Questions for dog lovers

Factual Questions
1

This was inspired by the great response to the thread about a digging dog.

About two weeks ago, we acquired a purebred male beagle. He’s almost three years old and in wonderful shape. His first years, he was living in the outdoors with three or four other dogs. Now he is alone and indoors with us (me, wife, two kids). Because of work and other activities, our Roscoe spends about twelve hours a day in our two-car garage. We do not have a fenced yard and fencing it or adding other outside structures are not an option (deed restricitions on a golf-course and we’re renting the house, anyway).

On to the questions:

  1. Is twelve hours too long for a dog to be unattended and confined in the garage? Yes, he is provided food and water. The temperature outside ranges (right now) from 35ish (very brief in morning) to 80 degrees.

  2. How can we keep him from chewing everything? We’ve gotten toys, but he prefers to chew everything else. Still he’s selective – passing over some obvious things like shoes, slippers, and what-not. He’s chewed boxes, a garden hose, a bicycle helmet, his dog dish (after the food and water are spilled out), the lawnmower starter cord, a telephone cord in the living room, etc. The only things not chewed are his chew toys.

  3. How can we keep him from pooping in the house? He wee-wees, too. But he doesn’t do them all the time. We walk him at least once an hour and usually he “takes care of bidness” on those walks. Sometimes, though, he saves his bidness for back inside the house. AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

  4. Could the dog be tied to a stake in the yard? There’s nothing for him to tear up out there. I just worry about his getting loose or being stolen. I also worry about his becoming entangled in the tie-out. Does that happen much?

If a beagle isn’t a good dog for this situation (we can’t be home more often), what dog would be good? My wife (whose idea it was to get a dog) is ready to give up. I want to keep trying, but I’m not interested in pursuing a hopeless task. We’ve had lots of arguing about this.

Sorry this is so long. I never had a dog when I was a kid, so this is a learning experience. My wife had dogs, but they were outside spaniels. They dug out and got run over by a car. We would like to avoid this fate for our Roscoe.

2

Well one problem you have is that he has learned to pack socialise and now has none, you would have been his pack but you cannot be there.

Beagles are very active animals too, this one sound like he should have constant company which is why they are such good dogs for families with several children.

If you want to put him in the back yard it would be best if you used an overhead runner - less chance of tangling up and greater freedom of movement.

I wouldn’t want to say you should find another owner for him but he really does need that constant companianship.

A friend of mine who is out all day has a West Highland White
The dog is called ‘Jock’(pretty original eh?) and he is no trouble at all.He doesn’t leave hair all over, but does have to be clipped, he can be excercised adequately in twenty minutes if time is pressing but is capable of going out for much longer walks.

‘Jock’ was also brought up in a far less ‘doggy’ environment and so is does not crave pack company as your beagle does.

I’ve seen lots of ‘Westies’ about and they seem to be very good companion dogs, they do like to be comfortable.
They can be a bit stubborn but then you can always just pick them up and carry them.

3

Twelve hours is a long time for a dog to be along, particularly for a beagle which is a very pack-oriented dog. They are also notoriously hard to housetrain. Two things I would suggest:

  1. Crate training (check out http://www.k9web.com for info on this). This will help with the house training and can help curve the destructive tendancies, but leaving him for 12 hours in a crate is too much, IMO
  2. Hire a dog-walker to come in once a day while you are gone. If you have a responsible kid in the neighborhood, that’s often a good option.
  3. Consider getting a second dog for company. He is probably very bored because he misses his doggy-buddies.

Please do not leave him alone outside staked to the ground. Lots of bad things could happen (loose dogs could pick a fight, obnoxious kids could tease him, someone could steal him, etc), and it often tends to make the dog agressive.

4

I agree with what has been written here. Twelve hours confined is not an optimal life for a dog, and it may exacerabte any behavioral problems.

I highly recommend the dog-walker idea.

You might also call around (vets offices are a good source of info) to see if there are any doggie day-cares in the area. I know this sounds hilarious, but it can be a godsend. We have one that we send our basset to a couple of times a week, just to let him enjoy the company and get tons of exercise. The owner is a dog nut who has a fenced two-acre back yard. Our basset comes home happy and exhausted.

For dealing with housebreaking…we adopted our dog at nine months after he was an outdoor dog the whole time. We had a LOT of work to do in getting him housebroken, with many setbacks along the way. Crate training is key. You might also want to try keeping him attached to you via leash every waking minute. Then he cannot sneak off to pee or poo. We found that we were missing Benson’s signals to go out, so we installed a large sleigh bell on the doorknob. We rang it before every trip outside. Eventually, he got the idea and started ringing it with his nose when he wanted to go out. We no longer use it (he eventually learned how to make his needs more obvious but this is a godsend).

Another trick that helped us was to make the world’s biggest fuss when he did do his business outside. Jump around like the football team just pulled off a hail mary; make a total ass of yourself praising him. Then the dog gets the idea.

And this final bit of advice may be unwelcome because it seems impractical… but it would be best if you or your wife could take some vacation time to work on this. Ideally this would happen when he first transitioned in your household, but it’s not too late. Consistency is SO important and that’s only possible if you can devote day after day to this effort.

5

I would disagree with Porcupine. A outdoors dog like a beagle,Bred to hunt, is best left outside. At least he will have something to do there. He can guard the back yard. Never know how many cats and such are invading his turf. Get a good collar and chain ,one that is heavy enough for a beagle. The overhead cable run is a good idea just make sure he can’t get tangled.You probably need a dog house so he can get in out of the rain etc.
I think the chances of the dog being stolen is too small to be of much concern. But it does speak well of your concern for your pet.
You might even check into buying a kennel. We found a used one for $50.00. It is 10’by 10’. Depending on how handy you are you could connect it to the garage and he could be in or out as he wished.

6

I’d say that twelve hours is too long for a dog to be alone. If he was in a yard with another dog it would be different, but he’s in a room without anyone else. I wonder if he’s chewing things out of frustration.

I had to stake out my dog while I built our fence, and my experience is that it hurts the dog’s sense of security and/or trust. After all, their territory ends when that line on their neck gets tight, but as porcupine said, anything can get to them. There’s also a choking hazard if there is anything that the dog can get over, and you can’t have any bushes or fixed structures in the area or the dog will wrap the lead around them.

A small kennel sounds like a great idea if the deed restrictions allow it. Hiring a dog walker sounds better. If you haven’t already, enroll in obedience training, if it’s at all possible. Even if you can’t, you might want to discuss your situation with someone who does obedience training. Your vet can provide a referral.

7

Hunting beagles are kept in packs, which is a completely different matter. This is a single dog. He’ll probably be just as destructive if left along outside as he is inside. Also, he’ll be able to bark all day and annoy the neighbors, dig holes all day, etc.

To the OP, if you do decide to keep him outside (which didn’t sound like something you were considering), an overhead cable tie-out is safer than a stake tie-out, and IMO better yet is a kennel. But I still think inside, with crate training until he is more reliable, is best. Keeping a dog outside all day unsupervised is, IMO, asking for trouble.

And if you decide to give up the dog, please contact your local beagle rescue organization, instead of taking him to a shelter. They’ll place him in a foster home until a permanent one can be found.

As for your question of whether another dog would be better - I really don’t think any dog will do well in a situation where he is alone 12 hours a day on a regular basis.

8

Ditto on what most people have said. Twleve hours is too long to be left alone. Having more than one dog would help. Do not leave the dog outside. (I’m not even getting into the whole outdoor pet thing again). Crate train to housebreak. And I cannot stress enough the need for proper dog training. If you don’t know how to go about it, ask your vet for a referral to a good doggy class.

Michi

9

Arghh. Too may problems here, IMHO. Please don’t take this personally, Drum God, but you and your missus need to sit down and think and read and educate yourselves.

No dog experience. Had exquisitely painful problems with the ex as he’d never had a dog before in his life. On the other hand, realized it was hopeless to even think of having children with him :rolleyes: Use the net, use the web, use trainers - you will find tons of information about your particular breed.

Beagles were originally bred to hunt burrowing animals, and you can’t breed instinct out of them. Beagles dig; get over it or get used to it, either or.

Some have advised against it, but your new baby really needs a friend, be it another dog (you know, you can pick up mutts at the pound for not much [hint hint hint] [nudge nudge nudge] or a cat or a goat. You’re gone 12 hours a day, someone/thing has to pick up the slack.

I hate seeing dogs tied up - they invariably manage to tangle themselves around SOMTHING. Your POA may have rules against fences and such but any POA that legislates against a portable kennel under the deck is too anal beyond words.

When it comes to soiling the house…Last dog I owned did it for three months. We lived in that abode for six months. After we moved, it took four months to housebreak her again. Your new dog is not only in a strange place but also with strange people - she/he/it needs patience - house training is something that can’t be rushed. Perhaps you or your missus could take turns coming home at lunch and take the dog out for a short walk for the next month or so? Failing that, you should start arranging your schedules to take the dog out for walks both in the morning and evening.

Think about how you’d feel if if your people wake up at 6 and pet you for 2 minutes at 6:30 then kick you out to the garage for 12 hours then let you back in when you excitedly wet yourself for 5 minutes while your people fret about the mess before kicking you out and then they allow you back inside for 3 or 4 hours before they go to sleep. You’d be bored and start chewing stuff too, yes?

I hope this doesn’t sound harsh as I don’t mean it to - I hope you and your new friend work out. But you definitely need to spend more time with it else it will all go to rot and no one will be happy.

10

Definitely support most of the sentiments expressed here. We had a purebred beagle for ten years, and IIRC, he was never completely “housebroken”. These guys are born to run, run, and run some more. 12 hours in a garage and your beagle is slowly going bananas.

Chewing on everything and anything is his way of entertaining himself because he’s not chasing scents or wrestling with his buds. Unless you are going to devote as much time to the dog as you do your children, I recommend contacting your local beagle rescue foundation and give him up. There are lots of breeds more suitable for you, and I think you and your new dog will be much happier. Good luck.

11

A agree what most of what’s been said. 12 hours is way too long for a dog to be confined and you shouldn’t have gotten the dog if you knew this was going to be the situation.

Tying a dog out just invites problems. Barking all day and annoying neighbors, cruel kids wandering by to torture it, choking on the line/chain, etc. Also, IIRC, Beagles like to run away…

If the dog is in the garage and that’s the best you can do, then yes, get another dog at least, so they can play together for the 12 hours no one is home. But I wouldn’t expect any housetraining to come of it. Would you be able to go 12 hours without going to the bathroom? Don’t force your dog to.

12

I also think that you probably shouldn’t have a dog. 12 hours is too long to leave any dog locked in a garage or tied up outside. You really can’t expect it to become house trained or to stop chewing if you aren’t there to do the trianing. I really don’t think that a dog fits your life style.

Have you ever thought of adopting a cat? Cats don’t mind being left alone as much. They also don’t need to be let out to use the bathroom. There are many older cats that need to be adopted and would love a safe place to sleep for 12 hours a day.

13

Re: Wetting in the house - first of all, sounds weird but determine if your dog is actually “peeing”, “tinkling” or “acting out”.

Acting out - Animals that are unhappy let you know. One way they do that is like children, they act out. if your dog is doing in one strange places, your clothes, bed, pillow or couch, you have a miserable animal.

Tinkling is like a child peeing the bed. It’s a nervous thing. They have to outgrow it, punishing them for it does not help, it just makes them more nervous. Their bladder control just has to mature. I had a dog that took one year to outgrow it. Vets I asked said to give him a year. Magically he just stopped. During that year I cleaned my carpets about once every two weeks.

If it is actually a need of training, it can be rough. I’ll chime in with others - crate training in the way to go. Start as early as possible.

14

Thank you to everyone who responded. It seems that the overwhelming consensus is that a dog doesn’t really work for us. Truth is, my wife already reached that conclusion – I’m just too stubborn to listen.

The dog will go back to the people who gave him to us. Please don’t worry that the dog will end up abandond or in a shelter. He will go back to the loving home he came from. All of your info and suggestions were most welcome and useful. I especially like the link to k9web. That was helpful.

Now, and ideas on how to patch things up with my wife? She’s not too happy with me right now. Might say I’m in the doghouse.

15

Drum God - you did the right thing. I’ve had a lot of dogs, and am currently dog-less. Mr. Athena and I keep going back and forth on whether to get one because we don’t feel like we can spend enough time with it. We feel that way even though we have 2 cats to keep the dog company while we’re gone, Mr. Athena works at a job where he can take the puppy with him most days, and even if he can’t take the puppy to work, we’re only gone about 8 hours a day. We also have a fenced yard with dog doors. Still, we both know what a time sink a dog is, and we worry that the dog won’t get enough attention.

That said, have you thought about getting a cat? Seems to me that a cat would fit your lifestyle a lot more than a dog would. Even if you’re not “cat people” think about it. Mr. Athena actively disliked cats when we started cohabitating, now that he’s been around them and has seen that they are playful, have personalities, and are cuddly, he likes them a lot. Cats are also automatically housebroken, and they don’t mind being left alone a lot. If you worry that cats aren’t active enough, get two of 'em. They’ll play and be cute and all that.

16

Glad to hear you have made a responsible decision, and that the dog will go back to a good place. If you do consider a cat (or better yet, two) please do some research first so the same thing doesn’t happen again.
Michi

17

Cats would be a great pet to have, were I not allergic to them. I can’t stay in the same house for one for very long. Unfortunately, I don’t last more than a day with the little critters. They are cute and playful, however.