# 12 week old beagle puppy - biting, jumping up, crying etc.



## nicolestoney (Jan 8, 2014)

good morning! 
*sorry in advance, this is longer than i thought!*
(the short of it is that i need advice if possible on biting/jumping up/chewing/crying)

9 days ago, i picked up a beautiful male beagle puppy.
his name is otis, and he is 12 weeks. he learnt to sit in two days via my fiance, and this week i have taught him his name (still needs some work though!).

_i would really really appreciate ANY help or suggestions at all, i feel like i'm doing it all wrong. _

last week, my fiance was here, and training seemed to be going well..
in three days, i have lost the will to live haha. i realised a puppy would be handful, but i didn't realise how hard it would be by myself. my fiance has gone down to london working from 4:30am monday to 9pm thursday night.

i have been reduced to tears both monday and tuesday - i know i'm pathetic. but it feels like everything i'm doing is just being ignored by the pup? :crying:

*biting*
the pup it would seem likes to bite, i'm sure all puppies do. i know it's only been 9 days, but i see no improvement so far. especially this week - it's like he's really testing my patience because he knows daddy isn't here. although, on saturday he never bit, on sunday he bit once. he bites hands, gets my hair when he can, legs and arms. last night was really bad, he really gripped on my hand and left indentations and left me stinging - no blood or bruising but enough to make me _ow!_.

*chewing*
same as above, he likes to chew on clothes, shoes, my dressing gown especially, my sofa, dvd cases, and the rug is a big one, and it seems he never wants to let go or get off.

*crying*
whenever left alone, he starts crying or barking. whenever he is put in his crate, he starts crying and barking too.

*jumping up*
especially when waiting on food -we have taught him to sit before he gets his feed, but like this morning for example, he was obviously very hungry and excited to be getting breakfast that he sat for a second and soon as i go to put the bowl down, jumps up again. jumping up on furniture - table in the lounge, bed, sofa.

*24/7 playtime*
do i have to play with him 2 4 / 7 ? i know hes a puppy and wants to play a lot, but its to the point where i can't eat breakfast or drink a cup of tea in the morning, or i can't enjoy my dinner because he wants constant attention. there's five minutes where i can watch television or something but i can't move or he wakes up and whines.

here is what i have tried so far 
with regards to these things, so if anybody could point out what i'm doing wrong, i'd be really really grateful.

with the *biting*, he has been (is still being) told a firm no, with the finger, he has been ignored by us either by turning away, or going downstairs into a different room (then he cries and carries on when you're back anyway), he has also been put onto his back and not allowed to move until he calms down (we read somewhere that this of course was unpleasant for a dog and would associate biting with being put like this). he has a toy put into his mouth, which keeps him happy for five minutes then he's back at it.

with *chewing*, we are telling him no, and trying to get it out of his mouth, and replacing with a toy like with the biting, happy for five minutes, sometimes doesn't even bother with the toy, continues. i have also tried the chewing deterrent spray from pets at home, and it doesn't seem to work?! i've even rolled the rug up to try and maybe teach him that if you chew that, you're not having the comfort of lying on it (we have laminate flooring - i think he hates it )

with *jumping* up, he is gently pushed off and told 'off' but continues, i don't know how else to sort this really? if he is jumping up at the sofa or table, i say his name and he gets off, being told 'OFF' when his four paws are on the floor. when he jumps up onto the bed, or the sofa, he is picked up and put onto the floor, again with 'off' or 'no'. 90% of the time, he tries to get back up, especially the sofa, so i'm having to put my arms or legs out to stop him from actually getting up.

and with *crying/barking*, i don't really know. when he is left in the lounge, he is ignored and i go back up when i want. same as for when he is left in the kitchen. his crate is in the bedroom, and when he cries and whines in here, i don't know what to do! last night i ended up letting him out - normally i would ignore it, he needs to learn, my only concern is my neighbours have a small baby and i don't want to upset them, because without a doubt they will be able to hear him. is this *seperation anxiety*? ((i feel it may be, he has had someone here with him for the whole 9 days hes been here, and always needs to sleep or play with his toys ON us)). we have been trying to leave him for short periods of time so he can get used to it, as when i go back to work in march, he will probably be crated for a couple of hours whilst my fiance works (he works from home), or when we leave or have to run errands, so will need to be used to it. if he left upstairs, by the time i get back up there he is on the sofa up on the back cushion (this is a worry for me as our upstairs is like balconied and i'm worried he'll get up over the sofa and drop over the balcony - i try not to leave him there unless sleeping) or has found something eg remote, that he can get to and is messing with that.

*crating*
speaking of - when should i crate my pup? i do feel bad when i put him in there, even at night when i'm shattered from all the playing, and stressed from all the misbehaving. i NEVER use the crate as punishment, as easy as that would be to do, i don't believe that's right at all. at night, he is in there and once settled is absolutely fine, sleeps all night except for the times when we go outside to potty, and wakes up 7:30/8am every morning, refreshed and hungry. the crate is currently in our bedroom, for ease i suppose. we first had him in a pet bed in the kitchen, radio on and closing the door behind us, he would whine so we read to put him in our bedroom, so we did, then we read about crate training so got a crate, first night we put him in it he was non-stop barking, howling, crying, so he and his crate were brought into the bedroom, now it's really annoying as our bedroom is quite small, but i'm not sure where to put him to be honest? and like i said, i'm worried the neighbours will get angry at me! (we only rent)

i don't know if this makes a difference, but our house is a three story town house - our bedrooms are bottom floor, kitchen/dining bathroom first, and living room top. we spend most of our time in the living room, but unlike in a normal house, he doesn't have a kitchen / dining room to explore as well, so perhaps he's bored in the same old room, but when taken to the kitchen, he jumps up and follows you around as if wanting food (that's where he is fed), and in the bedroom he chews everything including the bedframe and shoes, and jumps up onto the bed.

as of friday, he will be allowed to go out on walks etc, so at the moment because he's only just had his second vaccination, i can't take him on a dog park or whatever to burn off excess energy. he currently doesn't like his lead much anyway, doesn't walk with me - but that's another lesson to be taught (wish me luck lol).

also, i believe in positive reinforcement, absolutely, and use treats and praise for when he is behaving like i want him to - i just would like him to learn that for example biting doesn't get him a treat, so why should he do it?

*i also really want to get the biting sorted ASAP as we are trying for another baby, and the last thing i want is for him to be aggressive, or jealous, and bite him/her*.

thankyou so much in advance, and so sorry it was so long!
i tried to bold certain things for ease.
nicole.


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

nicolestoney said:


> good morning!
> *sorry in advance, this is longer than i thought!*
> (the short of it is that i need advice if possible on biting/jumping up/chewing/crying)
> 
> ...


Couple of things - adult beagles are very vocal dogs, and also require a surprising amount of exercise for a small dog (Kennel Club states 2 hours per day). They are also known for howling (baying) for fun. As adult dogs, they do tend to have separation issues (being destructive around the house), unless they are really well alone-trained as young dogs. Separation issues will be made worse if the beagle is under-exercised.

Were you aware that beagles are very vocal dogs, given that you're concerned that his current barking may annoy your neighbors? And since you're currently trying for a baby, will you still be able to handle your dogs exercise + training needs (and his teenage phase) if you're pregnant/have a small baby to look after?

ETA - on this forum, Moonviolet is the beagle expert. Suggest you PM her if you have any specific beagle related questions


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## nicolestoney (Jan 8, 2014)

hi liz, thankyou so much for your reply!


i will take note on the rolling over thing, i've just been trying everything - the advice out there is so conflicting, i'm unsure on what's actually right.
so i'll try the ignoring him thing again and hope it works this time.

yes, i've just this morning invested in a treat bag, and have been giving him some ice and froze his chew toy also. he also has a kong yes.

he has been given cold carrots for the last couple of days as he gets treats and food all the time whilst trying to teach him.
so i literally need to reward him for all his good behaviour so he understands what is right and wrong?

that's my mistake then yes, it was only last night he cried really, and he had fallen asleep elsewhere, so i took him to his crate and we both went to bed.

do you think i should put his crate upstairs then? as i spend my time in there, and have since rolled the rug up so he's nowhere comfy to go really? but then what about at nighttime? he sleeps in the crate in the bedroom after a couple of cries. 

yes, i have the radio on almost every morning when i feed him and make myself a tea.


of course, or else i wouldn't have got a puppy .
the only reason we hadn't got one sooner was because we only moved in here in august, and i was pregnant at the time, so had lack of funds.
exercise while pregnant is as i'm sure you know, is great. so maybe i won't be sprinting around with him, but he will always have my time despite if i have a child. people wouldn't have children if they didn't think/couldn't cope with their children at the same time. they are members of the family right?. he will always have time from us. like i said, i wouldn't have a dog or a child if i felt i couldn't cope with the other.

yes.
he has a puppy class tonight - have you ever been to one? i'm hoping he'll behave himself.

thanks so much for your help!! 
xxxx


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## nicolestoney (Jan 8, 2014)

oh and yes we have a garden, but a lot of the time he doesn't seem interested? i try and run around or play with toys or throw balls and he'll just sit there sometimes, or go to the door as if to say 'let me in, it's cold!'
i'll be really glad when we can take him out to walk and play on a big field (on his lead of course, being a beagle)..


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

nicolestoney said:


> hi liz, thankyou so much for your reply!
> 
> i will take note on the rolling over thing, i've just been trying everything - the advice out there is so conflicting, i'm unsure on what's actually right.
> so i'll try the ignoring him thing again and hope it works this time.
> ...


 Good for you, puppy classes are really useful (plus you get to play with lots of puppies  ). They're great for socialisation, and for wearing your puppy out - he'll probably come home exhausted and you'll get some peace and quiet this evening


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## nicolestoney (Jan 8, 2014)

that's brilliant, thanks so much.
i'll definitely look and invest in those books yes.
he's *otis*.
i'm excited for it! he's not had any socialisation with any other pets yet 
xxx


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## FreckledBeagle (Jan 5, 2014)

Hi, I'm a very new dog owner (Beagle too) so unfortunately don't have too much advice to give yet...but just wanted to say I can sympathise with your situation. It's really difficult with a new puppy, although they are so lovely they are real hard work. But don't give up - I was about tearing my hair out and tearful a few nights ago and yesterday felt I couldn't leave the house...however I've been out today for a few hours and came back to a quite house with no howling! 
Some things I have been advised via this forum and have found helpful are:
Making the crate a positive place only and as you pointed out never using it as a punishment place,
Gradually increasing the time pup spends in the crate alone,
Using up puppy's energy with frequent strolls in the garden. 
Someone also gave me a link to clicker training videos on YouTube which I've been using, although have not really followed on with the clicker and am just using positive reinforcement instead. 

If you find anything else to be helpful please share as it is really pretty hard. 
Good luck, hope things improve


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## nicolestoney (Jan 8, 2014)

yeah, we are doing clicker training! it's meant to be really good.
he sleeps really well.. i was tearful by myself too.
now daddys back home, he's back to behaving quite well.
just really needs to learn no.
now we're able to go out on walks, we're burning a little more energy off but he's still very bouncy haha.
hope things improve for us both!  xxx


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## Rc123 (Mar 25, 2014)

I really sympathise with you! I have a puggle pug cross beagle he is 13 weeks old although I think he is older than what I was told, he is a night mare! 
It's like taking one step forward one day and then taking ten steps back the next, he reduces me to tears a good few times a week and really stresses me out. In some areas he's done well like toilet training I done that in 3 days he sleeps all through the night he gets 2- 3 walks a day, all the toys he could ever want and a lot of attention as I am home all day but it just doesn't see to be enough for him he wants to play all the time even after all the walking I don't always play when e wants because he has to learn to be bored sometimes but he tarts to jump up at walls, the tv, on the backs of the sofas, chewing anything he can get hold of, I normally end up letting him in the back garden but he then starts eating the flowers or digging huge holes if I take my eye off him for 5 minutes. I reward him for good behaviour but when he is naughty as I tell him off by saying no, tap his nose when he bites and I also use the pet corrector spray none of which actually work he just thinks I'm either playing or he tries to bite me or just goes even more mad, when he starts going just too made I crate him luring him in with a treat and good praise and try to leave him in there for a bit but he jut cries like nothing you've ever heard before and I'm sure the whole street can here it! He has now started trying to take food off the plate and being really forceful when I am trying to eat trying to get to my plate, he has never eaten any human food we've never fed him from our hands or plate and e is made to stay on the floor when I'm eating but for some reason he think all of a sudden he can come up and do what he wants. Some days he's really good and most days he is nuts! I want to love my dog but I'm finding it very hard when I feel he is testing my patience on purpose! And disliking him a lot of the time I am 36 weeks pregnant and knew it would be hard work with a puppy I was prepared for hard work but nothing like this! I just want 30 minutes to sit down eat and have a drink peacefully I was just about to give home to another home a few weeks ago for his own sake but I couldn't let go and didn't want to give up on him so now iv really got to stick to it just really heart breaking when it's supposed to be a happy time in your life yet your constantly stressed because of the dog. 
Any advice will be helpful but please be nice. Thank you. Xx


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## Kchip (Jan 2, 2014)

Reading your post was like reading my own posts only 3 months ago. I was in absolute bits, a complete mess! 

I thought I would never be able to shower again as I couldn't leave her for even 2 minutes. FYI dry shampoo = saviour 

Look up some of my first posts on here, you'll see that you are actually much more together than I was. You will get there, it gets easier, you will get to drink a whole cup of tea again one day, you will stop bleeding from being painfully bitten, you might even be able to leave the house again eventually!!

Keep posting, however irrational you think you sound. Bet you still won't sound as bonkers as me 

Loads of lovely people and great advice on here.


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