Beagle Yelps

Question
Hi Chris-
I am about to purchase my first puppy.  I am very excited at this opportunity.  I am looking at a breeder that breeds pocket beagles.  As I tell this to people I keep telling me about Beagles and their yelping/howling.  I live in an apartment that is dog friendly, but I do not want to disturb my neighbors when I am not home.  I do work during the day so the dog would be home alone, but would have a dog walker come everyday, possibly twice while it is a puppy.  I have heard that pupppies should never be alone for more then 4 hours at a time.  
Anyway, is it true that during training a puppy you can train it to bark/yelp less or is that helpless because the breed is known for barking/yelping?  If barking/yelping is not condoned in the home will the dog stick to that rule when left alone?  Any insight and helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Kate

Answer
Hi, Kate!

First, beagles and yelping - you can change a dog's behavior with patience and training.  You cannot change his genetics.  If the breed was intended to do something, like herd, retrieve, guard, you cannot expect to eliminate this trait.  Many yelping breeds, like Shelties, can be trained to quiet on command, but if a dog hears a noise and he is predispositioned to bark, he will probably bark.  You are wise in understanding that the beagle breed is a vocal breed.  If you are open to considering other breeds, there are small dogs (apartment friendly sized) that are not as vocal, i.e. maltese, bichon frise, etc.  The AKC website gives good information on the different groups of dogs, such as herding, hounds, etc. and their characteristics.  Before committing to a dog, you may want to look and see if there is a breed that you like that is quieter in nature.

Second, leaving puppies alone - the main reason that they shouldn't be left alone for long periods of time (8 hours or longer) is that they cannot hold their urine that long and stand the chance of messing in the crate.  This goes against the dog's basic nature and is counter-productive to housetraining, but if it has to go and the only place is the crate, then......  Having the dog walker come is an excellent idea, and you should be commended.  Many people would not want to spend the money, but giving your dog ample chances to eliminate in the proper place will help you with housebreaking.  I also never left water in my dog's crate.  As long as they have free access to water when they're out, and they don't spend long hours in their, they really don't need to drink while in the crate, and this helps keep down the amount of fluid they consume while crated.

I'm not sure if I covered everything you asked; if not, email me again.