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Murphy is so cute! Beagle puppies are the best!
All of the time you spend with Murphy now is a great investment. We had both Lucy and Flora since they were puppies, so we know two different ways to mess up crate training.
1) Leaving puppy in crate too long. If a puppy gets desperate for a potty break, and pees in the crate, you may end up with a dog that doesn't care about peeing on her own bed. This happened with Lucy before we got her. She was with a foster family that wasn't able to give her a break mid-day, so we were told that she could "hold it" for 8 hours at 3 months old. The rule of thumb is 1 hour plus 1 hour per month old for time between potty breaks.
2) Crate is too big. We tried to partition it, but Flora always managed to get around/through the partition to pee/poop in the other area of the crate.
We eventually managed to house train both of them but it took a while. During the puppy stage I made a deal with my boss that I would take extra long lunches, and make up the time in the evening. That way I could let her out mid-day, and my husband would get home early enough for the evening potty break. Once she was old enough, she stayed in the crate all day.
Now, both Lucy and Flora are free all day, and mostly behave themselves. With the two children, there are sometimes things left out that shouldn't be.... :rolleye11:
My top pieces of advice:
When you are home, keep Murphy leashed to you. It facilitates bonding, and you know Murphy is not off somewhere getting into trouble.
Remember a young puppy like Murphy is like a newborn. They just can't hold it very long.
Good luck and have fun with Murphy!
BTW- the white on his nose looks very much like Flora's!
Sylvia
All of the time you spend with Murphy now is a great investment. We had both Lucy and Flora since they were puppies, so we know two different ways to mess up crate training.
1) Leaving puppy in crate too long. If a puppy gets desperate for a potty break, and pees in the crate, you may end up with a dog that doesn't care about peeing on her own bed. This happened with Lucy before we got her. She was with a foster family that wasn't able to give her a break mid-day, so we were told that she could "hold it" for 8 hours at 3 months old. The rule of thumb is 1 hour plus 1 hour per month old for time between potty breaks.
2) Crate is too big. We tried to partition it, but Flora always managed to get around/through the partition to pee/poop in the other area of the crate.
We eventually managed to house train both of them but it took a while. During the puppy stage I made a deal with my boss that I would take extra long lunches, and make up the time in the evening. That way I could let her out mid-day, and my husband would get home early enough for the evening potty break. Once she was old enough, she stayed in the crate all day.
Now, both Lucy and Flora are free all day, and mostly behave themselves. With the two children, there are sometimes things left out that shouldn't be.... :rolleye11:
My top pieces of advice:
When you are home, keep Murphy leashed to you. It facilitates bonding, and you know Murphy is not off somewhere getting into trouble.
Remember a young puppy like Murphy is like a newborn. They just can't hold it very long.
Good luck and have fun with Murphy!
BTW- the white on his nose looks very much like Flora's!
Sylvia
