What advice would you offer on owning a beagle ?

[MAJOR METAL]

Howdy Friends

Do you have any pointers in how to care for a beagle dog ?I just recently adopted an 18 month old beagle and I am still at a loss how to properly discipline this big baby. Last night while I was out doing the food shoping, I left him in a bathroom to prevent him from getting into anything importernt while I was out. When ever I am not giving him attention or holding him he is always getting into something. Well when I come back home I see that he has scratched and chew off the bottom part of the door that was keeping him in the bathroom. I got loud with him and spanked him on his backside. Sadly this pup just gets very nervous and upsett when I go out or even close the door in the next room and he cant see me.

[Lazylion]

A lot of people use a dog cage for when they're not home. Seems cruel to me, but YMMV. I guess it's better than having to spank him every time you get home. How many doors and how much trim would you like to replace?

[MAJOR METAL]

Originally Posted by Lazylion

A lot of people use a dog cage for when they're not home. Seems cruel to me, but YMMV. I guess it's better than having to spank him every time you get home. How many doors and how much trim would you like to replace?

Word.

[Gard]

For hyper dogs, cage training is actually considered "humane" by most dog owners and trainers.

Dogs are actually very comfortable in a PROPER SIZE cage, I used to keep my two pups in one when they were younger and a bit more prone to being destructive. Now, they just sleep on a couple of old comforters in a corner of the kitchen.

Kevin, beagles are wonderful dogs, but they do require a LOT of stimulation and interaction. One of the guys I work with has two and is always relaying both humorous and headscratching stories about Larry (who is a girl... ) and Pepsi (...I have no idea... ). Lots of walks are definitely a good idea - if you can, a good 45 minute walk in the morning before you go to work will expend a bit of energy for your pup (and won't be a bad deal for you either - I do this daily with my two), and a shorter one when you get home.

I STRONGLY recommend getting Cesar Milan's first book, "The Dog Whisperer" as well, it really helped me with my two hellions.

[spade2you]

What Gard said. I have a pretty hyper corgi pup. I have a feeling he won't need much kenneling if/when he outgrows his very hyper nature, but without it, there would be crap everywhere, plenty of destruction via chewing/scratching, and he will try to eat anything he can...which obviously isn't a good thing.

[Rawkabilly]

My dad had Beagles when I was growing up.
They benefit greatly from obedience training, or 'doggy school' or whatever they call it. :0)
Beagles are pretty sensitive little guys and they don't respond very well to physical correction.

[kesslari]

Gard goes word.

Crates - they'll save your bacon, and your dog. Dogs evolved as den-dwelling animals, and a small, enclosed space is goodness to them - provided you don't use it as "punishment". Use it as sleeping space. Introduce it with toys (rawhide or favorite toy goes in crate, beagle goes in crate).

Lots of activity. "Idle snouts are the devil's playground".

A good book. Cesar Milan is a good one.

[MIJ-VI]

Originally Posted by MAJOR METAL

Howdy Friends

Do you have any pointers in how to care for a beagle dog ?I just recently adopted an 18 month old beagle and I am still at a loss how to properly discipline this big baby. Last night while I was out doing the food shoping, I left him in a bathroom to prevent him from getting into anything importernt while I was out. When ever I am not giving him attention or holding him he is always getting into something. Well when I come back home I see that he has scratched and chew off the bottom part of the door that was keeping him in the bathroom. I got loud with him and spanked him on his backside. Sadly this pup just gets very nervous and upsett when I go out or even close the door in the next room and he cant see me.

Dogs are highly social creatures. They crave one (or more) of their own kind to socialize with.

It is common for humans to view Fido as being a 'member of the family'. However, from Puppy's point of view, said family is a pack which he (or she) is a member of with human Dad or Mom being the pack's Alpha male or female, and the kids being his (or her) siblings.

A solitary pet dog's apparent misbehavior is nearly always rooted in sheer loneliness.

This is why they are typically tail-waggingly-glad to see their human masters even if they've destroyed footware etc.

They are simply starved for attention. A dog alone is a dog in solitary confinement.

Mind you I'm no expert but perhaps there's something here: WOOF!

[tplyons]

Crating the dog while you're away is the best advice I can give.

And spanking won't do much except get the dog to fear you. Calm, assertive energy is the way to be in control of your house.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by MIJ-VI

Dogs are highly social creatures. They crave one (or more) of their own kind to socialize with.

It is common for humans to view Fido as being a 'member of the family'. However, from Puppy's point of view, said family is a pack which he (or she) is a member of with human Dad or Mom being the pack's Alpha male or female, and the kids being his (or her) siblings.

A solitary pet dog's apparent misbehavior is nearly always rooted in sheer loneliness.

This is why they are typically tail-waggingly-glad to see their human masters even if they've destroyed footware etc.

They are simply starved for attention. A dog alone is a dog in solitary confinement.

Mind you I'm no expert but perhaps there's something here: WOOF!

In an ideal world, dogs would never be alone, but it's usually unrealistic when jobs are factored in. I certainly wish little Barlow weren't in his cage, but usually he sleeps most of the time and dogs don't really have a solid concept of time.

[drteeth]

Don't be alarmed when it looks sad.

On a serious note: I know people who put their Beagle in a cage every night and it's the most happy dog in the world.

[Pitbull Growl]

Dude, you should NEVER have to put your hands on a dog in a disciplinary way... usually tone, volume, and inflection of your voice coupled w/body language will get the message across and prevent future problems w/your dog. If that doesn't work, or you've got a stubborn one a good trick is to take a soda (or beer) can and fill it w/a few coins or washers/screws/something small & metal. Tape it up so the "whatever you put in it" doesn't fall out, and toss it in their direction when you catch them in the act of something that violates your house rules. The noise will scare the crap outta them and actually bother their sensitive ears. Once you've established which behaviors are inappropriate, you gotta use positive reinforcement to develop good habits for your dog.

That being said, beagles are a VERY anxious and nervous breed to begin with and suffer greatly from separation anxiety. Prolly more so than most other breeds. When a dog has an anxiety attack it usually leads to all kinds of destruction, so the crate thing is definitely a good idea. Get him (or her?) a crate sufficient for his size. If he can turn around comfortably inside the crate, then it's big enough... if not, then it's too small & claustrophobic. (if he's a pup... most beagles get from 36" - 42" long, so you'll want something about 19"-24" wide to accommodate them in the future.)

Another beagle specific thing you might wanna be aware of is most have voracious appetites and will eat until they make themselves sick. (that's why most older beagles you see are fat) You shouldn't need to feed him more than 4-6 cups of dry kibble a day depending on how active he is. He's gonna try to con you for more by playing the "Starving Victim" role... don't buy it.

HTH & Good Luck

[JimB52]

Try to give him to someone you don't like.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by spade2you

In an ideal world, dogs would never be alone, but it's usually unrealistic when jobs are factored in. I certainly wish little Barlow weren't in his cage, but usually he sleeps most of the time and dogs don't really have a solid concept of time.

Oh yeah, while it may not apply to either Kevin or spade, here is something I've always found true:

The best dog toy is - ANOTHER DOG.

As someone mentioned, dogs are pack animals, they need an alpha (YOU must be the alpha or all hell will break loose - Pitbull's suggestions and comments are excellent, you shouldn't ever need to HIT a dog to discipline it, TOUCHING to get their attention [see the Cesar Milan book] however can be effective if correctly applied), but they are also social animals, and another dog will help deal with separation anxiety and boredom chewing issues.

By the way, spade, cool choice of breed, I grew up with Corgis (Pems), and they are WONDERFUL dogs, if a bit odd at times. You have a Cardi or a Pem?

[Pitbull Growl]

Originally Posted by Gard

but they are also social animals, and another dog will help deal with separation anxiety and boredom chewing issues.

With most other breeds I'd agree... but beagles are odd little creatures, and another beagle in the fold would only give you 2 dogs w/separation anxiety. (I learned this working @ a boarding kennel when I was younger... they HOWL like they're being tortured and lose their appetites when their owners are away, and required all kinds of attention and play when we boarded them) It's just a quirk of the breed... like pitbulls are escape artists, and chiuahuah's are territorial and possessive.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by Gard

Oh yeah, while it may not apply to either Kevin or spade, here is something I've always found true:

The best dog toy is - ANOTHER DOG.

As someone mentioned, dogs are pack animals, they need an alpha (YOU must be the alpha or all hell will break loose - Pitbull's suggestions and comments are excellent, you shouldn't ever need to HIT a dog to discipline it, TOUCHING to get their attention [see the Cesar Milan book] however can be effective if correctly applied), but they are also social animals, and another dog will help deal with separation anxiety and boredom chewing issues.

By the way, spade, cool choice of breed, I grew up with Corgis (Pems), and they are WONDERFUL dogs, if a bit odd at times. You have a Cardi or a Pem?

He's a Pembroke. They're definitely an odd breed from their build to their personalities. Then again, I'm far from normal, so not a bad mix. Although I underestimated how active the puppies were. I could see getting another dog some day when he's trained.

Here's mine playing in the snow, which I figured a dog whose transmission was so low wouldn't enjoy it. I still only give him a little bit of time in the snow....cuz he doesn't need to freeze his thingy off.

[Gard]

Pitbull, that's surprising, as I was saying one of the guys I work with has a pair of beagles, they do just fine at home without peeps handy, but I'll defer to your greater experience. I will say that with MOST breeds, companionship is a plus.

spade, man, that is one cute pup you got there! I always preferred the tricolors over the sable/tan Pems. My last was a HUGE (44 lbs, solid muscle! ) tricolor Pem, wonderful dog. Lost him at 7 to cancer, broke my heart, took me over 10 years to let a dog back into my world, now I have two rescues (Samoyed/Shepard mixes, brother & sister) that are just awesome...sadly the male has epilepsy, and had a seizure last night while I was at a gig, totally freaked my g/f & her daughter out...bugged me out too, because I wasn't here for him.

Like having kids, isn't it?

Oh, my boss has a pair of Pems too, I got to "babysit" them back in December for a week, so that was cool...typical Pems, they showed up, and immediately took over the household, despite being less than half the size of my two!

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by Gard

spade, man, that is one cute pup you got there! I always preferred the tricolors over the sable/tan Pems. My last was a HUGE (44 lbs, solid muscle! ) tricolor Pem, wonderful dog. Lost him at 7 to cancer, broke my heart, took me over 10 years to let a dog back into my world, now I have two rescues (Samoyed/Shepard mixes, brother & sister) that are just awesome...sadly the male has epilepsy, and had a seizure last night while I was at a gig, totally freaked my g/f & her daughter out...bugged me out too, because I wasn't here for him.

Like having kids, isn't it?

Oh, my boss has a pair of Pems too, I got to "babysit" them back in December for a week, so that was cool...typical Pems, they showed up, and immediately took over the household, despite being less than half the size of my two!

I was somewhat partial to sable, but my fiance and I only saw a couple of them and the ones we saw in sable were female and particularly aggressive.

I knew they thought they were big dogs, but I'm amazed how much this is true and how other dogs seem to allow them to take over. We had little Barlow at an indoor dog play group. Not only was he the smallest by a lot, but he was running around with dogs 3-4x his size. He was obeying the 120lb rotweiler. I wish we could borrow him to keep Barlow in line sometimes.

[MAJOR METAL]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the feedback ( not in the hollowbody way ) Yeah I am not into spanking but after 2 days of chewing at the door and on a rainbow sandal when I was in the shower I really was unclear how to emphasize this was not acceptable behavior. I think it could be time to make a trip to walmart to get him a crate for when I cant be there for him. These beagles are a funny bunch thats for sure !

[Pitbull Growl]

Well Gard, I'm by no means an expert on beagles (or anything else really)... just have some experience w/a few and have come to my own conclusions based on it.