Dog training

Question
Hi my name is Lina and I have a one and a half year old beagle (hannah). I never actually trained Hannah when I first got her I have been putting the training pads in my basement. I have signed her up for training and she has been going for two months now and nothing has changed and now that I have removed the training pads she has had several accidents. The trainer has done a lot and doesn't really understand why she hasn't made even a little progress. Is something wrong with Hannah?!?!? What can I do to help Hannah? Is the training class a failure and I should pull her out?? Please help Hannah and I.

Answer
No, nothing in the world is wrong with Hannah! She is just at a disadvantage. Beagles are very hard to train. They can be very stubborn. While it is best to train them at a early age, you can still train her, but it is going to take a lot of work. If I was you I would question your dog trainer's judgement. When I worked at the SPCA the dog training programs there lasted almost 7 months and we usually didn't start seeing progress until the 4th or 5th month and the last couple they breezed through them. There is a slim to none chance that a beagle over the age of one could possibly make very much progress if any within 2 months. I got my beagle trained at 6 months and she didn't start making real progress until 8-9 months. Its not all dogs its mostly beagles. They need extensive training for all the work they do (hunting, smelling, potty training etc.) If I were you I would NOT pull Hannah out of the class and finish it out and at least let her have a chance at learning a few things. If that doesn't work, you don't need to give up. She may not be able to learn with the trainer you have,she may get distracted easily. She is used to the training pads and know they are there and undermines everything she may learn because she has the lean of the training pads. Its going to be hard to take them from her without a couple of accidents, much like a diaper or bottle from a baby. My suggestion is feed Hannah 2-3 times a day with the portion of one cup. Morning, lunch time, and dinner time (the grade of food depends on how much to feed her, higher grade twice a day, lower grade three). Some great foods are nutro max, blue buffalo. Feed her then take her bowl from her. Leave her water out though. Then after you feed her and she eats in about 30 minutes to a hour she will probably need to go  to the bathroom. I know it is time consuming, but trust me it works a great deal. The main thing you want her to get out of the training class is when to tell you she needs to go, like scratching the door. It is going to take a while, don't give up on it. Her bathroom schedule is going to have to be altered so it is going to be hard for her. Please feel free and don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions. I have a beagle that went through the same thing, so I understand its difficult. Good luck and I hope for the best!