Beagle potty training

Question
I have two 6 month old beagles ( 1 male, 1 female).  We have had them since they were 10 weeks. As young puppies we started them with pooch pads and took them out just about every hour, after meals, and after a hard play session.  We crate them while we at work, and rarely they have accidents.  The only time they do is if we have a really long day at work (near 12 hours).  However, here we are at 6 months, still taking them out every hour and if we miss our mark they still end up peeing inside.  We stopped giving them treats when we went outside and just reverted to praise....they got too smart for the treats and would just squat rather than pee for the treat.  Do you have any advice to help???

Answer
Hello Dana!
Did you know that beagles are one of the hardest breeds to train? When they go outside they could care less about using the bathroom, they just want to sniff and play. They are still young and on average we have dogs that come in the clinic and they aren't fully trained until 8 or even 9 months old. 12 hours is long for a dog but taking them out every hour is good The problem that everyone misses is they won't have to go at 7:00 on the dot or 8:00 on the dot see what I'm getting at? When they are that young it is best to take them out 30-45 minutes after they eat and drink. Food portions can always fluctuate this too. At that age they should only be eating  1/2 cup 2-3 times a day. Denotations are just as important as praise when they have a accident (first keep in mind they are still puppies) and say NO! Firmly to them pointing you index finger and they will learn by your tone with time they aren't doing something right. Praise EVERYTIME they succeed at something.Set a pad next to your door that you take them out at and they will learn to go to the door when they need to go. Keep in mind their bladders aren't fully developed and they can't hold it for a hour. Generally around 30 minutes as I mentioned. When you have long hours and they have accidents its teaching them well if they won't take me then I will just go here, but I know you are stuck in a rock and a hard place with work and taking them but 12 hours is hard for them too, and they will have accidents. Also if you put a pad in their crate it will help as well when you take them out. I hope this has helped if you need anymore please don't hesitate to ask. Hang in there and best wishes to you all!