We only breed once a year so if you are interested in a puppy you will need to fill out our questionnaire.

You must be prepared to wait for one of our lovely healthy puppies.

            (Will be Hell - you might as well expect it)

            For his entire short lifetime, your new puppy has spent virtually 

            all of his time in a warm, cozy environment - first it was mom’s 

            womb and then it was the ‘puppy pile’. If he got a little cold, he 

            just had to burrow down to the bottom of the pile and he was warm. 

            If he got a little lonesome, there were always plenty of siblings 

            around for comfort. Things are different now that he is removed from 

            his canine companions. 

            During the day when you are awake and cuddling him in your arms, you 

            are the warm puppy pile. But when he wakes up in the middle of the 

            night he is probably just a little lonesome for his former 

            surroundings, and he probably also needs to pee. Therefore, he will 

            probably cry. This is normal. Unlike puppies, adult dogs do not 

            normally sleep in a heap, and they learn to be independent and 

            self-sufficient while growing up. 

            What should you do when your Beagle puppy cries in the night? First, 

            you should remember that a 8- or 9-week-old puppy must sleep in a 

            warm place and does not have the bladder control of an adult; he can 

            only hold himself for two or three hours. Second, dogs have an 

            instinct to not poop or pee where they live (which in this case 

            means their bed). Therefore, if your new puppy wakes up in the night 

            and screams and it has been two or three hours since he last 

            relieved himself, you should drag yourself out of bed and take the 

            little puppy out.  After he has finished, you should return 

            him to his bed and go back to yours. [For convenience, you may want 

            to locate his sleeping quarters near your bed.] If he cries, harden 

            your heart, stop up your ears, and let him cry. After 30 minutes or 

            so, he will probably cry himself to sleep. Some puppies have a lot 

            of stamina and will cry for hours. Of course, after another two or 

            three hours, your Beagle has earned the right to go outside for 

            another piddle. 

            At this age, puppies grow and mature really fast, and their bladder 

            control matures along with everything else. What was said in the 

            previous paragraph about a 8- or 9-week-old puppy doesn’t apply to 

            an 12- or 14-week old puppy. By that time, they should be able to 

            sleep through the night ... well, for at least six or seven hours, without 
	having to go outside for a tinkle.  If you have been consistent
	during the first week or so, you should find that your nights are 
	yours for uninterrupted slumber.

           (providing your puppy with a life-long secure retreat)

                The best favor you can do for your Beagle is to buy him a ‘crate’ 

            that he can hang out in. There are basically two kinds of crates. An 

            ‘airline crate’ is made of hard plastic and has metal bar air vents 

            on the sides and a metal-bar door. It is called an airline crate 

            because it is what you would use to take your dog on an airplane 

            trip. The most common brand is called a Vari-Kennel. You can also 

            buy a ‘wire crate’ that is made solely of metal bars. This might 

            have an advantage if you live in Hawaii or Saudi Arabia, but it has 

            been our experience that Beagles like the sense of warmth and 

            privacy afforded by the Vari-Kennel. 

            Vari-Kennels can be bought at most pet supply stores, from vendors 

            at dog shows, and from mail order houses that specialize in pet 

            supplies. They come in several sizes, designated as 200, 300, 400, 

            500, etc. An adult Beagle will need either the 200 (for 13") or 300 

            size (for larger dogs). There is an even larger Vari-Kennel (700), 

            which might be appropriate for a large Great Dane or perhaps a 

            Shetland pony, but there are good reasons not to provide your Beagle 

            with one of these King-Kong-Krates. For one thing, you will 

            eventually want to take your puppy on a trip and it is really 

            convenient if his crate can go too. The problem is that it is 

            difficult to get the Shetland-pony-size Vari-Kennel into most 

            vehicles, so you lose out on one of the really neat features of 

            crate training. Also, remember that the crate is a place for your 

            Beagle to curl up for a nap, not a place to play fetch. 

            The crate should be equipped with a ‘crate mat’ - something soft and 

            comfy for your puppy to curl up on. Most pet supply stores sell 

            various kinds of crate mats made to fit Vari-Kennels and other 

            crates of various sizes. We recommend against mats that are covered 

            foam rubber. Beagles seem to really love to shred foam rubber and 

            will rip through the toughest cover to get to the heart of the 

            matter. The first thing you know, your nice new $50 foam-rubber 

            crate mat has been reduced to rubble. (Although this is a diversion, 

            you also want to avoid doggy beds that are filled with polystyrene 

            beads. There is no sight quite so spectacular as a whole house full 

            of these pesky little white beads, each magnetized with static 

            electricity, after your Beagle has ripped up the outer cover.) 

            Actually, you can make a perfectly serviceable crate mat by folding 

            up a couple of old towels so that they fit the dimensions of the 

            crate. 

            The crate serves several useful functions. First, if your Beagle 

            gets used to sleeping in it from the time he is a little puppy, it 

            will become his warm, comfortable retreat for the rest of his life. 

            When he has grown up, you will occasionally find that he has curled 

            up in his open crate for a nap, or just to get away from the noise 

            and hubbub of the house. The value of crate training is really 

            apparent on those occasions when you have guests who are 

            uncomfortable with dogs (just put the Beagle in his crate for a few 

            hours) and when you travel (your Beagle is never away from home, 

            because his crate goes everywhere he does). 

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            Some people have an instinctive prejudice against crates, because 

            they equate them with cages and feel that putting a dog in a crate 

            is like putting an animal in a zoo. What you should remember is that 

            a Beagle (especially a young one) is going to sleep quite a bit of 

            the time anyway, so why not have him sleep in a warm and familiar 

            and safe place like his very own crate.