>>I understand beagles (as all dogs) need extra care as puppies. I'm interested in getting a beagle (probably next year or the year after), but my working & commuting hours are 6-4 (6-5 in the summer). My fiancee's hours vary, either starting at 8 or 10 (and finishing fairly long after I get home). She works at a pharmacy, so she also has a number of weekdays off.
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>>My biggest concern would be the first nine months of puppyhood. Would a covered pen with a warm doghouse and a bathroom area be best, or should the puppy remain inside with a crate and a litterbox?
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>>Will either possibility be overly traumatic for the dog? Would this incite seperation anxiety?
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>>Thank you for the help!!
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>>Zeke
There are drawbacks to both. Beagles are loud--the hunters want to be able to hear the pack at a distance! Leaving a Beagle outdoors can make neighbors extremely unhappy and result in all kinds of problems for you--as well as the dog, if people retaliate against the dog, which some do.
Beagles can be little difficult on housetraining, and leaving the dog inside with no option but to relieve himself indoors because of the length of time alone can make housetraining even more difficult. Ultimately you might never succeed in fully housetraining the dog with this puppyhood experience.
A pet sitter, dog walker, doggy day care, or someone who can come in and let the dog out for relief during the day is often your best bet. The maximum time to ask a pup to hold it is the number of hours totalling the pup's age plus one--so 2 months would be 3 hours, for example--and never longer than 8 hours. Some dogs routinely do hold it longer, but there are physical and behavioral risks from asking a dog to do this. When you are there, the pup will need to go out frequently for the body to compensate for all the time it has had to hold waste.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com
