OT--I got a dog today

[Buffalo Fan]

My in laws brought my wife an 8 week old beagle puppy as a graduation gift from grad school. The dog arrived at 5:30pm and is now asleep. I have a sense that i will be overwhelmed, but at this point, i'm really friggin happy. I went and bought the dog a kennel with a divider, a bed thing for inside the kennel, another bed thing for the living room, a bunch of toys, bowls for food and water, and treats. The dog has gone to the bathroom a few times outside and a couple times inside on the kitchen floor. I've never raised a dog before, but i do know that I have to kennel train her, housebreak her, and leash train her. So far, the biggest issue is the mother-in-law, but that's a different story. She wants the dog to sleep in our bed and stuff so he won't whine. I want the dog in the kennel tonight. It will be interesting till they all go home on monday. Anyone have any pointers as to what to do with a baby baby dog and specifically a beagle?

 

 

Be sure to do the same training for the mother-in-law....I kid, of course.

 

Dogs are great

 

Be consistant, just like with kids. Routine for them is good.

[Corp000085]

Well, we're 3 days in and i can already tell that the dog is getting attached to me. I've had her in the kennel at nights and she hasn't gone to the bathroom in it and only whined the first night. She was in there about 7 hours or so with no accidents. She's peed a few times on the carpet but only if she's been unsupervised or really excited. All is well. She's a bit nippy right now, but we've got toys for her to chew on. We just have to train her to chew on her toys and not our ankles. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think that she's showing signs of being housebroken in regards to pooping. I've caught her a couple times sniffing and whining, then coming to me and whining really hard. Every time she's done that, i've taken her out and she laid down a log as big as her body. I will try the leash when the family leaves and we need to get a vet appointment asap. she's had all of her shots that she needs so far, but i want to get her started somewhere soon.

[Strow]

All is sounding good and the potty training looks like its going well so far. The nipping is had to control when they are young and still have puppy teeth but they tend to grow out of it. Its always a good idea to get a new puppy to the vet within the first week to make sure everything is good.

[Corp000085]

To hit on a few points.... Exiled, I have not been able to fix my hose bibs. I've tried about everything. My father in law put down some electrical tape to jimmy the hose on so he can wash his car, and it stopped up the water. I've got 2 2' sections of hose that go to reels. I was thinking about slathering plumbers putty on the bib threads and just screwing down tight and leaving the small hose sections attached tot he front and back permanently. Then i can screw the reel into each hose section. Hey, it beats hiring a plumber.

 

 

My wife and i continued to argue over pissing all over the kitchen but being allowed to roam free during the work day (her plan) or keeping her kenneled up during the work day without the accidents to clean up (my plan). My wife got the joy of cleaning up her first steamer today, and my theory won out for tomorrow.

 

She's nippy and requires constant supervision because she pisses when she's excited. With that said, she'll come to my voice and follows me around. I'm becoming more and more confident that she's recognizing me as her master.

 

As for the food, she was eating 2-3 scoops of iams canned puppy food with about 1/8 cup of smart choice puppy food. I have done my research on food and realize that meat needs to be the #1 ingredient, which it is not with smart choice. So, i've been adding some purina one puppy food into the mix too. She usually eats in two to three batches twice per day. Hopefully she'll begin to chow down her food in one sitting. I have not been removing it from her though since she's so small.

 

I've talked to numerous dog owners and they say that the best way to train them is to reward with treats (i am a psych minor... I've had to write papers on ivan pavlov. that's one thing i know for a fact). We've started telling bailey

"go to bed" as the command to enter her kennel. She's rewarded for that. Also, we've started smacking her if she starts to go and we catch her. That works. We also push her head down if she nips. That doesn't seem to work yet, but i've been told that giving one stern "no" followed by a physical prompt of pushing her head down that this will work (ironically, there's one behavioral learning theory applied to autistic children that requires a 1-to-1 correspondence with command and action. Two verbal prompts followed by a physical prompt is the protocol. I really hate to say it, but working with special ed kids is sorta like working with my dog).

 

Anyways, here's a picture of Bailey and her master. Nevermind my sunburn and pimped out Hawaiian shirt.

[ExiledInIllinois]

To hit on a few points.... Exiled, I have not been able to fix my hose bibs. I've tried about everything. My father in law put down some electrical tape to jimmy the hose on so he can wash his car, and it stopped up the water. I've got 2 2' sections of hose that go to reels. I was thinking about slathering plumbers putty on the bib threads and just screwing down tight and leaving the small hose sections attached tot he front and back permanently. Then i can screw the reel into each hose section. Hey, it beats hiring a plumber.

My wife and i continued to argue over pissing all over the kitchen but being allowed to roam free during the work day (her plan) or keeping her kenneled up during the work day without the accidents to clean up (my plan). My wife got the joy of cleaning up her first steamer today, and my theory won out for tomorrow.

 

She's nippy and requires constant supervision because she pisses when she's excited. With that said, she'll come to my voice and follows me around. I'm becoming more and more confident that she's recognizing me as her master.

 

As for the food, she was eating 2-3 scoops of iams canned puppy food with about 1/8 cup of smart choice puppy food. I have done my research on food and realize that meat needs to be the #1 ingredient, which it is not with smart choice. So, i've been adding some purina one puppy food into the mix too. She usually eats in two to three batches twice per day. Hopefully she'll begin to chow down her food in one sitting. I have not been removing it from her though since she's so small.

 

I've talked to numerous dog owners and they say that the best way to train them is to reward with treats (i am a psych minor... I've had to write papers on ivan pavlov. that's one thing i know for a fact). We've started telling bailey

"go to bed" as the command to enter her kennel. She's rewarded for that. Also, we've started smacking her if she starts to go and we catch her. That works. We also push her head down if she nips. That doesn't seem to work yet, but i've been told that giving one stern "no" followed by a physical prompt of pushing her head down that this will work (ironically, there's one behavioral learning theory applied to autistic children that requires a 1-to-1 correspondence with command and action. Two verbal prompts followed by a physical prompt is the protocol. I really hate to say it, but working with special ed kids is sorta like working with my dog).

 

Anyways, here's a picture of Bailey and her master. Nevermind my sunburn and pimped out Hawaiian shirt.

 

Fine dog!

 

Off Topic: Have you tried the adapter route? You know the one I suggested with the vac breaker? You can take plumber's EPOXY putty (not JUST regular plumber's putty, big difference: Epoxy will harden and you will be able to cut or thread to it and it will be permanent!

 

Basically... Put the epoxy putty on the broken bibb threads lightly... Then screw/jam :blush: the adapter/vac breaker on... Let it fully cure (it will cure wet or underwater but it is better to have no pressure and water on it if you can... Speeds up hardening time)... Then pack the back of the adapter threads were it meets the bibb with more epoxy... Make it look neat! If you are bondiing to brass or bronze, it will harden like steel!

 

Be advised, when you knead the putty together, you will only have about 5 minutes work time before it hardens like a rock! This putty comes in grey and it also now comes in copper color (neatly matches up to the brass/broze/copper)... It has two parts, putty on the outside and hardener on the inside... Knead together to form a uniform color... You will feel it heat up!!

 

This stuff is multi-purpose... You can fix gas tanks and pools with it... It hardens like steel and will adhere to everything except some plastics like polyprop (etc...)... If you are using in on an active wet situation, use a baggy to press the stuff on so as not to get it sticking to your fingers or prying away... Also, under wet condition, hold it with tape for 24 hours... But, a hose bibb should be easy, since you can keep it dry and it will harden in minutes!

 

You might get a few pin hole leaks through the threads when turned on, but who cares? It is outside.

 

Again... You can also find the right die that matches up with standard hose threads (I think they are tapered?) and recut... But this adapter root seems like the EASIEST AND CHEAPEST... You will also have the added protection of the vac breaker (that is so say soemthing like fertilizer doesn't back into your potable water supplt... And is required by all new codes).

 

Good luck and don't get the putty stuck to the puppy (well at least the moving puppy!)

 

:D

[That Aud Smell]

I've talked to numerous dog owners and they say that the best way to train them is to reward with treats (i am a psych minor... I've had to write papers on ivan pavlov. that's one thing i know for a fact). We've started telling bailey "go to bed" as the command to enter her kennel. She's rewarded for that. Also, we've started smacking her if she starts to go and we catch her. That works. We also push her head down if she nips. That doesn't seem to work yet, but i've been told that giving one stern "no" followed by a physical prompt of pushing her head down that this will work (ironically, there's one behavioral learning theory applied to autistic children that requires a 1-to-1 correspondence with command and action. Two verbal prompts followed by a physical prompt is the protocol. I really hate to say it, but working with special ed kids is sorta like working with my dog).

 

i've heard that predictable positive reinforcement can do wonders in securing the sorts of behaviors that you want -- and that goes for animals and people. i read a humorous essay by a lady who trains marine mammals in california -- she was having some tough times getting along with her husband at home -- not big stuff, mind you, just the day to day annoyances -- so she started applying some of the same principles from her work to life at home and reportedly met with great success (principally: she began ignoring undesirable behavior as much as possible and rewarding desirable behavior).

 

Anyways, here's a picture of Bailey and her master. Nevermind my sunburn and pimped out Hawaiian shirt.

 

good lookin' dog.

[Strow]

Potty training is really what works best for you and the family. You have the paper training which is leaving Baily in the kitchen with newspaper down or kennel/crate training. I prefer the kennel training as the dog learns to hold it longer than just going on the paper in the house. I really didn't like the idea of getting my dog used to going inside on paper and then moving the paper towards the door. I still give my dog a treat after she goes outside on her walks the treat reward her for that. Also its a very good to do that with the bed too. We tried to get my dog to not cry in her kennel when we left by giving her a treat but she was too smart for that. The "happy" pee does go away after a few years. I had to clean up pee for 2 months right when I came home and she got out of her kennel. Also we tried to have her meet people outside so she didn't keep going on the couch or rug. Good job with the food getting ones that have meat as the first part of the food is the best, I wouldn't worry about him eatting a little at a time. I would suggest you touch him while he is eatting and play with his food dish to see if he has food issues but it sounds like he doesn't if he isn't eatting all at once. One last thought I have added hand motions with the treat giving because my dog doesn't always respond to voice commands might be a good idea with Baily who is very cute by the way. Keep up the good work :thumbsup:

[shrader]

Corp, I don't know how true it is, but I've heard several times that one word commands are the best way to go. That "go to bed" could be a bit much. I have an aunt who does a lot of work with St. Bernards and its always "name, command" with her and her dogs are usually well under control.

[That Aud Smell]

Corp, I don't know how true it is, but I've heard several times that one word commands are the best way to go. That "go to bed" could be a bit much. I have an aunt who does a lot of work with St. Bernards and its always "name, command" with her and her dogs are usually well under control.

i can concur with this actually - my brother has trained dogs in the past (very well, i would say) - and, as i recall, all of his commands are of the one word variety - so, for "guinness [one of his labs], go get in your crate", it's just "guinness - crate".

[Bmwolf21]

In training our boxer mix we found he was very treat (reward) oriented, so we went through a lot of Pup-Peroni treats (they're pretty good for training, as an individual stick can be broken up into 5 or 6 decent-sized rewards and they satisfied the trainers' recommendation of using "soft and stinky" treats.) We used the treats for reinforcing everything - the training classes at PetSmart, housebreaking, crate training, everything.

 

As for the verbal commands - most of our commands were taught as two-word phrases with one-word commands - [name] then "come," "sit," "stay," "down," "off," "wave," "settle," "shake" - except for his crate training, which we said "crate time" (but I think we might have said it quick enough that it sounded like one word.)

[McJeff215]

This is great I wish I could forster dogs.

 

 

My wife and I did. Once. Basset Hound Rescue of GA. Three years later, that foster dog still lives with us!

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Beagles are the best Corp. They tend to stay puppy longer than other breeds. Our first two we got from a breeder friend and until they were about 3 they tended to be very puppy. The terrible twos are lost of fun. Our latest were both rescues and didnt know exact ages however each was over 2 and still had many puppy tendencies.

 

 

Key is be patient and play with them alot. Please also ensure you have a high (5 feet )fenced in yard beagles and invisible fences generally dont work well, they get on a scent and forget the shock.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Corp, I don't know how true it is, but I've heard several times that one word commands are the best way to go. That "go to bed" could be a bit much. I have an aunt who does a lot of work with St. Bernards and its always "name, command" with her and her dogs are usually well under control.

mine understand cookie but also understand "get in the kennel" not actual kennel just a bed in the kitchen. Naturally a cookie is given each time they go in. beagles are food driven so use lots of treats as part of the reward program but be patient they are a little harder than some other breeds.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Corp one other beagle training guide is to get them on a schedule and you will have to learn that and work with them toward yours. Ours go out before breakfast and do their deeds than can come in for eats. Also after dinner about 1 hour later we send them out again and also before bed. Some people crate train and have good luck but beagles being hunters dont mind stinking so they may go in the crate and roll in it to get them good a stinky. Also they love to roll in dead bugs and anything else in the yard, but I would never have any other dog except a beagle.

 

For those interested in beagles in the NC area see tribeagles.org its a rescue org and in NC alot of beagles are found at the end of hunting season, you can get puppies but mostly adults. All they need is a loving home and will become great pets.

[BetweenThePipes00]

How are they with kids? My wife and I have talked about getting a beagle eventually, but not for a while, our son is just a month old ...

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

How are they with kids? My wife and I have talked about getting a beagle eventually, but not for a while, our son is just a month old ...

My brother had a beagle when his kids were little 4,2 and 10 months. The dog and kids did great, beagles are great with kids. My first two had never seen kids until visiting my brother once and immediately warmed to all the tugging on ears etc. Just have to teach the kids and dogs whose stuff is whos. beagles love to cuddle with the kids at night

[Corp000085]

Wow, this thread has taken off quite a bit... Thanks for all the advice. This morning's concern involves her food. Bailey just doesn't have much interest in eating. Both yesterday and this morning, she barely touched her food. She's still full of energy and poops, but she just won't eat much at all. Something to worry about, or something to hold off for the vet (appointment scheduled for wednesday afternoon)