Dog chaos

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I have a rather long question and a second shorter one.  Hope that is ok.

First, I have a almost 1 year old lab/hound and adopted a beagle about a month ago.

They seem to get along fine although sometimes the play is a little rough.  My house is not huge and they play all the time except when the smaller dog is crated.  The jump on the furniture and run out back and then back in.  There never seems to be a minutes peace.  The larger dog steels all the toys so even if the little one wants to sit and chew he cant.  The little one jumps on the table, chair and chews everything in sight.

I managed to train my firs dog quite well be spend my entire day now chasing and scolding.  The little one is not learning anything.  He is not potty trained and does not listen to me.

Any suggestions for how I can get them to calm down sometimes and stop the chaos?

My second question is about the beagle.  I still feed him 3 times a day - about a half cup each time.  He eats his food without chewing at all.  It is done it seconds.  I have tried putting a little in the bowl at a time and tried hand feeding but he still goes nuts.  How can I get him to chew his food?  I dont think I am underfeeding him as he is gaining weight just fine.

Thank you

Laurie

ANSWER: Both dogs are still very young, so the playfulness is normal. I would recommend that you only allow them to interact together if they are outside. To do this, you may have to keep them separated in the house for a while, either by crating one or using a baby gate. I would especially recommend keeping them separated in the house until your beagle is housebroken and at least has learned some basic manners.

You didn't say how old the beagle is. Could you tell me? Do you feed them next to each other?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The beagle is 16 weeks.  I feed them in separate rooms or the beagle would eat everything in sight.

Thanks
Laurie

Answer
It's pretty normal for puppies to wolf their food like that. As long as you are feeding them separately, so he doesn't think he has to hurry up and eat or else risk the other dog getting his food, that's good. He should eventually slow down. You can also put him on twice-a-day feeding at his age. That should also help with the potty training.