Seeing the bond between me and my 1-year-old beagle, Groot, our neighbours decided to get a beagle too. However, they were finding it quite challenging to house train their pup.
Beagle puppies can be a handful to deal with. One second, they’re gleefully rolling on the floor, and the next second they have peed or pooped on the immaculate flooring.
Being a good neighbour, I made a chart with a step-by-step process to potty training a beagle puppy. And guess what, they are still thanking me for helping them out.
So in this article, I will walk you through 7 simple steps potty-train your beagle quickly and efficiently.
Things You Need to Potty-train your Pup
Before we begin, you need some things for this training.
A Crate
Puppies cannot hold their bladder for long, nor are they good at letting you know that they want to relieve themselves unless you teach them.
They wouldn’t care if it’s a designated toilet or an expensive Persian carpet; they will do their business wherever they please, they babies after all.
However, dogs, even when they are puppies, don’t like to soil their den. That’s why you need a crate for your beagle puppy, which can be like their own private house.
Apart from that, the crate will also help you confine their movements and ensure that they don’t hurt themselves while running around the house with their tiny paws.
Make sure to read this guide for Crate Training your Beagle.
Treats
You will need to bribe your pup to do something that you want. Treats are an essential part of dog training.
Treats will come in handy when you want to make your pup listen to you. Punishments or displaying anger are a strict no-no! Treats and compliments will work like a charm while potty-training your pet.
Here are some great treats for your beagle pup.
Puppy pads
Puppy pads have two-fold benefits. One, a puppy can find a quick outlet right in the house, which can come in handy as young dogs cannot hold their bladder for long.
The second is, it could be used in potty-training the puppy for the first few weeks. We will discuss the puppy-pad training exercise in the upcoming section.
Your Time!
Your pup will not train itself; neither is this task a one-day job. You will need to invest a considerable amount of time in potty-training your pooch.
Patience and time are two things that will be expected from you for effectively training your dog. Hence, prepare to take some time off your daily chores and schedule regular slots for housetraining your pet.
Potty-training a Beagle Puppy in 7 Steps
Once you have all the necessary things, let’s begin with the training.
Step 1: Establish a Potty routine
Beagle puppies will do everything you desire only if you have established a routine for them. This goes for every task that the canine undertakes during the day, including mealtimes and exercises.
Similar is the case with potty-training. If the pup knows that he needs to get the job done thrice a day at so and so hours, rest assured, your puppy will be ready at the door even before you! This is how much beagles, or any other dog breed for that matter, are loyal to their daily routine.
However, the initial days of building a routine can be tricky. They have a small bladder so you will be taking them out A LOT more to.
They will need to be taken out mostly at the following times:
- In the morning, right after they wake up.
- After each nap
- After each meal
- In the evening
- At night right before the puppy’s bedtime.
- At any such time when the pooch shows signs of urgency such as pacing back and forth quickly or feeble howls
Phew, that is a lot of walking indeed. But it gets better! Once you train your puppy and make them accustomed to a routine, they will begin going out on their own and get the job done.
Of course, this is only feasible if you have a front lawn or a backyard. But this is to give you an idea of how effective potty-training routines are.
Ninja Tip: You could also maintain a diary always to be ahead of your puppies’ meal, poo, and pee times!
Step 2: Build a Feeding routine
Eating and drinking influence the bladder and bowels of puppies. No surprises there.
Subsequently, once you have built a mealtime routine, you will be able to control the bowel movements of your pup too.
Young puppies may need to urinate 10-15 minutes after having some water. And defecate 30 minutes after each meal.
Feed them at the same time every day. Note down how long do they poop after having their meal. After observing for a couple of days, you will see a pattern there and predict their pooping/peeing time. Take them outside during those times.
Step 3: Puppy-pad training
Young puppies have a small bladder, and they can pee up to 10 times a day. They have zero bladder control so they won’t wait for you to take them out.
That’s when puppy pads come to the rescue. Place these pads in an area inside your house which is easily accessible to your pup.
As a training tool, the puppy pad’s purpose is to teach them that all the relieving business needs to be done at a specific spot.
To teach them to pee only on the puppy pads, follow these steps:
- When your puppy pees, clean it with a puppy pad. Place it on the spot where you want your pup to pee.
- Take your pup near the puppy pad when he is most likely to pee.
- In most cases, the puppy will sniff the pads and pee on it as it already has the scent of his pee.
- After he pees on the pad, give him a treat and praise him. This will motivate him to do it there again.
- Repeat this for a couple of weeks.
Once you teach your pet to urinate only on these pads, the same lesson can easily be shifted outside.
Step 4: Take Things outside
Once your puppy is a little bigger and able to hold his pee/poop, it’s time to take things outside.
For teaching them to pee outside
- Keep a used puppy pad outside and take your pup there.
- Allow him to sniff the pad.
- If he pees there, give him a treat. If he doesn’t, try again later.
- Gradually, stop putting the pad outside.
For teaching them to poop outside:
- Note down his pooping schedule.
- Take him out for a walk at that time.
- If he poops outside, give him a treat.
Potty training is a lengthy process. It may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months.
Step 5: Invent cue words
Cue words are the language in which you and your pet will be communicating. You need to set a cue word to tell your beagle if and when it’s time to go.
Phrases like ‘Go potty,’ ‘go pee-pee,’ and ‘poo-poo time’ will work like a charm. However, keep in mind that the cue words should only be used during the relieving time. Try to avoid using ambiguous phrases such as ‘get goin’ that are used in normal conversations.
Now you can either set two different cue words for peeing and pooping or one word for both of them.
Follow these steps teaching your Beagle puppy to poop on your command/cue word:
- Select a cue word, like ‘go potty’.
- Beagles usually start pacing around and sniffing the ground before doing their business. Get ready and when they are about to poop, say the cue word.
- Say it every day, every time before they poop/pee.
Continue this exercise for a week or a fortnight. The dog will soon become accustomed to the cue words and get the work done as quickly as you command them.
Step 6: Be patient while your pup does the job
You need to be patient with a young dog at every turn, whether it be teaching them a few tricks or housetraining them.
When you take your pet out for a leak, ensure that you hover around the designated spot for 15 minutes. Your beagle is very much likely to get the job done within that period.
However, if the pup refuses to get done with it, bring the pup inside. Wait inside for another 15 minutes, and then take him outside again.
Ensure that you do not lose your patience during this slow process. Do not let anything else distract you from this task. Everything else can wait, but a dog with a full bladder cannot!
Step 7: Dealing with accidents.
Accidents will happen now and then. What’s important is the way you deal with them.
You should never punish or scream at your puppy if he poops/pees inside your house. It can make them fearful and also lead to anxiety.
If you beagle puppy pees inside the house, clean it up asap and cover up the smell by using a floor cleaner. You can even get this Urine Stain and Odor Remover.
If you catch your pup while doing his business, firmly say ‘NO’ and clean it up. Then take him outside so that he can finish his job.
Potty-Training Tips
Now you know the entire process of potty training your beagle puppy. However, there are a few tips I would like to share that can come handy:
- If you have adopted an older beagle puppy, then do not expect that he will already be potty trained. Or even he had been trained, the dog’s demeanour of showing that he needs to go might be vastly different from what you had in mind. He might feebly howl at you, and you might misinterpret the signal. Most breeders do not concern themselves with efficiently training the puppies under their care.
- Always keep your home stocked with dog treats reserved, especially for potty training. You would be bribing your dog a lot while you train him.
- Make sure that you always praise your puppy after each adventure. Praises and treats work best with dogs. While beagles are not the most human-pleasing breeds globally, even they seek compliments and frequent Good Boys from their owners. Thus, after each task done successfully, shower the pooch with praises and compliments to encourage good behaviour even in the future.
- Do not stop praising your beagle after pooping outside, even in his adulthood.
- On the contrary, if the dog refuses to listen to your commands, you can also make your disappointment known to them. This will allow the pup to differentiate between what makes you happy and what does not.
- When you are not at home, ensure that your pooch is always inside his crate. You do not, and we cannot emphasise this enough but DO NOT, want to leave your pup free in your home while you are out and about. You will come home to an ugly sight; you can be sure of this. Until the pup reaches a reasonable age, they need to be kept inside the crate at night or when you are not at home. The rest of the time, they can roam free, but only under someone’s supervision.
Final Thoughts
Potty-training, your puppy, has to be the most rewarding task. It can seem tedious at times; however, as long as you don’t lose hope and patience, this training will prove fruitful.
There will soon be less or no mess to clean, and no fuss will be created when it is time for business. You and your beagle both will lead a peaceful life once he has been fully potty-trained. It will also make the rest of the training a landslide. Happy Training!