# What is the right crate size for a beagle?



## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

In May, we adopted a year-old beagle mix from the animal shelter. I wasn't working at the time, and was able to be home with him most of the time. We got him to the point where he would stay in the crate for several hours without an accident, and where he was no longer having accidents in the house.

Then I started working, and had to be away from the house 6-7 hours a day. Now he pees in the crate every day and our living room reeks of pee. I keep cleaning the crate with enzyme cleaner, but the crate itself is an older one and the metal is slightly corroded from being in the basement. We think that the pee is soaking into the metal and nothing we do seems to get it out. He lifts his leg against the corner of it, so it's actually on the vertical bars. *Is there any way to clean this? *

We need to get him to stop lifting his leg, however, because of course it sprays on the whole surrounding area. I have newspapers and plastic down to protect the floor, but my husband says the pee will eventually destroy the varnish on the hardwood. He's really pretty upset about the whole thing and has been suggesting the dog go back to the pound.

The crate we are currently using is 3' x 2'. I have been told it is too big for him, but since it was what we had, I decided to try to use it anyway. * So now I'm wondering, is it too big? And if so, what size is appropriate? * I've was looking on one website and it said 30", but that's almost as big as the one we have. I was thinking around 24". He's part dachsund and has a somewhat longer body than a regular beagle. He weighs about 25 lbs.

Thanks for the input. 

*Additional note: * I have to leave by 7:30 and have not been walking him in the mornings, because I have to get my son up and dressed and to the babysitter as well as getting everything I need for work. We have a large yard, and I make sure he goes out to pee before I leave. My husband thinks I need to take the dog on a walk every morning. Which means I would have to take my son, too. Which means I would also have to walk the husky mix. So I would have to drag my seven-year-old on two separate walks for a total of about 40 minutes, starting at around 6:50 a. m. *Is this really necessary, do you think?* I get up at 5:30 and the dogs are fed right away, so they have two hours to do as they please in the yard.

(((Moaning and banging my head on the keyboard))) I just moved the crate to wash the blanket that is under it to protect the floor.... and the whole floor under the crate is destroyed. It is discolored and warped from pee. I suppose the blanket must have wicked it under the crate. I thought I had done a good job of keeping the area clean, but it was accumulating underneath. The floor is ruined.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

7 hours in the crate is a really long time. Your only real hope for not soiling is if he were sleeping the entire time that you're gone. The size of the crate won't make much difference with that time frame...too small and he will have to lay in his own mess and you'd end up bathing him everyday. 

You might try skipping the morning feeding...that just provides energy/wakefullness...when you really want him to go back to sleep for another 7 hours. Control the water intake especially in the morning.

You should probably change the crate and/or consider other means of confinement (laundry room, bathroom, x-pen).


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

7 hours is a long time? Really??? I'm surprised. I thought most dogs who were housebroken could hold it longer than that. Our other dog can last 10 hours if needed, and it doesn't seem to bother him at all. But perhaps he is just unique.

Thanks for the suggestions.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Hardymum said:


> 7 hours is a long time? Really??? I'm surprised. I thought most dogs who were housebroken could hold it longer than that. Our other dog can last 10 hours if needed, and it doesn't seem to bother him at all. But perhaps he is just unique.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestions.



I don't know of any dog that can hold it for 10 hours if they're awake...not even 7 hours. If they're sleeping, that's an entirely different story as all the body functions slow down....but, apparently he's awake which means he has to go.


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

He's a husky mix, and he's fine in the house that long. Don't get me wrong, he's rushing for the door when we get home, but he hasn't had an accident in, oh, eight years or so.

So now you know one.


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## BooLette (Jul 11, 2009)

But how old is the husky mix? I'm assuming at least eight since you say he hasn't had an accident in about eight years or so. This little beagle you say is only a year old, you can't expect him to have that kind of bladder control. I left my dogs in their crates for just three hours yesterday to do some shopping and they were rushing the door to go to the bathroom. 
Do you have someone that you trust to come by and take him for a walk for you? That seems like it would be the best option, I would hate for you to have to take him back to the shelter... or do you have a fenced in yard where you can set up some kind of shady area for him to stay in while you are away during the day?


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

BooLette said:


> But how old is the husky mix? I'm assuming at least eight since you say he hasn't had an accident in about eight years or so. This little beagle you say is only a year old, you can't expect him to have that kind of bladder control. I left my dogs in their crates for just three hours yesterday to do some shopping and they were rushing the door to go to the bathroom.
> Do you have someone that you trust to come by and take him for a walk for you? That seems like it would be the best option, I would hate for you to have to take him back to the shelter... or do you have a fenced in yard where you can set up some kind of shady area for him to stay in while you are away during the day?


This is really more of an anxiety issue than bladder control. Even if I only leave for 30 minutes, the dog has peed in the crate. So it doesn't matter if we get a pet-sitter... the dog would have already peed before s(he) got here. He just really doesn't like the crate. 

We do have a fence, but he could easily dig under it. I do have an extra large crate that we might be able to use for a makeshift temporary outdoor kennel, if he doesn't bark too much while we're gone. We're concerned that if he carries on incessantly, the neighbors will complain and we'll have the police at our door. But that would only work during the summer. That's a good idea, though, about setting it up in a shady area.

DH and I talked it over, and decided not to take him back to the shelter because they would probably put him down. He says it would cost several thousand dollars to pour a cement pad and build an outdoor kennel. I hope it doesn't come to that!

*I did finally get an answer regarding crate size that makes sense to me: It should be large enough for the dog to lie down on its side, without curling up.*

Thank you very much, everyone, for all of the support and advice!


P.S. I just want to add, because it's kind of funny, that he's not actually peeing in the crate. He's lifting his leg and shooting his pee _through the bars_ onto the surrounding floor!


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## joeyjoe9 (Feb 28, 2009)

Your dog's face looks just like mine!


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

joeyjoe9 said:


> Your dog's face looks just like mine!


He does! Does he have a long, skinny nose? It's hard to tell.


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

An Update: I have the "right sized" crate and he's still peeing in it. I have given up. I am accepting the fact that I have to clean up urine every time I come home, and am just hoping he grows out of this eventually.

One of my co-workers says that her first beagle did the same thing, but eventually stopped on her own.


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## Hardymum (May 19, 2009)

I just want to post an update for anyone who might be viewing this. After four months, our dog is *STILL* peeing in the crate. The new crate. The one I spent over $50 on.

We are concerned that he seems to be getting adjusted to sitting in his own pee. So we started leaving him loose in the house for short intervals, blocking off the kitchen with a gate. We've now left him as long as 6.5 hours. No problems at all! He doesn't even bark when I leave. He just jumps up onto the sofa as if to say, "This is my spot."

I still make sure that he goes outside and pees and poops before I leave, and I take up the water dish from the floor about an hour or so before that. He loves to play fetch, so I all I have to do is throw the ball for him for about ten minutes and he does his business. I still am giving him the melatonin most days, but I think he's ready to be weaned off it.

Apparently, it was the crate itself that upset him, more than me leaving.


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## Emerson! (May 31, 2010)

OH MY GOODNESS!!! So glad to hear someone else is having issues crate training their beagle. I picked up a beagle mutt last week from the pound. he is around 5 years old. He is FABULOUS! Except he hates hates hates the crate. He got out twice, once no problem, the second time - ripped the lace curtains down including the mollies holding up the rods! I am doing all the things they tell you to do but he still won't go in. And forcing him in is not the right answer and only worsens the problem. We too are trying the kitchen, hoping all goes well with it like your experience!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

TooneyDogs said:


> I don't know of any dog that can hold it for 10 hours if they're awake...not even 7 hours. If they're sleeping, that's an entirely different story as all the body functions slow down....but, apparently he's awake which means he has to go.


I just wanted to comment that this thought is strange to me. At 7 or 8 months, Frag (now 9 months) was holding his bladder throughout the day for 6-8 hours. He doesn't always, but he has without a problem.


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## alk135 (Feb 14, 2011)

The beagle nose is a powerful thing. Do you think something next to the crate may have your other dog's smell on it? He might be trying to pee on that. 

I would NEVER let my beagle/ basset out and about in the house when i'm gone because she would pee on everything but i'm glad that seems to be working for you. 

(is your beagle mixed with something? because she looks strikingly like my dog...)

best of luck,
- alex


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## ZeeDoggy (Jul 16, 2010)

7 hours is a long time for any unwalked dog to stay content in the crate. How much exercise is he getting once you're home? You mentioned that the dogs have a couple hours to do as they please before you leave. Dogs need structured time with their pack to be content and calm. Are you able to get a dog walker?


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## s2thalayer (Jul 7, 2010)

This post was started 2 years ago...i would hope the OP has a solution by now...lol.


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## mercat01 (Jul 25, 2012)

A friend uses some kind of pad wrap's around her dog's private area to keep them from peeing while kept in the crate. They did the exact same thing. The pad wraps is basically a band that wraps around the dogs waste and covers there nether regions. It keeps them from hiking when she is gone. She said it was a miracle.


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## mercat01 (Jul 25, 2012)

Here's a link to one
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...6111&subref=AA&CAWELAID=743635390&cagpspn=pla


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## zeronightfarm (Jun 15, 2011)

this thread is over 3 years old lol


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## mercat01 (Jul 25, 2012)

Yeah, but just like me, other's look at this thread for answers besides the one that originally asked the question.


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## psdaengr (Feb 28, 2013)

Years after this thread was opened, NO ONE actually answered the original question. (Actually, I think the question should have been - "Is the time and space I can give, big enough for my dog?", and the answer, "Obviously not")

For ANY dog, a crate is intended to confine and restrict movement. A crate should be sized by measuring the dog. Beagles can vary 2:1 in size.

Measure its prone, nose-down length from nose to butt, and its standing height at the withers. The crate length should be between the dogs length and 2" longer. The crates'width should be between 50 and 60% of its length, and the crates' height between 1 inch more than the withers, but not as tall as the dogs standing height.

Retraining of a dog that has been peeing and/or defecating in its crate requires many things, some of which are commonly overlooked:

1. A stress-free dog in a low stress environment, with an owner who provides enough everything that a dog needs to be mentally healthy. That means exercise,interactive play, and direction, every day, during the daytime.

2. A physically healthy dog with a healthy urinary/digestive system.

3. A good diet for the dog, and healthy, regular habits for the owner. (You want the dog to not pee inside, take him outside every time he needs to pee. Problem solved.)

4. An owner who knows from experience how long that dog can hold its urine, and will either give the dog the hands-on training/supervision it needs, or will hire someone to do it whenever the owner is unavailable to do it. Think full time babysitter, not building inspector. A retiree or a stay at home mom can do it; an owner who is away at work all day cannot. 

5. Owner acceptance that dogs (even some females) will hold back some urine for marking territory and "message board" postings EVEN IF THEY NEVER have a chance to post. They may release urine under stress, when they feel fear or suffer from separation anxiety, or when try to show submission.

6. Owner understanding that any form of acknowledgement of inappropriate urination or defecation - is giving the dog attention, which to a crate-confined dog, may may be a reward. 

7. A crate and crate area that is completely clean of odor residue, with no bedding in the crate. "Clean" to a dog means that it cannot smell any pee-like odor, not that the owner can't see or smell urine. Washing the crate and treating it with a urine and pheromone neutralizer (not ammonia nor vinegar) every time that urine is seen in the crate, is no guarantee that the dog hasn't dribbled or sprayed a small amount that has since dried. Since a scent hound can smell things at 1:200,000 the level as a human, either the owner has to be obsessive about cleaning or a black light (UV) inspection is needed. 

8. A regular schedule of feeding the dog, giving it controlled access to water, and within 10-30 minutes of its waking, drinking and/or eating, taking it to an owner-approved voiding spot, and waiting until the dog has voided. For most adult dogs this means a minimum of 6 well timed potty breaks during the daytime until the dog learns to "go" on request.

9. Knowledge that it's harder to unlearn an undesired behavior than to learn the desired one. A puppy can learn correct potty behavior in as little as 2 weeks, but cant be trusted until it gets bladder and bowel control. An adult with months or years of practicing the wrong habit, can be expected to take minimum of a month with no mistakes to unlearn the habit, and will require lavish praise and reinforcement for the replacement behavior that the owner wants.

10. Persistence and patience.


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