Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Aaah, he sounds so sweet! I know you are getting attached to him quickly. He will be your BABY soon.

How much does he weigh? Beagles generally come in 2 sizes, a 13-15 inch size (when full grown) and what they call an "under 13 inch" size. I have one of each! My biggest one weighs 32 pounds and the little one is only 14 pounds. They are both tri-colored and people think Bitsy is Mulligan's puppy but she's full grown. She often ducks and walks under him.

I'm not sure how often you should brush his teeth, but I'm glad you are getting him used to it. Also, bathing him at a young age is good ---to get him accustomed to it, but beagles don't need to be bathed often. Too frequent bathing causes their skin to flake and itch. They need the oils on their coat. And use a puppy shampoo (not a people one). Be careful not to get any in his ears or that can cause an ear infection. Have your husband hold his ears down so no water gets in. If you want him to get used to a hair dryer, do it NOW (on low heat!) or he'll be terrified of it later. I usually just towel dry my beagles.

As for the crate training---you need to get one NOW. Don't get a huge one (he needs to feel cozy in it). He just needs to be able to stand up and walk around in it. I recommend a wire one so he can see you. Put in in your living room while you're watching tv, put his toys in there, leave the door open and let him go in and out of it himself. That way he won't feel like it's punishment! When you leave the house, you can put him in there and close the door.

When you feed him, put the dish in his crate. After the first few times of this, then close the door. He will learn that it's his special home! Then you can put him in the crate at night by your bed---and if you want him out of your room later, you can gradually move it farther away from your room.

And even though he's teeny, tiny now, get a puppy collar soon so he will get used to it. And you can start teaching him to walk on a leash.

Most beagle rescue societies don't let anyone adopt a puppy unless they can come home every 4 hours for the first 2-3 months. Puppies bladders are small, and you can't expect him to hold it all day!

It sounds like you are doing a great job with him! And the kids in the neighborhood will teach him to trust others. Just don't let them mistreat him! (tell them to pet him under the chin, not on top of his head---and not to mess with his tail.)

Be careful of leaving toys in his bed. I've known many ownera whose puppy ate the plastic or stuffed toys and had to have emergency surgery. Puppies have very sharp teeth.

My husband and I did everything wrong with our first dog---just out of ignorance. The most common MISTAKES people make (and we did all of these) are:

1. Giving the dog the run of the house. (Confine him to the room you're in---or his crate---for a long while. Otherwise, he'll get into lots of trouble. This is the single best advice I can give you!

2. Hitting a dog when they do something wrong. This only makes them angry and aggressive---and teaches them to snap at you.

3. Failing to let them know you're the leader of the pack (dogs have a pack mentality.) Teach him to sit before you give him his bowl or before you let him out the door. This lets him know you are the leader, and he will respect you.

And if he does have accidents on your carpet, invest in a Bissell Spot-lifter. This is a small handheld machine (kind of like a Dustbuster) that sucks up liquid from your carpet. Scrubbing the spot only forces the urine further into the pad--which you don't want!

Buy a bottle of Nature's Miracle stain and odor remover. (be sure you don't get the one for cats)---at a pet store. It's expensive but it's the only thing that will remove the odor. After you've gently blotted the urine (or sucked it with the Spotlifter), spray or pour this on the spot and put a warm damp washcloth (preferably white) on top of it and let it sit. Keep the cloth damp for several days. You will be shocked to see that the washcloth is yellow. It soaks up the urine! You certainly don't want your new carpet ruined.

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions.

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