Adopted 4 year old Beagle,housebreaking problems!

IMCAMEL

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Hi, I just adopted a 4 year old beagle girl from a shelter, she is spayed and up to date (and healthy per her vet visit) I love this dog more than anything but I have never had a beagle before.
The problem is that she goes outside to play and can be out there for an hour, then she comes inside and 20 minutes later she pees on the carpet.
We put her outside all the time and even play with her outside. She doesn't bark and she only whines to come inside. We don't know when she has to pee so we just put her out every 30 mins or so.
She also hides every treat we give her which makes teaching her tricks almost impossible. Please help me! My roommate is horrified at the carpet
 
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First, go to a pet supply store and get a good spot cleaner for the carpet. You need to be sure it has an odor neutralizer. Clean all the spots, and after they've dried, put down some of that pet odor powder that you vaccuum up. Be sure to leave it down overnight to let it work, but keep your dog out of the room while it's down. That should help. After you've got her housetrained you may want to shampoo the carpet, but that's for later.

That may solve part of the problem, as she may be marking her new territory.

You may have to use crate training. I've never done it, so can't really advise you very well on that score. Brattina's our resident expert there!

I can't help but wonder if your dog may need to have her self confidence boosted. It sounds like she may be a bit unsure of herself, which is understandable if you think about it. Someone didn't want her (at least from her viewpoint) and now she's in a completely new place. She probably needs a lot of loving reassurance (which I'm sure you're giving her) to let her know that she's home now.

Have you looked through some of the older threads here? There have been several people who've had this problem and you might find some good ideas there, too.
 

IMCAMEL

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Thanks

thanks for the help, sawyer does seem to be a little unsure of herself. she's very skittish around noises too. I think the people who had her before me kept her outside more of the time. She seems unsure of what to do inside and is fascinated by the tv. I guess step one is to housetrain her.
Do you have any specific prodcuts to recommend for the stains and odors?
 
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I love the Clorox oxygen cleaner for stains. OxyClean is good, too, but the Clorox brand has worked best for me. Be sure to test it on a spot of carpet that's out of the way (like under the sofa) first to make sure it doesn't take the color out, though. I haven't had any problems with it, but you never know with different materials and dyes. As far as an odor neutralizer, just check the ones at the pet supply store or even someplace like Lowe's or Home Depot, who very often carry industrial cleaners in smaller containers, and pick one that you don't mind smelling for a little while. Dogs tend to dislike citrus smells, so that can be a deterrent to using the carpet, too. Lowe's or Home Depot will probably have a good all over odor neutralizer that you sprinkle down then vaccuum up later, too. One with baking soda is good, or you can get one that doesn't have it, then sprinkle a box of baking soda on your carpet along with it.

It might help Sawyer get the idea about inside/outside if you take her accidents outside and put them where you want her to go, taking her with you on a leash so she can see where you've put them. I've found that the puppies usually have to go after they've eaten and played for awhile. When they calm down, it's usually about five or ten minutes and then they need to go. That might be a good barometer with Sawyer, and if you play with her (which I'm sure you do already) it will not only give you an idea of when she needs to go out, it will help give her more confidence about her place in the world. I've never owned a Beagle, but I've been around quite a few, some were pets and others were working dogs, and it seemed that they were very vulnerable to being bullied, perhaps because they have such sweet natures and are so focused on pleasing. They really are loving, gentle, playful little dogs - sometimes too gentle! I've gotten very angry more than once seeing a parent allow a child to torment and bully the little creatures, knowing that they won't defend themselves!

By the way, you might want to get her a harness to use when you walk her. I've found the dogs seem to be more comfortable and feel very secure with one and it gives me more control over pulling without having to use a choke collar - and with my brutes that's important. My thinking with a dog like Sawyer is that the control without the pull of something directly around her neck will be more reassuring and less dominating than a collar for walking. Of course, in town you still need to keep a collar with her tags on her at all times, but I'm really sold on using a harness with a leash.

You're really going to love having a Beagle in your life; they are just so completely loving.
 

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