I think I have previously mentioned that my parents are going to be adopting a beagle from the vet school where my sister is studying. They may get the dog as soon as the last week of April, and I’d like to provide my parents with books or other resources to help them out. Here are the details as I know them:
The dog is a 7-year old beagle named Jake. He is neutered and vaccinated and been poked and prodded at by any number of people over the past 7 years, as his job was to help train vet students. For safety reasons in the kennel, there is no reason to think he might have any of those transmittable diseases people worry about when they get a new dog; so let’s just say he’s in perfect health and his medical history is well known.
He is a kennel dog, so while he is “clean” in his area, I wouldn’t count on him being 100% housetrained. He knows many tricks such as sit and paw and lie down and “twirl” and whatever else people tried to teach him, and most people’s comments about him are that he “clearly just wants to please you”, which suggests that he will be relatively easy to train/adapt to a new environment. He is harness and leash trained, or at least reasonably so.
My family has had dogs before (2 golden retrievers, one at a time) but they were bought as puppies and trained somewhat half-assedly (though they were always very well behaved!), and I’m sure this will be a different experience! They currently have a cat, though despite the fact that she is nearly 15 years old, I’m fairly sure that she’d kick his ass in a heartbeat. My mom will be home most of the summer (she’s a teacher) so there will be a lot of time for him to adapt with people at home with him.
I think crate training Jake is definitely the way to go. He will feel most at home in a crate, and my parents won’t have to worry about him becoming destructive when they have to leave him alone. When I suggested it, though, my parents seemed a little doubtful, since they have this idea that a dog is happiest when they have a lot of room to run and play in. My parents have a big house, and a fenced-in back yard, so when they are there, or when it’s playtime, the dog has plenty of space, but I think nighttime and when they are at work would be best with a crate.
I’d like to get them a bit of a “getting a dog soon” gift, which would include a book (or books) regarding training an older dog, and maybe a clicker to see about clicker training, and if I can afford it, possibly the crate as well.
So I guess my questions are the following:
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Would you recommend crate training a kennel-raised dog, or am I overlooking something?
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How big a crate would a beagle need? I don’t know Jake’s exact size, but in the pictures I’ve seen, his head barely seems to come up to people’s knees.
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Can you recommend a book, or books, that are aimed at training an older dog, or even specifically a beagle, and that advocates crate training? I’d like a book that really tries to convince people that this is the best option!
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Anything else/resources about beagles that you can think of? Are there any characteristics to watch out for, such as becoming destructive when they are bored? Is clicker training a good idea, or might it be too much to expect the dog to adapt to?
I’m willing to answer any questions you may have, though I haven’t met the dog and the arrangements are being done through my sister and parents. I just want to help make this adoption as easy as possible on them, as well as the dog!
Thanks for your help!