Holy Moly! Are they all this stubborn?

12589 Views 15 Replies 13 Participants Last post by sr41056, Jan 25, 2011

LuckyDog

Discussion Starter · Nov 1, 2010

I bought my girl a couple of weeks ago. She was housed in a "kennel" with a bunch of other older pups (she's 7 months). The females were in a larger pen than the unfortunate males. She had only seen the outside of that pen on maybe 3 occasions, and that was to go hunting.

I bought her as soon as I saw her. I figured if she did not work out as a hunting buddy, I could at least re-home her to a family where she'd be well cared for. For a dog that had very little interaction with people, she turned out to be a real sweetheart. She's excellent with myself and my kids. I have her as an inside dog right now, and well.... lets just say its been a challenge.

Most of her behavior is just puppy stuff. She's goofy, and loves to get into things. But boy is she ever stubborn! The word "no" just does not sink in! If she is doing something she shouldn't, I remove her, give a firm NO! and leave her. She'll go back, and I'll do it again. With other pups I've had (not beagles), they get the message after a few corrections. But she is relentless! I could literally correct her 100 times, and if its something she wants, she will not back down.

If this is her parsonality, then I'll have to deal with it. But I'm hoping her being so intent on getting that she wants is something that will make her a good hunter! Lol!

And off I got to take a magazine from her that she has found, and is happily tearing to shreds

Oh, and she does have toys, but I don't think she finds them as entertaining as ripping paper to shreds, or checking out what's on the kitchen counter for supper!

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Ali

· #2 · Nov 4, 2010

My beagle loves to destroy magazine, loo rolls, papers, packaging - anything that she can rip to shreds! I think perhaps its a beagle thing. Mine is 11 months and is also very strong willed, but is generally good. They are such fantastic characters you just cant stay mad at them for too long.

BadgersMom

· #3 · Nov 5, 2010

Hahaha... YES! They are all stubborn! I thought the same thing when I got mine. Eventually they mellow out a bit.

Badger chews everything too ... when he is bored .... The worst is on cleaning day and I look under the bed and see all the damage hes done that I wasn't aware of cause its all stashed under the bed!!!

beaglersonthego

· #4 · Nov 10, 2010

Yup! Niko is 4.5 yrs old and OH! BOY! is he stubborn. We had a real go around for the 1st year of his life with potty training, getting him into the car after walks, and learning what NO! means. But sucks to be him cause I have more patience then most and in the end it was him that went mental (lost and gave up). But all in all beagles are stubborn and one just has to be patient and keep at the training with them. Beagles are smart but have a short attention span....if they are bored then they turn off the hearing. Try making the training fun.

BadgersMom

· #5 · Nov 13, 2010

beaglersonthego said:
....if they are bored then they turn off the hearing.......

Man is that ever true!!!!!!! LOL

marialewis

· #6 · Nov 13, 2010

My baby is only four months and he does like to get into things and he can be very self absorbed. But I have found that he wants me to be pleased with his behavor so when it is just the two of us we will spend the day learning something new. It only takes about 20 minutes to an hour for him to learn it if there are no distractions. My problem is that we are living with some friends that we got him from and they still have one of his sisters and his mother. We can get his sister to train but for some reason his mother does not want to coperate. Both puppies are pretty much potty trained meaning that they for the most part go outside and if they can't make use a puppy pad. There mother refuses, we keep her out most of the day and the moment that she comes in she makes a mess on the floor. We don't even have time to get her into the kennel. Does anyone have any ideas on how to train her. We think that who ever had her before my friends never trained her for anything and left her outside all the time.

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momsgirl0122

· #7 · Nov 13, 2010

I have 3 beagles, 2 girls and a boy. Tina is the mom, 5 years old, and Casey and Happy are the daughter and son, both 3 years old.
I thought I would go crazy with the shredding and chewing about 2 years ago. My home has many little alterations that were made by my dogs. Window sills, moldings, my piano. . . but it did get much, much better. I can even leave my slippers by my bed and they are there when I come home from work untouched!! So better times are ahead.
This might sound crazy, but it is a tip that I found worked with my three. I work with disabled children, so when I am making a point, I tend to use some sign language with my verbal language. I noticed my dogs responded to the sign language "stop" and "no" quicker than they did my verbal words! It kind of makes sense if you think about it. Try using a visual sign as well as a verbal one and see if it works for you. I don't even have to speak to them anymore, if I sign a "no" to them, the ears go down and they walk away! Love it!

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sr41056

· #8 · Dec 12, 2010

Stubborn would be an understatement for this breed!!

Greta

· #9 · Dec 23, 2010

Yes, Beagles are known for their independence, or determination, or when not doing something positive, their stubbornness. However, you do have a puppy and things will get better. I have an 8 yr. old Beagle named Ben that I obedience trained for a full year. We went to weekly classes and I worked him 5 days a week for about 15 min. a day. He is now a therapy dog, and my service dog. My vet says he's never seen a Beagle like him. He still has that independent streak that I adore, being a bit stubborn myself. I have two others that I rescued at ages 3 and 4. They are great pups, but I didn't take them to classes, just worked with them. They are not anything like Ben, though they have learned a lot from him. Your puppy will grow up, and the amount of time you put into his training will determine how obedient he will be. Beagles are a very old natural breed that hunts independently, then call the hunter to the prey. They don't much like to be told what to do, but they are very loving dogs and do want to please as well. Enjoy your independent little charmer, and decide how much time you can invest in training.

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wheatpup

· #10 · Dec 24, 2010

I have a 2 and a half year old...Baxter. When I first brought him home...someone in myt neighborhood who has a 13 year old beagle warned me " they are 'stupid' for the first two year,,,then things start sinking in" ...I can say this is true...Baxter sort of ...kind of...has learned 'come here'....

BadgersMom

· #11 · Dec 25, 2010

I have been told the first 2 years are the hardest as well. Badger is just over a year so I guess I still have another year to go...LOL...

Coco

· #12 · Jan 8, 2011

I was walking my 2 in the woods few months ago and met this lady with 2 English pointers, they looked like exceptionally tall beagles, and we got talking about their 'obedient when they feel like it' manner and she laughed at me when I said a lot of people say they get better after about 2, she said hers were 7 before they calmed down

Mine chew when they are bored and I am sure it is just to get me to talk to them as they are simultaneously looking at me from the top corners of their eyes as they are chewing whatever it is they are not supposed to chew. And boy are they stubborn

But they are such adorable charismatic little creatures

Shayhara

· #13 · Jan 9, 2011

I was lucky this time around from the start my Annie girl has been typically un beagle in attitude she is stubborn and you have to show her why she should do what you want, but she doesn't chew things she shouldn't and got sit and lay down easily. My last beagles where another story completely. About 8 years ago I bought from a friend of mine who had gotten him only to breed her dog once. A 2 year old male beagle. Brady was my buddy he loved me and hated to be left alone. One time we had my nieces 6 month old yellow lab and Brady at our house and had to go grocery shopping. We only had one kennel, I decided leave the 3 year old Beagle out, and put the puppy in. Wrong decision. We came home to find Brady had chewed almost completely through the entry door (it was a trailer door, like plastic and foam) and the puppy we got a few months later was worse, she chewed everything, her favorite was underwear, no matter where you put them she found them and would leave them shredded all around the house, clean or dirty she didn't care.
I am so glad that my Annie isn't chewer. Now if I could just get her to come when I call her when she is outside.
Stubborn should be every beagles middle name!

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abidaisy

· #14 · Jan 9, 2011

she will be only interested in things that are not hers, mine is nearly three and still the same,but good at flushing out pheasants.

Smeagle

· #15 · Jan 15, 2011

Beags can be stubborn, but it just means you need to take a different approach to training.

A lot of dogs will simply tune out if all you say is "no". It may work as an interrupter for some dogs, but considering a dog has no meaning of the word, all it sounds like is gibberish.

I'd pair it with a consequence like 'no', then putting her in another room or space for a time out. Then I'd take her out after that and set her up to win so I can reward her for the right behaviour.

I never give a correction without then setting the dog up to win so they can get a reward for doing the right thing. Otherwise they don't know what behaviour IS actually acceptable.

sr41056

· #16 · Jan 25, 2011

They may be stubborn but I have never seen one that can't be trained. Persistence and consistency are key.

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