I think it just depends on the dog. My female Sheltie was apparently a breeze, because I don't remember having any issues. Molly, the little Schnauzer mix I have now.......................she STILL has a poo accident once in a while. At least it ain't pee, but still. After all these months, she won't whine to go out, she will ring the bell................. most of the time.:evil: I bought one of the clicker trainer things and obviously besides taking her out more often and regularly, I am going to try that.
I am pretty sure there are some really good threads on here about housetraining and crate training. Your post made me laugh, we have a Lizzie after Lizzie McGuire(and we felt pretty lucky to get away with that).
Don't feel bad, we have to male kittens named Zack and Cory, anyone want to guess where those names came from? lol As far as potty training, I have always felt girls were easier, but that is just me and my experience. I'm a fan of crate training though, at least for the first year. Sheri
I too am a fan of crate training - at least for the first year - BUT if you have small children - crate training IS a MUST! Not just for the help it gives in housebreaking and helping a dog not play beaver and chew everything in the house it shouldn't be, but also for safety and security. No matter how good children are, they can become too much even for puppies - and definitely for older dogs. . .down the road this pup will grow up and while your children will grow and mature as well, you never know when you'll have young guests. . .a small child falling on an arthritic dog, or pestering or surprising a sleeping dog, or one that just might not be feeling 100% could lead to a bite. By having it's crate - the pup/dog has a 'safe haven' - a place to go and get away from the world. If you never take one other piece of advice from me, take this one: Teach your children from day one that the puppies crate is the puppies property - they aren't to stare at the pup in it's crate, they don't put their fingers through the crate openings, they don't rattle the crate. The crate becomes the den of the dog - and when they aren't inside with the door shut - it should be kept open so the pup CAN go inside if they choose. If the kids become too much for the pup, the pup will know it has a place to go and be left alone to get some good sleep. By having a safe place to call it's own, your pup will actually build confidence in itself. I have a rule here - every person who comes here is aware of it - no matter how old they are - IF a dog is in a crate, even if the door is open, leave them alone! Break the rule, you aren't invited back. I follow the same rule - with the exception of opening the crate door to let a dog in or out. I change crate bedding while the dogs are out playing - sort of like a hotel maid When they return to it, it's all fresh.
Some trainers will scold you for letting a pet sleep on any furniture - I however feel that as long as the pet only gets on furniture when it's invited and gets off when you ask, it's fine - but in order for that to work, the pet needs to be trained first. That said, I always tell people who are considering allowing their pet in a bed - will you still want this dog in your bed when it's full grown? Sure a beagle isn't huge, so it's not the same thing per say as allowing a lab puppy up and suddenly it becomes an 80 pound bed hog - but IF you have a breed that isn't groomed on a real regular basis - no matter how much you brush it, it's gonna leave dirty marks where it sleeps and putting down a towel or small blanket rarely stays in place. Until the pup is well trained and goes a good month without any accidents at all, it should stay in it's crate overnight. My guys vary in size, but with all of them in bed it's about 180 pounds of dogs - they are groomed every 6-8 weeks, and brushed in between, so they stay pretty clean. . .eat the garlic/brewers yeast mixture, so shedding is kept in check - still it's a lot of dog in the bed. If I only had one and was starting all over again - I wouldn't do it. But, that's me. . .live and learn - see I let the first dog on the bed, and then when the second one came - how could I allow one and not the other. . .then dog number 3 came. . .it just grew and grew. . .oh I forgot, 1 cat usually climbs aboard as well. . .her purring is about to drive me crazy, but she's over 17 now and what can I say? I need a custom bed, king just ain't cutting it. No - two crates won't confuse it, so long as the crate it's in for bedtime and while the entire family is gone is the same crate. What it might use during the day will not confuse him/her.
For the whole food discussion including garlic, see this thread http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=22888&highlight=garlic I would never allow my guys to drink tap water - bottled or filtered is all they get - it doesn't have to be distilled like fish and reptiles require - many people on here use filtered/bottled only and I'd say about 50% of my clients do as well - think about it - all the pet drinks is water. . .their systems are so much smaller than a human and they don't perspire - so their kidneys have to flush out everything - too many cases of cancer in animals these days. I'm a freak about food/water and not using crap like Frontline - which is a poison when you think about it. Over a decade of not touching commercially prepared junk - all natural and healthy critters to show for it. I may preach a ton of stuff, but I practice what I preach 8) oh and a link specifically discussing garlic http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=16681&highlight=garlic&page=2 There are links on this last link to more info worth checking out - as the topics get resurrected often and sometimes it's easier to just refer back.
My dogs don't sleep in my bed at all. Not even the cats. It's bad enough I have 3 of my parrots in there lol (not in the bed) Years ago I did let the animals sleep with me, but now I'm like that is my bed and the only room in the house that doesn't have dog and cat hair in it. Now they do get on the furniture, they are small dogs 2 pugs and 1 Chihuahua. Yeah I have to clean the couch every other week. But, I deal with it. If your wearing dark colors don't sit on the couch lol. I have taken down the crates and they no longer use them. My pugs are 4 and 5 years old and the Chihuahua is almost a year. Sheri
I was BAD and let the dog sleep with me last night. DH was out of town. I am sure she will fuss tonight when she has to go back to the crate.
Well, I do not know anything about Bulldogs, but I do know ALOT about beagles. I'm an owner of a beagle, who just turned one year old. He is my second beagle. The first one I had died of old age. Yes, it is true that beagles like to howl, bark, chase, sniff all the time. It is their personality traits. If you don't have a fenced backyard and lives in a home with other houses surrounding you, then owning a beagle is not a wise idea. Trust me on this one. I had to force selling my home 3 years ago because my neighbor called the police/animal control about barking nuisance. I got citation for that. Since my beagle is my baby and I would never give him up for adoption because of an angry neighbor, I decided to sell my house and move here with a bigger backyard and no houses too close here. We are very happy now. Beagles are GREAT with children. (picture is my Fleagle, who was 4 months old at that time)
I have 3 pure bred dogs and 3 mixed breeds Love each and every one of them, however my mix breeds seemed to be more even tempered and loveable, not to say the others arnt just that my mutts seem to have less issues, quirks , food alergies, ..........honestly go to shelter rescue a needy dog or go to petsmart on weekends they usualy have beautiful dogs needing a home, have had dogs my entire life and we always let the dog choose us, its a companion and new member of the family, when you see the right dog it will just feel right! good luck with your new family member! our next dog will be a rescue for sure.
What a great post! Seems like so many people give their pups up at the drop of a hat! Fleagle is adorable...and I like your avatar, too.
