[nbsandhills]

This is the newest addition to our family... meet Rocket!!

Questions:
1. According to her previous owner, Beagles are just about impossible to housetrain. Is this true?

2. This little dog poops... A LOT! I'm not a professional but my guess would be its from a poor diet... not just because its "a Beagle thing." Am I correct in this assumption?

3. Her previous owner said it is also impossible to teach a recall? But she is a hound dog, surely she has to have some kind of recall right?

4. She also makes "grunting noises" (kind of like a baby pig) what does that mean?

 

[habsfan]

OMG she is beautiful. I have a love for beagles no matter how much my silly beagle boy annoys me sometimes.

They're not impossible to housetrain. Just takes consistency and work. The are good references on here how to teach housetraining. I never really had to use it much, my boys were pretty good at it.

My beagle boy has some food sensitivities. Mostly he can get bouts of diarrhea or excessive scratching and licking of his paws. I would have a vet check done on her if her pooping is excessive, the vet would know better what could be causing it.

Impossible, maybe not but you would have to have a strong will to teach a hound recall. More than I have. Mine will never have 100% recall and I will never trust him off leash unless he is fenced in. Even then I won't leave him out there alone since he will find a way out of the fence if he smells something interesting enough.

The grunting could be reverse sneezing wich my beagle gets during allergy season. It's not harmful, but a vet check may provide some options to relieve it if it is a lot.

 

[Willowy]

Most hound dogs won't have a great recall, because if their nose is working their ears aren't . But for normal situations I'm sure you can teach a decent recall, just don't expect to be able to call her off a rabbit with 100% reliability.

Housetraining seems to be the same as any other dog. I think that when a breed is commonly used for hunting, people will say that they can't be housetrained in order to justify their choice to keep the dog outside. But the Beagles I've known have had no trouble, or at least no more than any other puppy.

They do like food, LOL. Most Beagles I know are fat. So keep tabs on her intake, and don't let her fool you with those hound dog eyes. . .

 

[nbsandhills]

Thanks for the replies!

It always annoys me when some things are justified because, "its a beagle thing, or a golden thing, or whatever." I understand that my dogs have specific characteristics due to their breed.

I've always thought that any dog can be trained to do just about anything (within reason.)

 

[jenz]

Rocket is adorable!!!!

One of my relatives hunts with beagles, and I wondered the same thing (about keeping him close by). He uses e-collars I believe.

I have a friend from high school who hunts a pack down in Virginia... will ask her what she uses. I can't imagine how to keep them all together!!

Jen

 

[Sibe]

1. Lies! The only reason a dog cannot be housetrained is if it has some medical or physical issue. Housetraining takes a lot of supervision and maintenence on your part but I've NEVER heard of a beagle, or any dog, unable to be housetrained.

2. Lots of poop is most likely a diet thing. Poor quality foods with lots of filler like corn and grains go in one end and right out the other as fillers aren't absorbed. Try one of these foods, or a raw diet. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/

3. Recall is not impossible. Sounds like a lazy or inexperienced owner that told you it can't be done. The dog need motivation to come to you. It just takes training. Start at very short distances, on leash, with no distractions. You can gradually increase the distance you call the dog from and introduce distractions. You should reward every single time she comes to you, even if it's coming back inside after pottying or running up to you while watching tv. There are plenty of threads here you can dig up, or do a search online for positive-reinforcement based methods of teaching recall like this http://www.clickertraining.com/node/309

4. Does she grunt when you pick her up? That's pretty typical of puppies. I love puppy grunts, "Urf urf urf!" If she's grunting constantly it may a bigger issue.

 

[Abbylynn]

What a pretty Beagle! I love the color.

 

[nbsandhills]

1. Lies! The only reason a dog cannot be housetrained is if it has some medical or physical issue. Housetraining takes a lot of supervision and maintenence on your part but I've NEVER heard of a beagle, or any dog, unable to be housetrained.

2. Lots of poop is most likely a diet thing. Poor quality foods with lots of filler like corn and grains go in one end and right out the other as fillers aren't absorbed. Try one of these foods, or a raw diet. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/

3. Recall is not impossible. Sounds like a lazy or inexperienced owner that told you it can't be done. The dog need motivation to come to you. It just takes training. Start at very short distances, on leash, with no distractions. You can gradually increase the distance you call the dog from and introduce distractions. You should reward every single time she comes to you, even if it's coming back inside after pottying or running up to you while watching tv. There are plenty of threads here you can dig up, or do a search online for positive-reinforcement based methods of teaching recall like this http://www.clickertraining.com/node/309

4. Does she grunt when you pick her up? That's pretty typical of puppies. I love puppy grunts, "Urf urf urf!" If she's grunting constantly it may a bigger issue.

I figured house training was the same for most dogs... some catch on right away and some dogs, it just takes a while.
She poops... more than any horse I own.

Her grunting is a continuous pig sound. Even when she's sleeping. And she is 3, so its not like a "puppy grunt."

 

[Willowy]

LOL, she looks like a pup in her pictures. Just has a baby face, I guess!

Yeah, the pooping thing is probably her food. I used to babysit for a family who fed their dog store brand food, and that little Shih Tzu pooped the most amazing amounts. I had to bring 4 poop bags every time we walked her .

 

[RonE]

The first dog I ever really wanted (and got) was a beagle. He was not impossible to housetrain. I don't even recall that it was a particularly tough task, but it was 48 years ago and the memory tends to blot out unpleasant experiences.

Recall was an issue. If he got out on his own - like if somebody left a gate open - he had to be retrieved. Often it was by the local police, who all knew him and would bring him home. Often, he was out looking for me, so he would show up at school and during football games - stuff like that.

If we took him out on purpose - like to herd the Muscovy ducks back into the yard (a story for another day) or to hunt rabbits, we were able to get him back, though sometimes with some effort.

If this was impossible, beagles would be single-use hunters and not very practical.

I think every dog-lover should have a beagle at least once. Yours is gorgeous.

 

[Tankstar]

Mine was fullyu housetrained by 4 or 5 months. He hasnt had a accident since at 1.5 years. except from the time the cat literally scared the pe out of him. He is afraid of her, and she ran at him like a lunatic on day hissing. he just peed righ tthere lmao.

As for recall. He has a great recall for a beagl. I do have to watch him, if he looks like he is startin to pick up a scen. I quickly grab his attenton with a treat or stck. as Im afraid where his nose will take him if he decides to follow it lol.

I think every dog-lover should have a beagle at least once. Yours is gorgeous.

I couldnt agree more with this. If I heard his 2 years ago, I would think you were crazy. As I would never own one lol. Now Iam owned by the sweetes beagle ever lol

 

[groomerwantabe]

beagles are very smart little dog. she should train easy and they are known to be a little stubborn but should house train good too. I would think that they have good recall because they are use to track deer.

 

[Tankstar]

beagles are very smart little dog. she should train easy and they are known to be a little stubborn but should house train good too. I would think that they have good recall because they are use to track deer.

Actually there were used to rabbits/hares.

 

[RonE]

Actually there were used to rabbits/hares.

Yup. They still are.

A rabbit will run in a big circle, so you get your dog back and a shot at the rabbit.

A deer will run straight to the next county and, if your beagle has jumped one, your best chance to get him back s to drive a mile or two and try to head him off.

 

[Tankstar]

Yup. They still are.

A rabbit will run in a big circle, so you get your dog back and a shot at the rabbit.

A deer will run straight to the next county and, if your beagle has jumped one, your best chance to get him back s to drive a mile or two and try to head him off.

we lost solo once. he was after a deer. 4 hours later, where was he found? sitting beside the truck in a parking lot 3KMs away. found his way back to the truck (we walk far in to the woods for our walks haha)and waitied for his driver (aka my boyfriend) lol. SCARIEST 4 hours of my life. But now its kinda (i said kinda haha) a funny story.

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

I know several beagles who do agility, which would be completely impossible without recall and plenty of other skills usually associated with more biddable breeds.

 

[nbsandhills]

Well, Rocket went back to her previous owner last night.

Come to find out she is extremely dog aggressive. Not just a little "give me my space" growly. But a whole lot of psychotic, "I'm gonna rip your head off" dog aggressive. She also got so worked up about trying to rip into my boys that she also went after my son.

And... after I dropped her off with the previous owners husband, he made a comment that they had tried to re-home her once before and she came back after the dog aggressive issue raised its ugly head. He also said they thought she would be better with my "bigger dogs."

I thought beagles were supposed to be good "pack" dogs, but this one definately has some issues.


Needless to say, I'm just a little ticked off. If I would have known about that issue, I probably wouldn't have brought her home.

 

[jenz]

Awww, I'm so sorry to hear! You must be so disappointed! Shame on the old owner for not disclosing this to you.

I have never heard of a DA Beagle. Sorry you had to go through that, I hope she didn't end up hurting your dogs!

Jen

 

[nbsandhills]

Awww, I'm so sorry to hear! You must be so disappointed! Shame on the old owner for not disclosing this to you.

I have never heard of a DA Beagle. Sorry you had to go through that, I hope she didn't end up hurting your dogs!

Jen

Thanks, luckily nobody got hurt. I introduced her to my dogs on neutral ground - at my folk's place - and luckily there was a barrier between them. She went so crazy that she actually scratched both of her own paws on the fence trying to get to my dogs. I have never seen a little dog go that absolutely nuts before.

My boys are soooo easy going, they usually can get along with just about anyone but they sure didn't want to get in the truck to go home last night. I guess her smell was still there and they were scared the "little psycho" dog was gonna get them!

 

[Tankstar]

Sorry it didnt work out.

I have met many dogs who are DA/DR who are normally "pack" type dogs. such as labs, goldens, and yes even beagles. there is a very agresive beagle that lives down the road from me. And 2 VERY agressive goldens who live a few streets over. If I see any of those 3, I move over or cross the road and get as far away as I can. All 3 have bit my 2 dogs before I knew they were agressive.

Just on Sunday, I had to literally pick up Solo (my beagle) by his harness and hold him as high as possible (all 40ishlbs of him lol he is not a small beagle. very leggy and lean too) whiel I kicked a black lab in the side to get him away. he was on a mission to kill Solo. His owners said he has something against smaller dogs, well for f sakes keep him out of the park, or atleast on a leash then.

Poor socialization and training, and breeding. can make any dog be more agressive, even when its a "docile" breed such as a beagle.