Vienna Calling - the Beagle kennel

What to buy?

Here some must haves, some beagle-proven articles and ideas you might need for your puppy. You will find already some items in our puppy kit (like collar, leash, blanket, bowl. whistle, toys, kibble, wet food & goodies we use and so on).

Crate / X-pen

It is particularly important for puppies to learn to relax and be calm, so getting a crate makes sense. With a box you protect your facility, the puppy is faster housebroken and learns easier to stay alone. The box also offers you the opportunity to leave your puppy for a short time and still be sure that nothing can happen to him.

You can also set up an x-pen, or/and use child gates at the beginning.
Our advice: either buy a plastic transport box or a foldable metal crate, fabric crates are not recommended by beagles.

Car crate, trunk divider or seat belt/harness

As alternative, you can also install a trunk divider to keep the dog in the trunk but be warned, they are often not as secure and also usually too much place for the dog in the whole trunk. Also don't keep the dogs away from chewable materials in the car itself which can have bad consequences.

You can also use a special seat belt/harness and let your dog travel on the hind seat. Think about that the car can became very dirty if the dog is directly transported on the seat and there are also many items which can be chewed off by an especially young dog. Better use a rear seat protection at least if choosing this option.

Pets are must be secured properly by law during a car ride. There are specially designed and proven aluminium car boxes - they are often heavy, not quite cheap but worth the money. Otherwise you can also put a plastic box or a foldable metal box into your trunk. Do not use too big crates as they can be dangerous by an accident. 

Bowls and food storage

When choosing the bowls, you should pay attention to quality. Plastic bowls are not always very durable. Bowls with rubber coating are also not very durable because the rubber coating, which is supposed to prevent slipping on the floor, comes off over time. Best idea are ceramic or melamine bowls. You need at least one water bowl and one food bowl.


If feeding a kibble, you shall preferably keep the food in a closed bin or storage box to prevent it from going bad. When you plan to feed wet food can lids can be useful.

Dog food

During their development, dogs need food that is precisely tailored to their needs and their development. You should make sure that the food does not contain any sugar and that you understand all the ingredients on the package. The addition "complete feed" is also very important, so that your dog is sufficiently supplied with nutrients. We will advice you the kibble and wet food brands we are feeding.

Supplements

Even if a good dog food contains everything to cover your dog's feeding requirements, there are some supplements you can support your dog's immune system or digestion or coat f.ex. But some also might be a help to prevent plaque & tartar on your dog's teeth. You will get a short list of supplements we use with your dog's documents and of course you can ask us anytime.

Chewies, goodies, cookies & co

Treats should not be seen as a complete food but rather as a candy. You should pay attention to the ingredients when buying them, as many treats contain sugar. 
Chewing bones serve to wear off tartar and keep the dog busy. However, chewing bones should only be fed in moderation and care to ensure that they are of high quality. 

You will need small, soft treats (or cheese, Wiener pieces) for training with your dog which have to be very yummy but not too big or hard so that you can work well with your dog.
You will need things to chew for your dog - chewing is always a good occupation for any dog. You can use dental sticks or greenies for shorter chew sequences, dried products like beef skin strips, beef/pig/rabbit ears, tripe sticks, dried lungs and so on. For longer chewing times you can use deer antlers, coffee tree or tree root pieces. 
We don't recommend raw bones except for marrow bones but also not too often, and take your hands off of rawhide.

Leash & collar

Make sure that they are of high quality and that the collar or leash fits well and correctly. Many dogs wear the collar too loosely and can slip out of the collar with a quick backward movement. Therefore, the collar must be so tight that there can be room for 2 fingers between the dog and the collar.

There are endless types of collars, leashes and harnesses. It is important to find out which is convenient for you. 

We recommend for leash training, short walks a well padded collar and a 2,5 m long training leash both can be made of leather, fabric, paracord and so on. You can buy also a harness for your puppy this shall be well padded, soft and not making pressure on the chest and bones of your puppy. We think, Puppia or Curli harnesses are a good first choice. Use well fit harnesses also later on, it is very important to use harnesses which don't put a pressure on the dog's bones and don't affect his natural movement. 

A long leash is also a good choice, to use for recall training and on terrains you can't unleash your dog. Later on, once your dog can walk properly on leash you can use also flexi leashes (but these never replace the normal leashes to be used on city walks).
You should invest in a goodie bag too, so that you can keep your treats with you while walking your dog. 
A tag with your phone number can help if the dog gets lost (and not all think to check whether he is microchiped). 
You can use light collars or light blinkies during winter walks in the dark.

Dog beds & baskets

Puppies actually need their box as a sleeping place at the beginning. If you cant to offer him right from the beginning several baskets or beds, don't be surprised if they will have some damages after a while. Use in the beginning rather plastic beds with removable and washable cushions. We use Vetbeds in the crates, in the car in some beds - Vetbeds are very durable, easy to wash pads which remain always dry on their surface also if misfits happen. Once your dog is over the teething phase and is a bit older we can recommend faux leather beds like Kudde or Ridgi-Pad, or soft sleeping places as the "Wolke" (cloud). You can use raised outdoor beds in the summer for your dog, these are also very durable.

Toys

Dogs love toys! Please never leave your puppy unattended with a toy. He can swallow parts of it or injure himself on it. 

Puppies love play ropes - they're great to chew on, fling them around, drag them around, or just pull each strand out individually of them. Play attention, that your dog don't swallows too much of the strands!

Your best choice for young dog toys are hard rubber toys which they can chew on or you can play fetch games with them. Especially Kong toys are very creative, well made and bring a lot of joy to your dogs life. Food dispensing toys like snack balls or wobble are great for your puppy too. You can fill the Kongs with special fillings, freeze or heat them. Sniffing activities like a snuffle mat are not just fun but while your dog uses his nose he will be very satisfied doing it. Any intelligence toys can be great for a beagle, they love to learn especially with the best food motivation. Stuffed toys are ripped out very fast, however the Ikea stuffed animals have a longer life-range with our pack.

Care...

Although beagles are short haired low maintenance dogs this doesn't mean they can go without any care.
From time to time you should check your dog's nails and trim them if necessary. You can use either an electric grinder or a nail clipper. You should keep at home a dog-shampoo. You won't use it very often, so don't need to be a big branded one, just an average one. Sometimes if your dog founds a fabulous smelling spot it can be very handy.
As beagles shed a lot, we can recommend the Furminator. You can get your puppy used also to teeth brushing - it's a great way to prevent tartar and plaque. To take care of your home, we recommend a vacuum cleaner or a robot specially made for pet hair. The average vacuum cleaners do not have a long life. We also recommend for cleaning the misfits with an enzyme cleaner called Biodor. This works very well on urine or fecal spots and neutralizes also the odors. 

© Vienna Calling Beagles