Curing A Hand-Shy Dog

by John Stradler

Most hunters and dog owners have probably at some point owned or knew someone that has had a hand-shy Beagle. This can be one of the hardest and most aggravating faults to overcome in a hound. The Beagle can do everything else right, hunt, trail, pack up with other hounds, but it’s all for naught if the handler or owner can’t catch the hound later. While there is no sure-fire method for curing a hand-shy dog, the methods I’m about to discuss have worked on several Beagles, but it takes patience and time.

Before we talk about curing the hand-shy Beagle, we first need to define the problem. A hand-shy hound is one that is scared or shies away from human contact. The hound may be all right in the pen, but once he’s in the field, he becomes hard if not impossible to pick up. The hound may stay a certain distance from you and not allow you to get any closer. All of these are classic signs of the hand-shy hound.

While I do believe a certain percentage of this problem is hereditary, I believe the greatest percentage occurs from early socializing. The environment that a pup is exposed to from the age of four weeks to 16 weeks is crucial, and it is at this delicate stage that the problem known as hand-shyness can develop. At this age the pup is learning about his surroundings, where he stands in relation with the other pups in the litter, and also where the initial bonding with humans should take place. By interacting with the pups, letting them get used to your scent, and with careful handing, you can get them used to human contact. This is the very reason that you hear stories that hunters’ children were able to get a Beagle over being hand-shy. Constant handling and attention at this early stage is one of the best investments you’ll ever provide for your Beagle.

If this early socializing isn’t done, then shyness can develop, and the longer it goes untreated, the harder it is to cure. You must start immediately with a planned effort to overcome the shyness, and the key word is planned. To overcome this problem you have to understand a few dog basics. Number one, dogs are pack animals, they prefer company, and they don’t like being alone. Number two, most dogs do like to please their masters, and believe it or not, so do the shy ones, they just can’t overcome their fear or doubt. Finally, number three, dogs are thinking creatures, they respond to positive and negative influences, and as with all training, the more positive you react with the hand-shy dog, the better the results will be.

Since dogs are pack animals, if you pen your hand-shy Beagle with your other hounds, it’s more likely that he will interact with them more than he will with you. This is probably the most common mistake made when treating the hand-shy hound, you put him with a good handling hound thinking it might rub off. Instead, the shy hound bonds with that dog and not you, and the end result is you still have a hand-shy hound. With that in mind the first step should be penning the shy hound up by itself, preferably out of sight from your other hounds. This way the only contact the hound has is you. Keep in mind they are pack animals, it’s in their genes to pack with other animals, and since you are the only one around, he has no other choice.

The next step takes patience and you can’t force the issue. You want the hound to start looking forward to your visits, wanting the company that you offer. You should start by just sitting in the pen with the hound; in fact all the way across the pen from him, in this way he doesn’t feel threatened. Do this for a few days, spending thirty or so minutes with him each time, talking to him in a soft voice, getting him used to your presence. Watch for signs that he’s starting to accept you. The next step is to start bringing some treats with you, toss them over to the hound periodically throughout your visit; don’t try to coax him to you. After several days of this, toss the first treats to him, then toss the next treats a few feet in front of him, forcing him to move closer to you in order to get the treats. Move slowly, take your time, once again, patience is the key. Once the hound becomes comfortable with that distance, maybe over a period of several days, toss the treats another foot or so in front of the hound. Just keep repeating these steps until the hound is taking the treats within a few feet of you.

Now you will try to get the hound to take the treat from your hand, do not try to pet him or anything at this time. Once he becomes comfortable with this after he takes the treat, try to gently stroke him, talking softly as you do. If he shies away, wait a few more days, then try again. Once he takes the treats from you regularly and allows you to pet him, you will want to start calling him to you as you show him the treats. By this time he should be looking forward to your visits, associate the visits with a positive reward, and be on his way to overcoming his shyness. The last step in the pen will be getting him to come to you without treats, and this should happen with a slow weaning off process.

So now the hound is looking forward to your company and is beginning to bond with you. He’s coming to you without treats and doesn’t shy away from contact with you in the pen. This will take time, a lot of effort and patience, but the reward can be great. This could possibly be the best handling Beagle you’ve ever owned. Don’t be disappointed if you have to repeat some steps, just start over, and take it a little more slowly.

The hound isn’t cured yet, you will need to continue with yard training and introducing him to the rest of the dogs in your kennel. These steps are as important as the pen training, and if done improperly, can undo all you’ve accomplished. In my next article we’ll continue with yard training and getting the hand-shy hound socialized with your pack.