Beagle's First Night

[Lilys_mommy]

Hello All!
My name is Nicole and this is my first post!! I've been reading a few of the threads for a while and now my questions are coming as the days draw nearer till my puppy Lily comes home!
I am getting a beagle puppy in 10 days (I can hardly contain myself! ) My roommate has an 8 month old beagle and she apparently didn't have too much of a problem with her pup crying at night. But I'm worried because I've heard the opposite on everything else I've researched.

From beagle owners:
What should I expect on the first night? The first week?
We won't crate her at night but I don't want her on the bed either. So I was going to place a doggie bed right next to my bed.

Any advice is wonderful!
Thanks!

[zoe08]

Why are you choosing not to crate? It might be helpful in the potty training process. You can expect some whining the first week, if she doesnt, thats Great! But don't be upset by it cuz it usually happens.

Also be sure you know you will have to get up every few hours in the night to take your pup out to potty.

The first place you take it when you get it home should be the place for it to potty. Take her there and let her potty before you ever take her into the house.

Also make sure you play with the pup LOTS during the day, make sure she has had a lot of playtime and then potty time right before bed time. She will sleep more if she is worn out.

And of course a MUST is to take LOTS of pictures and post them so we can all see your beagle pup!!

And Congratulations!! Looking forward to hearing about her and seeing lots of pics!

And I have a beagle so if you have any questions let me know and I will try to help as best I can!

[Lilys_mommy]

I am going to get a crate but do i have to crate her at night? If i don't will that lengthen the potty training process?

My roommie used the crate as something to keep her pup out of trouble when no one is home...so i wasn't sure if crate training needed to include night time too.

i obviously need more help than i thought.

[zoe08]

I actually haven't crate trained before, but I plan to with my next dog.

I would suggest trying your first night without her in a crate, and see how she does.

Keeping them in a crate is supposed to keep them from pottying as they dont like to potty where they sleep, so when she is in it you should block the crate off to where she just as enough room to go in and turn around. You dont want her to be able to potty in one corner and lay in another.

So you don't have to crate her at night, but you should see how she will act out of the crate at night. Whether she is going to potty on the floor or stay up all night. If she sleeps good on her bed without pottying on the floor then you shouldnt have to crate her at night.

Not really to do with potty training, but are you planning to take her to puppy school?

[Lilys_mommy]

Yes!
I'm excited about Puppy school!!
My aunt took her dog to the Petsmart dog school and she really enjoyed it.

Any suggestions?

[zoe08]

I took Zoe to PetSmart also and liked it a lot! Zoe really liked getting to see the other dogs. You just have to keep in mind she will not learn everything in class. They just teach you how to teach her and work on it at least 30 min a day at home.

My beagle also loves to visit all the dogs in the store, and even met a ferret that she really liked!

[britishbandit]

Yes, please consider using the crate at night. It is a very usefull training tool, as well as getting her used to the crate. Crates are much more that just "containing" a dog. There are numerous threads on here a obout crate training.
Remember also, that not only within the first few weeks, but within the life of the dog, beagles are scent hounds. Walks, the chance to "sniff", go for walks and in general be outside when the weather permits is something this breed enjoys........and needs.
Anyway....Welcome to GP! Please read up on the crate training. It really is a wonderful aid, and not only in potty training. It really has more uses that you'd think at first! I personally would never get a dog again without the use of a crate. It can truly do wonders!

[Lilys_mommy]

Here's the "newest" picture I have of my Baby! I know she will be much bigger when I get her...but i love this picture...it's adorable. I fell in love with her when i saw her.

This is Lily at 4 1/2 Weeks (She's going to be 8 weeks on Sat.)


Edited to add: This picture was deleted at the request of Lilys_mommy.

[froggiedog]

She IS cute! i think that you should use the crate,i've never used it, but zoe08 and britishbandit have made good points. WELCOME TO GP!!!

[Roobear]

I am a big fan of crate training, both of my dogs sleep in their crates at night. Lola, my 8month old beagle mix slept in hers from the very first night we took her home-we put the crate in our bedroom next to our bed. If she cried then we would just stick our hand down into the crate...also you can try putting an article of clothing that you have worn that smells like you, maybe a stuffed animal, and a nice soft blanket in the crate for comfort. Don't be afraid to use the crate, many people think that it's somehow mean to keep them in one but actually the dogs find it comforting and a sense of security. Leave the door open to the crate when she's not in it so she can explore it and have a positive reaction to it, you can even try feeding her in it as well. On that note, I just want to add that your new baby looks soooo cute and I hope everything goes well on your first night

[Lilys_mommy]

Well the boyfriend and i went out yesterday to get all our supplies!! It just made it even more real to get her little ID tag! We got her a life stages crate so that way we have the divider as she grows up! Bunch of toys including a Kong.

This last stretch of week seems so far away...

[IceyBlueSibes]

Also, another thing to remember for crate training is to not "give in" if she does whine. This will only reward the behavior... even if you're telling her to be quiet, or trying to soothe her. When she whines, take her immediately outside to potty. No play time... if she doesn't potty. Take her right back into the crate. If she does potty... praise like it's a big party! But you should never give in, or it will be a habit that will be very hard to break!

I have crate trained 3 of my dogs, and will always use a crate. It's such a wonderful tool! My puppy was potty trained in just a few weeks. We also taught him to "high 5" the door when he needed to go out. As soon as he touched the door, we'd open it and let him out. He picked up on this in just a day and that's his signal for going outside. I recommend crate training to anyone, especially new dog owners.

[Lilys_mommy]

we have a doggie door for the other dog in the house so she will need to learn to use that. I'm hoping she will follow the lead of my roommates dog...hoping is the key word here!

Ok so no acknowledgement on whining unless it's us taking her outside to potty...got it.

[IceyBlueSibes]

I think having another dog around helps alot. When I had gotten our second sibe Denali, we didn't have any trouble potty training her. She learned from Sheiba and Sarge.

[gsp4619]

Congrats!!! What a cutie!!