Instructions
Take your beagle puppy outside to relieve itself first thing in the morning, after every meal and before it is confined at night. According to the Dog Breed Info website, puppies have to relieve themselves about six times a day. You should also take your puppy out more often than that if possible. A dozen times a day or even every 30 minutes is not excessive, according to the Love Your Dog website. The more times you take the puppy out, the more chance that there will be a "happy accident"--the puppy happens to eliminate while outside.
Praise your beagle puppy lavishly the minute it eliminates outside. By taking advantage of the puppy's "happy accident," you are providing positive reinforcement for its good behavior. Remember: your puppy instinctively wants to please you.
Use the same encouraging phrase every time you take your beagle puppy out, and make sure other members of the household do the same. The words you say-- "Go potty," or "Do your business" or some other phrase-- don't matter, as long as you are consistent.
Use words from the phrase while praising your puppy for eliminating outside: "Good dog! Good potty!"
Take your beagle puppy to the same spot in the yard every time. In this way, it associates the spot with relieving itself.
Confine your beagle puppy to a crate to help the housebreaking process, but not for overly long periods of time. Contrary to popular belief, a puppy will defecate or urinate in the crate if it has to go. A good rule of thumb is to take the number of months in the puppy's age and add one--a four-month old puppy should not be in a crate longer than five hours. If your puppy is too young to be in a crate overnight, confine it to an uncarpeted, easily cleaned room--such as a bathroom or laundry room--and put down newspapers or housebreaking pads in a corner of the room.
Supervise your beagle puppy constantly when it is out of its crate or confined area and watch closely for circling, sniffing, whining, approaching the door or looking at the door--all signs that the puppy needs to relieve itself. Don't leave your beagle puppy unattended during this training period--mistakes can set your puppy's training back significantly.
Say "No. Not in here," in a firm, calm voice, and immediately carry the puppy outside if you should leave your puppy unattended and then catch it in the act. The combination of your voice and being picked up will probably make your puppy stop eliminating. According to the Pet Education website, pushing down on the dog's tail while you are carrying it may also make it regain control until it gets outside. When you set your puppy down and it resumes eliminating, praise it as usual.
Clean up any accidents with a good commercial enzymatic cleaner made especially for removing pet stains and odor, and try to create a physical barrier around or over the spot to discourage the puppy from eliminating there again. Never use ammonia to clean up a urination accident. The smell is too similar to urine, and may actually trigger the puppy to relieve itself there again.
How to Potty Train a Beagle Puppy
Potty training your beagle puppy doesn't have to be a struggle, but it does require some supervision on your part. It is up to you to manage your beagle puppy's feeding schedule and its whereabouts so that it is physically prevented from relieving itself in the house. At the same time, you must provide many opportunities for your puppy to eliminate outside, then praise it extravagantly when it does so. With some simple techniques--accompanied by vigilance, consistency and positive reinforcement--you can have your beagle puppy well on the way to being housebroken.