Bringing home a new pup

I'd leave him in his safe space when you can't be watching him like a hawk, or when he's sleeping. Otherwise play with him as much as possible, tire him out, and let him cuddle with you on the couch or wherever. It doesn't hurt to have him leashed by your side as you're cooking, etc., -- hook the leash to your belt -- especially as you try to potty train him. That way you can watch for signs when he has to go (sniffing, circling).

I'm torn about bringing his crate/sleeping bed into the bedroom -- I've done both, not getting any sleep with either method, and am not sure what's most beneficial for the dog. Most of the dogs I've taken are rescues from kill shelters and they have major separation issues. The best way to deal: slowly, patiently, leave the dog alone for a few minutes, go into another room, or outside, and come back in when he's quiet.

You have to time it perfectly because he won't be quiet for long. Tell him nicely, patiently, he's a good boy but don't act like it's a big deal. Don't make a big deal when you're leaving either; don't tell him in a high voice to be good, that you'll be back soon. Just go with no fanfare. And keep adding a few minutes to your away time -- five minutes, then 10, then 15, etc. Do this several times every day, building up, again not making it an issue when you leave or return. Eventually he'll learn that you're always coming home.

When he's old enough to have peanut butter, fill a cong toy with globs of it and let him have at it. It'll keep him so busy, he might not even notice you leaving. Also, beagles need lots of intellectual stimulation, so read up on that. Exercise his mind as well as his body and you'll have a happy dog.

 

PB in a Kong toy is a godsend.

Everything GB is saying is right. I was told (I got my dog at 3 months old) to not have him loose if you're not watching his every move.

Also, puppies sleep a LOT. I used to worry about it with Winston, but what i wouldn't give for that now. Also, the first three weeks, I was up pretty much every 2-3 hours to take him out. He was in his crate, and he'd whine, but I wouldn't get out of bed until he barked once. We'd go outside, he'd pee, we'd go back in, I'd go back to bed. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. And now he's housetrained more than he's ever been (took 8 months though). He looks at me and barks when he wants to go outside. I make him jump up on the couch, then we go. Next step is to teach him the bell method (hanging one from the back door) to limit the barking, but at least there's no poop on my floor any more.

 

IJAG and gingerbread continue to give you great advice. I wish I could get my dogs to learn the bell trick.

With what you've said about the breeder I'd get him into see a vet soon for a general health check.

How are you both doing this morning?

 

Do you freeze the PB in the Kong? Try that.

 

Our dog puked on the way home.

 

He actually did really well last night. He passed out around 11 and I wasn't far behind him. He woke me up once at 3 and had just peed and began to cry a bit. I went and laid down next to him till he fell asleep and that was it until 7 this morning.

I took him out to a field behind my apartment this morning and ran around with him for 30 min or so. I don't think he's gotten the concept of sniffing and exploring down quite yet, because all he does is run under my feet and stop and sit next to my leg when I quit moving. But we'll get to that later. I had to go into the office for a few hours, nothing too terribly extreme I hope (two hours), and I did the lie down with him trick till he falls asleep and then quietly leave. I got home and all sounded fine then at the top of the stairs I heard him yelping. I'm hoping that was just because he heard movement close by and started and not that he had been doing it continuously.

Been with him since and he's been fairly calm. He took nearly a 3 hour nap and just woke up, peed then proceeded to roll in it. It's bath time, I suppose.

 

He should never be out of your sight when you're there. As SOON as he starts to pee, pick him up and take him outside. He'll associate it soon. Do not let him finish, but don't yell at him either. You don't want him to be afraid to pee. Just make sure he knows that he's supposed to pee outside.

 

Except for spelling Kong wrong

In case you do have to deal with the poop-eating nightmare, put a little pineapple in his food. It tastes good going down but not on the other end. Behaviorists say this is the best remedy.

Also, if he develops chewing habits that get way out of control, there's a product called Bitter Yuck that works. Spray it on the object, one nibble and the dog won't return.
But ideally, quietly remove from him unacceptable items like shoes, give the pup plenty of acceptable toys of his own and praise praise praise him while he plays with them. Praise him a ton when he's doing anything you like, such as resting calmly, eliminating in the grass, reacting well around other dogs and/or people or just waiting for your command.
Glad you got some sleep last night!

 

Good god, I wish any of those bitter things worked on Winston. I've tried Bitter Apple and Bitter Lime, and he just licked them both up. He's eaten three beds. So now he just gets a blanket to sleep on, though he's also eaten two of those.

 

IJAG, have you tried double-sided sticky tape? Stick it on the object of his affection, and when he goes to lick/bite it, he'll get a mouthful of sticky stuff. It's not enough to hurt him, just dissuade him. I've also heard of people sticky taping balloons to objects, and they pop when the animal tries to do something to the object. (But then, if you have a skittish dog who's fearful of noises, this seems like it would backfire and also kind of cruel.)

I much prefer positive reinforcement -- can't stress enough the benefits of praise praise praising a dog while he's calm and chilling out, though not in a high-pitched voice as that will make him excited. But sometimes they do need negative consequences. Some behaviorists suggest using an air horn when the dog is doing something highly undesirable, although the dog shouldn't see the air horn. It should sound as if it came from the voice of god.

 

The stuff I've seen online says not to use the word "no" because they have no idea what that is. But to instead make this gutteral shout thing. It stops them in their tracks and resets their mind. I tried it when I was at a boarder's house, but Winston didn't react and the guy said because my voice still sounds too friendly. Then he did it and Winston just froze like a little statue. It was AWESOME.

The problem is that he likes (liked, for now, thank god) chewing on my baseboards as well. And that's a lot of sticky tape. My mom has that stuff on the arms of her couch and her animals haven't bothered them.

 

Yeah, they start to think "no" is their name

The same thing with shouting at them when you want the barking to stop.
Person: "Shut up you mongrel!"
Dog: "Loud noise, loud noise, let's all make loud noise!"

DK, It might have been mentioned here or elsewhere, but the minute your pup does something you don't like, don't shout, don't scold, just stand up and walk away. Or at least fold your arms and turn your back. Nothing will be worse to him than losing your attention. (Sorry if I'm repeating another poster's advice -- I'm sleep deprived from watching a neighbor's dog.)