
through the night without having to go. When he's up and active, he may have
to go every 15 minutes.

Madigan would wake up several times throughout the night, so I would have to
take her out.

Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

She'll find a way to tell you she has to go, but you might have to be sharp to
figure it out. :} MacKenzie scratches at the door. Madigan puts her paw on my
arm. Murphy waits until I'm near the door, then just walks over to it and
looks at me. Holy Smoke used to stare into my eyes.

Thoughts on our approach so far?

Sounds good. However, you may want to read some of the threads on the
controversy over use of a puppy pad. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html

"Dan Miller" wrote:
I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate?

Hard to say. Some puppies make it through the night as young as 6 weeks old.
Others (like my bc) don't seem to have the control until around 5 months.

In general, a dog can hold it Age In Months + 1. For example, an 8 week old
puppy can go 3 hours. But much of this depends on the dog's activity level.
While sleeping, the pup's metabolism slows down and he may be able to sleep
through the night without having to go. When he's up and active, he may have
to go every 15 minutes.

Madigan would wake up several times throughout the night, so I would have to
take her out.

Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

She'll find a way to tell you she has to go, but you might have to be sharp to
figure it out. :} MacKenzie scratches at the door. Madigan puts her paw on my
arm. Murphy waits until I'm near the door, then just walks over to it and
looks at me. Holy Smoke used to stare into my eyes.

Thoughts on our approach so far?

Sounds good. However, you may want to read some of the threads on the
controversy over use of a puppy pad. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html

"Dan Miller" wrote:
I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate?

Hard to say. Some puppies make it through the night as young as 6 weeks old.
Others (like my bc) don't seem to have the control until around 5 months.

In general, a dog can hold it Age In Months + 1. For example, an 8 week old
puppy can go 3 hours. But much of this depends on the dog's activity level.
While sleeping, the pup's metabolism slows down and he may be able to sleep
through the night without having to go. When he's up and active, he may have
to go every 15 minutes.

Madigan would wake up several times throughout the night, so I would have to
take her out.

Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

She'll find a way to tell you she has to go, but you might have to be sharp to
figure it out. :} MacKenzie scratches at the door. Madigan puts her paw on my
arm. Murphy waits until I'm near the door, then just walks over to it and
looks at me. Holy Smoke used to stare into my eyes.

Thoughts on our approach so far?

Sounds good. However, you may want to read some of the threads on the
controversy over use of a puppy pad. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html

"Dan Miller" wrote:
I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate?

Hard to say. Some puppies make it through the night as young as 6 weeks old.
Others (like my bc) don't seem to have the control until around 5 months.

In general, a dog can hold it Age In Months + 1. For example, an 8 week old
puppy can go 3 hours. But much of this depends on the dog's activity level.
While sleeping, the pup's metabolism slows down and he may be able to sleep
through the night without having to go. When he's up and active, he may have
to go every 15 minutes.

Madigan would wake up several times throughout the night, so I would have to
take her out.

Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

She'll find a way to tell you she has to go, but you might have to be sharp to
figure it out. :} MacKenzie scratches at the door. Madigan puts her paw on my
arm. Murphy waits until I'm near the door, then just walks over to it and
looks at me. Holy Smoke used to stare into my eyes.

Thoughts on our approach so far?

Sounds good. However, you may want to read some of the threads on the
controversy over use of a puppy pad. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html

"Dan Miller" wrote in message
...
Hi folks -
Been reading through the threads and appreciate all the great
information found here (and definitely don't appreciate the crazies who
post incoherent messages :-)).

I suggest a kill file. It cuts down on the noise ratio tremendously.

We brought home a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. She is now 10
weeks old and we love her to death.

Aww. It's been a very long time since I got beagle puppy kisses. Beagle
puppies are the cutest puppies in the world.

I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate? She would have made it through the entire night the other
night, if I weren't nervous and insisted she go out. :-)

It will happen on its own. In the meantime, you'll probably both sleep
better if you take her out when either one of you gets restless. She's
probably very close to making it through the night and if you just let it
continue the way it is, you'll wake up some morning at 6AM and realize that
you both slept right through. Three months sounds about right but don't
worry if it takes four.

3) When we are home during the day/early evening, we let her stay in
the living room with us and we let her out every couple of hours. So
far we've only had 1-2 accidents,

You are doing *very* well. She may regress at some point (or not) but stay
determined and consistent and she'll get it.

Given that we can't not work, we read that the piddle pad/litter box
was the best solution for when we can't be with her for extended
periods of time. I can't see leaving her in the crate with the door
closed for 8-10 hours a day. It seems cruel and she is too little to
hold it that long. I'd rather her go in the litter box then on the
floor and since she is a small beagle, it's not messy at all.

Probably at some point, you'll be able to eliminate the pads. She's
probably sleeping most of the day anyway while you're gone. If it were me,
and there were the opportunity to only be gone for half that long on some
occasion, I'd try her (maybe wait until she's six months old or so) without
leaving the pads out. She may go to the spot, in which case you'll want to
return the pads. But you may find that she's holding it longer and longer
as she's maturing. Eventually, she should be able to hold it 8 hours. Ten
sounds uncomfortable to me but I'm sure there are dogs that do it.

She doesn't really "ask" to go out when we are home we just take her
every couple of hours. Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

I've had dogs that never whined or scratched at the door. The two I have
now will only if they are really desperate. Our last dog never asked. He
just waited. Sometimes he would wait by the door and you had to notice him
there and let him out. The two we have now ask more and more so it may just
come with age.

Enjoy your puppy. It sounds like you are doing just fine. Be sure to
remember that she is still a baby and there are going to be mistakes while
she learns. And while you learn. If there's a mistake, it's just that.
She's trying to understand just what you strange humans want and a lot of it
makes no sense to her. But you've got fifteen years to figure each other
out and get it right.
--
~~Judy
When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.

"Dan Miller" wrote in message
...
Hi folks -
Been reading through the threads and appreciate all the great
information found here (and definitely don't appreciate the crazies who
post incoherent messages :-)).

I suggest a kill file. It cuts down on the noise ratio tremendously.

We brought home a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. She is now 10
weeks old and we love her to death.

Aww. It's been a very long time since I got beagle puppy kisses. Beagle
puppies are the cutest puppies in the world.

I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate? She would have made it through the entire night the other
night, if I weren't nervous and insisted she go out. :-)

It will happen on its own. In the meantime, you'll probably both sleep
better if you take her out when either one of you gets restless. She's
probably very close to making it through the night and if you just let it
continue the way it is, you'll wake up some morning at 6AM and realize that
you both slept right through. Three months sounds about right but don't
worry if it takes four.

3) When we are home during the day/early evening, we let her stay in
the living room with us and we let her out every couple of hours. So
far we've only had 1-2 accidents,

You are doing *very* well. She may regress at some point (or not) but stay
determined and consistent and she'll get it.

Given that we can't not work, we read that the piddle pad/litter box
was the best solution for when we can't be with her for extended
periods of time. I can't see leaving her in the crate with the door
closed for 8-10 hours a day. It seems cruel and she is too little to
hold it that long. I'd rather her go in the litter box then on the
floor and since she is a small beagle, it's not messy at all.

Probably at some point, you'll be able to eliminate the pads. She's
probably sleeping most of the day anyway while you're gone. If it were me,
and there were the opportunity to only be gone for half that long on some
occasion, I'd try her (maybe wait until she's six months old or so) without
leaving the pads out. She may go to the spot, in which case you'll want to
return the pads. But you may find that she's holding it longer and longer
as she's maturing. Eventually, she should be able to hold it 8 hours. Ten
sounds uncomfortable to me but I'm sure there are dogs that do it.

She doesn't really "ask" to go out when we are home we just take her
every couple of hours. Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

I've had dogs that never whined or scratched at the door. The two I have
now will only if they are really desperate. Our last dog never asked. He
just waited. Sometimes he would wait by the door and you had to notice him
there and let him out. The two we have now ask more and more so it may just
come with age.

Enjoy your puppy. It sounds like you are doing just fine. Be sure to
remember that she is still a baby and there are going to be mistakes while
she learns. And while you learn. If there's a mistake, it's just that.
She's trying to understand just what you strange humans want and a lot of it
makes no sense to her. But you've got fifteen years to figure each other
out and get it right.
--
~~Judy
When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.

"Dan Miller" wrote in message
...
Hi folks -
Been reading through the threads and appreciate all the great
information found here (and definitely don't appreciate the crazies who
post incoherent messages :-)).

I suggest a kill file. It cuts down on the noise ratio tremendously.

We brought home a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. She is now 10
weeks old and we love her to death.

Aww. It's been a very long time since I got beagle puppy kisses. Beagle
puppies are the cutest puppies in the world.

I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate? She would have made it through the entire night the other
night, if I weren't nervous and insisted she go out. :-)

It will happen on its own. In the meantime, you'll probably both sleep
better if you take her out when either one of you gets restless. She's
probably very close to making it through the night and if you just let it
continue the way it is, you'll wake up some morning at 6AM and realize that
you both slept right through. Three months sounds about right but don't
worry if it takes four.

3) When we are home during the day/early evening, we let her stay in
the living room with us and we let her out every couple of hours. So
far we've only had 1-2 accidents,

You are doing *very* well. She may regress at some point (or not) but stay
determined and consistent and she'll get it.

Given that we can't not work, we read that the piddle pad/litter box
was the best solution for when we can't be with her for extended
periods of time. I can't see leaving her in the crate with the door
closed for 8-10 hours a day. It seems cruel and she is too little to
hold it that long. I'd rather her go in the litter box then on the
floor and since she is a small beagle, it's not messy at all.

Probably at some point, you'll be able to eliminate the pads. She's
probably sleeping most of the day anyway while you're gone. If it were me,
and there were the opportunity to only be gone for half that long on some
occasion, I'd try her (maybe wait until she's six months old or so) without
leaving the pads out. She may go to the spot, in which case you'll want to
return the pads. But you may find that she's holding it longer and longer
as she's maturing. Eventually, she should be able to hold it 8 hours. Ten
sounds uncomfortable to me but I'm sure there are dogs that do it.

She doesn't really "ask" to go out when we are home we just take her
every couple of hours. Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

I've had dogs that never whined or scratched at the door. The two I have
now will only if they are really desperate. Our last dog never asked. He
just waited. Sometimes he would wait by the door and you had to notice him
there and let him out. The two we have now ask more and more so it may just
come with age.

Enjoy your puppy. It sounds like you are doing just fine. Be sure to
remember that she is still a baby and there are going to be mistakes while
she learns. And while you learn. If there's a mistake, it's just that.
She's trying to understand just what you strange humans want and a lot of it
makes no sense to her. But you've got fifteen years to figure each other
out and get it right.
--
~~Judy
When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.

"Dan Miller" wrote in message
...
Hi folks -
Been reading through the threads and appreciate all the great
information found here (and definitely don't appreciate the crazies who
post incoherent messages :-)).

I suggest a kill file. It cuts down on the noise ratio tremendously.

We brought home a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. She is now 10
weeks old and we love her to death.

Aww. It's been a very long time since I got beagle puppy kisses. Beagle
puppies are the cutest puppies in the world.

I'm told at three months
or so she should be able to make it through the night. Is this
accurate? She would have made it through the entire night the other
night, if I weren't nervous and insisted she go out. :-)

It will happen on its own. In the meantime, you'll probably both sleep
better if you take her out when either one of you gets restless. She's
probably very close to making it through the night and if you just let it
continue the way it is, you'll wake up some morning at 6AM and realize that
you both slept right through. Three months sounds about right but don't
worry if it takes four.

3) When we are home during the day/early evening, we let her stay in
the living room with us and we let her out every couple of hours. So
far we've only had 1-2 accidents,

You are doing *very* well. She may regress at some point (or not) but stay
determined and consistent and she'll get it.

Given that we can't not work, we read that the piddle pad/litter box
was the best solution for when we can't be with her for extended
periods of time. I can't see leaving her in the crate with the door
closed for 8-10 hours a day. It seems cruel and she is too little to
hold it that long. I'd rather her go in the litter box then on the
floor and since she is a small beagle, it's not messy at all.

Probably at some point, you'll be able to eliminate the pads. She's
probably sleeping most of the day anyway while you're gone. If it were me,
and there were the opportunity to only be gone for half that long on some
occasion, I'd try her (maybe wait until she's six months old or so) without
leaving the pads out. She may go to the spot, in which case you'll want to
return the pads. But you may find that she's holding it longer and longer
as she's maturing. Eventually, she should be able to hold it 8 hours. Ten
sounds uncomfortable to me but I'm sure there are dogs that do it.

She doesn't really "ask" to go out when we are home we just take her
every couple of hours. Will there come a time when she whines at the
door and she'll just know to do that?

I've had dogs that never whined or scratched at the door. The two I have
now will only if they are really desperate. Our last dog never asked. He
just waited. Sometimes he would wait by the door and you had to notice him
there and let him out. The two we have now ask more and more so it may just
come with age.

Enjoy your puppy. It sounds like you are doing just fine. Be sure to
remember that she is still a baby and there are going to be mistakes while
she learns. And while you learn. If there's a mistake, it's just that.
She's trying to understand just what you strange humans want and a lot of it
makes no sense to her. But you've got fifteen years to figure each other
out and get it right.
--
~~Judy
When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.