New dog owner...I need help!

[ChicagoPastor]

Last night someone gave us a 6 week old beagle puppy.
My wife and I have never had a dog we need some tips.

We were told that we should "crate train" him.....WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??
(p.s. we did buy a crate last night)

Do I have to get up every few hours through the night to let him go to the bathroom??

Should I put his food and water inside the crate? I did that last night and this morning it was all a big mess...

This dog is more for my two year old son, who loves dogs but unfortunatley he won't be of much help taking care of it.

Ask Benny. He can help ya.

Start out with the dog in a confined area (a box or crate is perfect)... the dog WILL have accidents but dogs do not like to soil their "den" so will try to hold it for as long as possible. The goal is to get him/her to build up his bladder control... if you are able to get up once or twice in the night to let the dog out, then that is great but worst case you will have a small mess to clean up in the morning. Over several weeks you slowly expand the dog's area... starting with the crate, then confine it to a room, then several rooms until it realizes that this is his/her den. Take the dog out several times during the day (most important right when you wake up, and also right before you go to bed). Praise the dog every time he goes outside.

And the food bowl probably shouldn't be left in the crate with him at all... probably the same for the water bowl.

Also for crate training, during the day if possible, start with the dog in the crate for a short time (an hour or so)... then immediately let the dog outside. You will have to actually pick the dog up and take him/her outside because the natural reaction will be to go to the bathroom as soon as he/she is out of the crate. Slowly work up the amount of time you leave the dog in the crate but ALWAYS take the dog out immediately after letting him/her out of the crate. Eventually the dog will be able to stay in the crate for 8-10 hours unsupervised but you should do this carefully and slowly.

Personally, one of or dogs can hold it for over 24 hours because she is too prissy to go outside when it is raining. lol.

[ChicagoPastor]

thanks for the tips

Also, you will find that the "recommended" amount of food on the dog food bag is usually way to much... it doesn't matter so much for a puppy but after the dog is a year or so old, you might not need to feed him/her as much as it says to feed a dog of that weight based on the chart on the dog food container (they just want to sell more food and don't care if your dog gets too fat).

And NEVER feed your dog table scraps no matter how cute they are... it leads to bad habits and begging.

Good luck!

[Theresa]

I dont know if anyone mentioned it, but limited their food and water intake in the hours before bed - it will help on the night time accidents

dont leave food in the bowl all the time - for a variety of reasons (pests etc) - feed the dog at normal, regular times and their potty visits will be more "regular"....

as they dog gets older, they can go longer without going to the bathroom, you will have accidents when they are small

invest in a good urine cleaner

puppy pads are a good investment too....

[Ferd]

buy the following
a bag of concrete
a metal eye hook.
a long chain

dig a hole in the yard, pour the concrete in the hole, set the eye hook and attach the chain.

put the dog on the chain. dogs dont go in the house!

Originally Posted by Ferd

buy the following
a bag of concrete
a metal eye hook.
a long chain

dig a hole in the yard, pour the concrete in the hole, set the eye hook and attach the chain.

put the dog on the chain. dogs dont go in the house!

You're old school!