My son and his wife have 2 indoor cats and one energetic beagle. My son loves the dog, his wife loves the cats. The dog still has accidents in the house at night so the wife wants to keep the dog outside all the time. My son wants her in the house a lot, because we always treated our pets like family. And no one is making the extra effort to be sure she's house trained so the issue doesn't contine.

We also have a beagle, and they are very social dogs and do not like to be left alone. I'm afraid if their dog is left outside all the time, alone, she'll start digging and will escape. They live in San Bernardino near busy streets.

They have a fenced big back yard with grass and shade and lots of room for dogs to run. Their dog is about 18 months old and gets along well with the cats, but has tons of energy and always wants to play.

Do you think getting another dog to keep her company would be a good solution? If so, would you get one slightly younger or older, male or female, etc?

Or do you think adding another dog to the mix would only make it worse? Or should I just stay out of it! ;D

Any suggestions are welcome, tell me about your similar experiences if you have some. Thanks!

Oy, they haven't trained the first dog and they are thinking getting another? Yikes!

Would they at least consider throwing papers down somewhere for the dog to pee on? Or a dog training class?

Don't stay out of it - they sound like they need a bit of advice and you seem to have lots of doable ideas.

I don't know. Perhaps I should have stayed out of it!

I would highly suggest they talk to a trainer, first and foremost. It sounds to me like that dog needs more exercise, more training, and more ways to channel energy. I never advise to leave a dog outside - there are too many things that can happen from being snatched by predators to escaping to being kidnapped. If you have any input, please have them take the dog to training.

I agree with yonuh. They need to train the first dog before
bringing in another. Puppies are a lot of work; we've had our
current pup since 4/1/07 and she's still requires a ton of
attention.

If they would stop treating the dog as if it a cat suppose to care for itself, things might get better. A dog needs to be on a strict eating schedule and then WALKED not left to just run lose. No food or water after about 6:00 p.m. and definitely walked before bedtime. They sell large peepee pads they could buy and leave one right near the door it is suppose to go outside through and allow it to pee there in the middle of the night. Or put the dog in a large enough crate just to sleep because a dog (unless very ill) will never soil it's crate. I would never leave a dog outside all the time, thats cruel so it would be better off to rehome the dog. Adding a new dog to this mix seems ridiculous...

Amen!

Thanks for all your comments. A doggy door won't work because the cats will get out. The dog messes at night because no one is up to let her out. During the day she's in and out all the time because someone is usually home.

I agree, adding another dog to the mix would be wrong now. What they need to do is take the time to train their current dog, and then maybe get a second one later to keep it company.

They spend lots of time with the dog now (playing, petting, NOT training), but soon everyone will be back in school/work and the dog will be alone. That's when she causes trouble.

Our dog hates to be left alone, so we have a solution with a friend. We share dog-sitting, and when one of us is gone for the day, the other dog comes over and hangs out. Keeps them both happy and works well for us. Our dog is old and we really don't want to get another permanent dog.

Again, thanks for all your help. I'll see if I can have a nice "pet chat" with the kids.