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beagle new to family

3638 Views 5 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  oldhounddog, 
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greetings,

I am new here but not new to forums.(I used my fail safe username) hoping to learn a lot about our new addition to the family.

Anyway, we adopted a male beagle ( between the ages of 5 -7 ) from the SPCA here where we live. he was just neutered about two weeks ago. he doesn't bark, has had a couple of "accidents" in the house but that is no big deal. He was taken by the shelter because of an "eviction". we don't know if the owner surrendered him or if he was in the house alone for a time before the eviction. He has separation anxiety (pretty bad) here is my problem.
Everything has been really good up until tonight. we bought a squeekie toy for him when we picked him up and he hasn't really bothered with it until tonight. he carries it around with him from the couch to his bed. Our five year old went to move the hedghog with her foot and he snapped at her. No warning growl, just a quick snap. about the time I went to grab him he snapped at me. I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and he instantly rolled over into a submissive posture. He hasn't let the hedgehog go he has been running around the house with it.
I have never heard of a beagle acting this way and I am wondering if it has to do with past abuse?
We like the dog and have fun with him but if this is going to start a trend we may have to get rid of him. the only thing is if we go that route they will put him down and we don't want to see that happen,. Any help or insight would be great.

Oh .. He REALLY REALLY REALLY likes to chase squirrels...LOL ( here is a picture of him watching a squirrel

Thanks,

Dave

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crustyrider


For now remove all toys.

For a dog that is 5 years old with no history you and your dog will be best served with some basic obedience training to start with. Work on this while on walks and some in house training to get your dog to focus on you. Continue potty training work.

NILIF (nothing in life is free) , This is a great tool for exactly what you are dealing with.

Please forget about the Alpha Roll stuff as it has been proven long ago not to work and can backfire and make things worse............ Positive reinforcement based training with food rewards will help you much more in the long run.


If more info is needed post back.

Best , oldhounddog



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crustyrider said:
A beagle that doesn't bark...At all we are working on it he quietly stands at the door, and it is easy to miss the "signal" that he is putting out..
Click to expand...
I think you are very correct with this. I have had a couple of dogs when new to the home would do this , however , as the new wears off and your Beag feels safe and part of the family this may change some. Please try the NILIF (nothing in life is free) as it has worked well for me. Let me know if you need a link for this method. I have 10 hounds and use many different training methods as per the dogs needs and have found the food based training will give the best results. I always start a new dog ,even an adult with no history from scratch and go from there.

Good Luck and post back to let us know how things go.

Best , oldhounddog



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Ok . the good news is that you can fix this......
Has your GF been there since the dog came home?
No way to tell what life was like before your Beage came to live with you , however , one thing that is very obvious is the insecurity. Example : marking , especially in secret and where you GF sits is Key here. Also the marking of his bed is further evidence that he is afraid he does not belong or is afraid he will be tossed in favor of the GF. Carrying the security toy around all the time is yet more proof.

A couple of questions ,
Has there been any #2 accidents in the house?
Did the marking just start? If yes , can you think of anything that has changed,for example , schedule,environment or food?
Are there other pets in house or that visit your house? Does your Beag smell another dog or cat on you or your clothes?
Who feeds dog and what is schedule?
Does dog get exercise daily and with who?


Please provide the info and I will get back to you right away.

...................................................................................................

For now , please make sure things are calm/friendly and do not fuss at the dog.

Clean any pee spots with an enzyme cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle, so he won't keep marking that spot. For couch/carpet spray and wet well let sit a couple minutes and blot well and let dry thoroughly.

Some of what I will suggest will be the same as if dog was a new puppy.

You will need an appropriate size wire crate for your dog. No more free run of house at night , more on this to follow.

No water 2 hours before bed.

Best , oldhounddog



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