Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all - am experiencing the fun of a young male beagle (9 mos.)for the first time since childhood. Wheee!

Beagle is a rescue, came to us crate trained, so we kept the routine the same when he came home. Crated during the day, dog walker comes in the early afternoon, puppy is free all evening, then crated at night.

Started out with the same crate for day/night (in the living room) then got a separate, smaller crate for the bedroom about two weeks later.

Because of the CONSTANT whining at night when put into the crate (doesn't seem to be asking to go out, just seeking attention), behavior like hiding under the bed when he knows it's bedtime, and because our existing dog (a female Corgi/Lab mix) has never been crated and has free reign of the house at night (and usually ends up on the bed with us), we've been trying a few nights of letting the puppy out of the crate, which results in NONE of us having enough room to sleep comfortably, and waking to find the beagle vigorously chewing on the Corgi's ear or leg.

So, the decision has been made that tonight he's back in the crate at night. Our thinking is that we should have him in the living room crate, as it's bigger, plenty of room for a toy or two, and will make it easier for us to ignore the attention-seeking whining. BUT, we don't want puppy to think he's being punished, or feel deprived of socialization (he's probably already got a complex, since he's told "no" all the time, and the Corgi is a perfect little angel). We're also hoping the Cordi will take the hint and sleep in the living room with the puppy, so we can wean her off of sleeping in the bed. Any advice?

you are dealing with alot of issues. it always helps me to write down every current behavior on each dog, then beside it list the 'ideal' then decide what is pracical & break it down into steps.

I always have good results by running a fan near the dogs crate. Did this recently when cats were fighting & all my dogs, normally quiet/crated all night, were understandably barking. The fan isnt blowing on them, the crate is covered with light weight spread/towel & the hum drowns out other noises & IMO is probably soothing.

If your beagle (in the larger/living room crate) can't see/hear the corgi then perhaps that part of the problem will be solved.

They both sound adorable, I've got 2 rescues, 1 beagle mix & the other corgi mix. Hopefully in time the beagle will adjust.

first of all let me say that it sounds like you're humanizing your dogs just a tiny bit. putting your puppy in a crate is not going to make him feel deprived or punished. it's a common thing amoung many dog owners to think this. a crate is a safe haven for your puppy. in the wild dogs seek out small dens because they make them feel safe. a den only needs to be big enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around and lie down. anything bigger then this and your puppy is more likely to make a mess in his crate. one mistake you made is letting your puppy out to sleep with you. puppies naturally whine in their crate. but with time this goes away. by giving in to your puppy, it'll be much more difficult to get your puppy used to the crate because now he knows that if whines enough you'll let him out. if you feel it's best to put him out in the lving room, thats perfectly alright. there's no rule that says your puppies crate has to be next to your bed.

i doubt your puppy has a complex. being told no is part of the training process. he won't learn unless he makes a mistake. knowing that he can look to you for direction makes him feel safe and secure. this is part of being a good pack leader.

as for your corgi, he won't get the hint and will not be likely to sleep out in the living room on his own. he can be trained to do this. if you wanted to do this, the easiest way would be to crate train him. but remember, this won't happen overnight. he must be acclimized to it before you can attempt to put him in there all night. you might want to try feeding him in a crate to create a positive feeling about the crate. after a couple days of this, put him in the crate with a treat or a favorite toy, close the door for a few seconds, than let him out and give him lots of praise. but don't go to crazy. he should associate his crate as being a quiet, calm place. do this a few times each day and each day gradually increase the ammount of time until you can leave him in there for an hour to two hours. and if he whines during training, ignore him. don't speak to him, give him anything or even acknowledge that he's there until his time is up. it'll take some time for him to get used to it. but he will get it. and remember, a using a crate isn't punishment. it's a very useful training tool and a safe place for the dog to go. good luck.