[BlenderItUp]

Hi all

My beagle has been at different levels of house broken. When i first got him i had him in a cage and taught him to use a pee pad. He was soon out of the cage as i could leave him to room free without fear of him going where he should not. Then one day as i was working at my computer he peed on the ground near my door (one room shed). From that point on he slowly started to stop using the pee pad and swapped to the ground. I put him back in the cage to reteach him but he was big enough to climb the fence and get out. I was then using a leach to get him to go to pee on the pee pad which worked but he started to chew the pee pads. So i gave up on them and started to take him outside, he is train to go when i command him with no problem, and i take him out everytime he wakes up, i get home/leave and when i see him sniffing around. I give him treats after he goes outside and yell at him when i catch him peeing inside (mainly the word outside). He just dose not tell me that he needs to go and is really inconsistent when he needs to go. Most of the inconsistent problems starts when another dog is here (who wont be coming over for awhile), he has gone 6 times in the space of 4 hours (not marking his space, full pees). I just dont know what to do he is just driving me up the wall.

Cheers
Alex

ps. He is 1 year old

 

[BlenderItUp]

some more detail. Im pretty sure he knows he should not be going inside as if i catch him and just yell pickles (his name) at him he will stop peeing and run for the door to be let out. Also to get him more into going outside to pee i put food in his bowel (breakfast and dinner) and then take him out to pee. I do this in a way so he dosent just do a half pee and and then finish it inside after his meal. Not sure if this is working but its helping him to learn a inside command.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Beagles are not easy to house train.

You need to take a step back and get a crate and go back to confinement training and no pee-pads. The issue with pee pads and SOME dogs is that the dog learns to go indoors. You need to train out doors is the place to go. I would hang a bell on the door and every time you take him out YOU ring the bell (he may associate this with need to go out).

Crate him inside and then take him out to pee/poop. I think that, for at least a week, give him NO freedom in the house. He is crated or he is out with you. Period. Reinforce when he is out and goes with good food (like cut up hot dogs). Continue to use a word for peeing (I use a different word for pooping and mine will do both on cue).

After a week of success (all pee and poop outside and NONE in the crate) you can have him outside the crate while in the house, but leash him and watch him. Be vigilant. Get him out frequently. If he makes a mistake do NOT yell. Simply go back to crate only inside and the only freedom is outside.

Make going outside REALLY worth his while with really good food (not kibble). If it takes steak or chicken, well that is what it takes.

Good luck.

 

[RonE]

A second opinion about bell training: I had a beagle that was bell-trained. He would ring the bell to go out. He would also ring ut if were on the phone, eating dinner, sitting on the toilet, taking a shower or just about any time he wanted a bit of attention. It works for some (and I'm actually considering bell-training a new rescue we have) but beware of bell abuse.

 

[Pacificsun]

I'm posting this because other owners may be looking for a solution in this thread. Correcting a wrong habit is very difficult. So it's best to do it correctly from the beginning. A dog will learn only 1 of 2 things. (1) that it must always go outside (in the fresh air). [And by the way it should always be taken outside through the same exit]. Or (2) that the pet gets the option of eliminating either inside or outside! Unfortunately (to a dog) there is no difference between a pee-pad, rug, or an inside floor. Although it seems like some dogs demonstrate a preference (which is untrue, or why mistakes happen). Basically it is a matter of outside (meaning in fresh air, natural outdoor space, greenery, and the scent of other animals) OR underneath YOUR roof! This has to do with instinctive nesting (or den) behavior. While the owner sees the confines of a crate differently than having the freedom of a whole room or the house, .... the dog does not. The use of a crate or an x-pen (even a room) is about your "control" so that the owner can contain the dog UNTIL the owner can take the dog outside! And so that the owner can define and keep the dog on a schedule. A schedule is a cross between allowing the dog to have some sort of "urge" to go, while avoiding discomfort and accidents. So (for a 6+ month old dog) it's basically going ASAP first thing in the morning, mid-day, early evening, and before bedtime. For young puppies, it's always after it eats, as well as strategically during the day, so that the puppy performs on the urge to go, but is never uncomfortable. Taking the dog too frequently and the dog forgets what it is supposed to do. Because it can't associate the "feeling" with the "purpose." And ends up just having a good time with you. Instead you are trying to teach what it needs to do, so that you can praise the behavior. If the dog lives in an apartment without an outside patio, and the owner doesn't want it making mistakes inside, then the owner needs to take the dog outside the house/apartment. Even if it's only to a hedge outside the porch, or to a patch of grass outside the dwelling. Go to the same spot (as it is learning), give a command to (go pee) and reward the behavior the instant it finishes its business! "Good puppy + treat!" One, you're meeting the dog's instinctive behavioral needs (which is eliminating as far beyond his/her den as is practical, which is a matter of marking it's territory, territorially as widely as possible). Two, it is about bonding with your dog so he/she becomes dependent on your direction! And three, creating a rewarding, satisfying relationship (which is on top of what's instinctual for the dog in the first place). What dog doesn't want to perform for praise/attention?? However, know that because this routine is SO demanding on most owners, is why it's so tough to absolutely house train a dog. The ideal is to create an experience where the dog knows to go outsid, by barking at, or scratching on, or ringing a bell near, the exit door!! Which eventually can lead to using a dog door going out to a confined, safe space (yard, patio). This is nice for emergencies, and leaving the dog for extended periods. This teaching routine will always work for a healthy very young puppy and motivated owner!!