[shoppingaholic]

Hi,
I just got a puppy last week, she was only five weeks old. I know, way to early. They were letting them go along with some eight week olds, and I fell in love with this one. I know..wrong move on my part, but I can't keep beating myself up over it now, won't do me or her any good at this point. Now...first the biting...She just won't give up! She's like a little evil dog playing! We cannot work her up or she won't stop. She already has given my daughter such a bad bruise on her leg from a bite. It's amazing what power such a small little four pound dog can do! I'm planning on socializing her well after her second shots in three weeks (I've been told to wait).

Now, the bigger worries. We sort of jumped in on this one. But now I'm trying to fix it. I am getting very attached to her and the more I'm reading the more I am getting worried. We live in a mobile home park, which our homes are fairly close. Do you think the howling will drive our neighbors batty? How loud do they actually bark? Im scared we will be kicked out.

Second of all, do they usually run after cats? We have a cat, so I'm thinking it should be fine. But since they hunt, is she going to try to chase every cat in the park? We live in Alaska, so there isn't too many small rodents. Maybe an occasional rabbit.

I'm trying to think with my head and not my heart. I don't want her to be two years old and then have to find a new home for her. From the sounds of it that happens a lot. Either I want to give her a new home now, while she is a baby, or keep her for good.

I plan on taking her to classes if we keep her. In fact, before we bought her I was thinking about giving Obedience Trials even a whirl. But from the sounds of it Beagles usually don't do trials due to their busy scenting other dogs around.

I also do not have another dog in the house, only the cat. I really need some help here before we both get too attached to each other..

HELP!

 

[Erin]

I think the howling really depends on the dog. And my beagles don't always howl, or bay. The have a normal bark that they use if they're playing with each other and when they see someone walk by outside. When they catch a scent, that's when they bay. And it can be quite loud. If ours are outside and start baying excessively we bring them inside until they calm down. But I know some beagles on this site that apparently don't bark much at all.

As far as the biting, I don't know that I can help you there. I might suggest that every time she bites, playtime stops. My Daisy is almost 4yrs old and still sometimes gets nippy if she gets really excited when we're playing with her. If I immediately stop playing with her and either turn or walk away she usually gets the picture that she was too rough.

Good luck! I'm sure there will be a great deal of advice from others for you

 

[beaglina]

Well, some good news and some not so good news to get you started...

I'm not sure there's very much you can do about the biting as she's so very young it's going to take time, the problem is that she hasn't learnt bite inhibition from her mother / siblings

My dog is fine with cats as she's used to them - dogs are usually ok if they grow up with cats.

About the barking, I think it really varies from dog to dog - but the Beagle bay is distinctive - there no pretending it was someone else's dog!

Good luck with whatever you decide, I'm sorry you met with such disreputable breeders - but you are right that it will be much easier for her to find and settle in a new home while she's young.

 

[shoppingaholic]

Thanks to both of you for such a quick response. I'm just really stuck on not knowing the best thing to do. I think I'm ready for the challenge of taking care of her. My last two dogs where shelties, so they are quite different. Maybe that is one reason why I'm so scared?? But I just want to do the right thing for her mostly. That is why it's breaking my heart. Today I hate to say I haven't really even done much with her, only let the family play with her because I'm already getting so attached to her. I just learned she is getting attached to me too, because I walked out there and boy, she went nuts! I had to go over and give her some love and spend a few minutes with her. UGHH this decision is so hard! I think I just need someone to tell me what to do!

Especially since I don't know much about this breed.
Much thanks again.

 

[jassy]

My beagle, Maggie, grew up with cats. I had four cats when we got Maggie. She will still chase the ones that will run but not to hurt them, just because she wants a game. Your pup will either need a fenced area or only be out on a leash so you wouldn't need to worry about her chasing neighbor cats.
Maggie bays only if she sees a raccoon. She does chase birds and small squirrels. I don't think she barks any more than the neighbor's dogs, only if she sees a stranger or hears a voice she doesn't recognize in the neighbor's yard.

 

[shoppingaholic]

That's cute, bet the cat's love that!

ha We do have a fenced in yard, but one side is shorter than the others so she will have to be on a leash at all times. She would mainly be an inside dog, except for pottying and exercise.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I found this link to be helpful with Murphy-I hope it also helps you.

http://leecharleskelleysblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-stop-puppy-bites.html

 

[Smeagle]

Originally Posted By: ShoppyHi,
I just got a puppy last week, she was only five weeks old. I know, way to early. They were letting them go along with some eight week olds, and I fell in love with this one. I know..wrong move on my part, but I can't keep beating myself up over it now, won't do me or her any good at this point. Now...first the biting...She just won't give up! She's like a little evil dog playing! We cannot work her up or she won't stop. She already has given my daughter such a bad bruise on her leg from a bite. It's amazing what power such a small little four pound dog can do! I'm planning on socializing her well after her second shots in three weeks (I've been told to wait).

She's biting because she has been taken from her litter mates and mother far, far too soon and as a result did not get to learn the social pack behaviours they pick up from interacting with their litter mates. Bite inhibition is one of these crucial behaviours they learn between 5-8 weeks.

Teach her that it hurts you when she nips by giving a yelp, when she stops praise her and redirect her to a toy that she can bite.

Quote:
Now, the bigger worries. We sort of jumped in on this one. But now I'm trying to fix it. I am getting very attached to her and the more I'm reading the more I am getting worried. We live in a mobile home park, which our homes are fairly close. Do you think the howling will drive our neighbors batty? How loud do they actually bark? Im scared we will be kicked out.

Has she started howling yet? Not all beagles howl, especially if they have adequate mental and physical stimulation to keep them occupied. Barking and howling should only become a problem if she's bored.

How often will you be leaving her on her own? You want her to start getting used to being left on her own - even if you start doing so in small incriments, start with 15 minutes and go from there.

Quote:
Second of all, do they usually run after cats? We have a cat, so I'm thinking it should be fine. But since they hunt, is she going to try to chase every cat in the park? We live in Alaska, so there isn't too many small rodents. Maybe an occasional rabbit.

You will need good fencing to contain beagles, not so much because they hunt but because of their scenting. They will go after any scent they find attractive.

Quote:
I plan on taking her to classes if we keep her. In fact, before we bought her I was thinking about giving Obedience Trials even a whirl. But from the sounds of it Beagles usually don't do trials due to their busy scenting other dogs around.

There is no reason beagles can't compete in obedience. I am training my beagle to compete for her obedience title, hopefully we will enter our first trial by the end of the year. They are very food motivated so you can use that to your advantage - it takes patience and time but it can be done

 

[shoppingaholic]

Thanks! I haven't heard one person yet that has even considered doing trials with their beagle. Although i have only been researching for a few days. I've been concentrating mainly on the big picture of if we should keep her or not, trials is just the icing on the cake!

She did howl once the other day, but that was because my daughter all the sudden started howling at her, so Java decided to join in. I immediately told her to stop.lol I don't want her to think it's okay without knowing what I'm doing. I do have to admit, it was pretty darn cute seeing a four pound beagle howl.lol Sigh...just if I lived out in the country!

How loud will they bay? Is it just like a normal bark? I'm a little confused at all of this. How long do they usually do this for??

I also am a stay at home mom for right now. But I will end up needing to get a job sooner or later, just not sure when. I'm sure for the next four or six months at least, I'll be home with her.

My husband thinks I'm fallling for her now.ha She keeps sighing when she sleeps like a baby (wells he is one!) and it's melting me how she curls up to me. I guess I just want some peoples opinion on if they can live with neighbors twenty or thirty feet away!

Also, what kind of baby gates do people use to keep them in?? I keep hearing they can jump pretty high. I have people coming in and out of my house all the time, so if we do decide we can keep her, I need to make sure she can't escape!

 

[shoppingaholic]

Thank you. I'll have to show this to my husband. We both have different training ideas, that we do not agree on. First though we need to figure out if we can keep her!

 

[Smeagle]

Originally Posted By: ShoppyThank you. I'll have to show this to my husband. We both have different training ideas, that we do not agree on. First though we need to figure out if we can keep her!

How much research did you do before buying a beagle?

How familiar are you with the breed? It does sound like you bought her on an impulse?

As you know, it is best to rehome her when she is young instead of as she gets older. Beagles are typical hounds and as such are not the easiest breed to train and live with - they have many positives but there are negatives too.

For starters, do you have a secured fenced yard? I wouldn't own a scent hound if I didn't have a safe place to contain them.

 

[Erin]

Originally Posted By: Shoppy

Also, what kind of baby gates do people use to keep them in?? I keep hearing they can jump pretty high. I have people coming in and out of my house all the time, so if we do decide we can keep her, I need to make sure she can't escape!

Our Rocky can jump REALLY high so I don't rely on baby gates to keep him in the house. We use a baby gate to keep them out of the guest bedroom and since they have no interest in making the extra effort to get in there they don't jump it. Daisy is much shorter and doesn't have the same athletic ability as Rocky, but she can still jump baby gates if she wants. Of course, the baby gate I'm talking about is not a doggie gate, it's just the generic baby gate from Wal-mart. You can buy taller doggie specific gates though that I'm sure they wouldn't be able to jump.

I'm happy that you're taking her welfare into consideration. I know how hard it can be when you get attached. I think if you really want it to work you can make it work. When we got our two beagles we lived in an apartment. It wasn't ideal but we made it work until we got a place with a fenced yard.

 

[bubbles]

I won't repeat what's been said already...you have already gotten some very good advice. I will chime in on the barking/howling/baying. It all depends on the dog. Snoopy will be five in October and never barks/bays unless she sees a dog walk by and even then she doesn't always react. That does not mean that your dog won't bay. And yes, it can be very loud. It is music to my ears but I am sure my neighbors would feel differently if she were a frequent noise maker. Unfortunately you may not know the answer until she matures. Some dogs don't start baying until they are older (1+ years). I hope it works out for you. Good Luck!

 

[mrsjenlester]

O.k. first let me say welcome and that you have come to the right place for all the Beagle info you need, anything you need to know you should be able to find it hear.

Now, I feel bad for you that you have yourself so scared over having a beagle. There is no need. She is 5 weeks old day by day you will get into a routine and set rules and figure out what works for all of you. Yes she will bark when the door bell rings or someone knocks, but what dog doesn't? You will have her on a leash whenever you are out front so there is no need to worry about cat chasing, and the cat you already have will be buds with Java because she is so young so that is a plus. The barking will really depend on her personality, our male is not noisy at all but our female does like to run around the backyard sniffing the grass and making her baying noises but we just bring her in and that solves it. Our dogs stay inside when we are not home so we don't have to worry about it , they just sleep when not here. The biting is a puppy thing and like previous posters you just have to teach her not to. I honestly don't understand the bad rap beagles get. The biggest thing about a beagle is that given the chance to run off they will. Always keep her leashed, because they do not hear you when on a scent(there is a topic about this very subject right now so you might want to read that). They also will jump your counter tops and steal any thing edible up there so keep food put away because they are ALWAYS hungry!! I think you are right to have some concerns because you want to do the best but I really think you should just take it day by day,it's not like you are going to wake up tomorrow and have to deal with every problem you have ever heard of with a beagle. They are wonderful dogs and I was hooked after our first one, we now have two and I don't ever want any other kind of dog, we are a beagle house!! I think you just have new puppy jitters and each day you will feel better about the having her. When you have a question you come here. Good luck to you just keep asking questions and sorry if I rambled

 

[ecemom]

Our Rocky came to us at 7 weeks and he is now 14 weeks old. It has been an adventure, and it isn't over yet! And, he's our first beagle, and first puppy.

I bought the book Puppies For Dummies and as far as training him and understanding the puppy stages goes, it has been Godsend! This site is amazing too! The people here are very knowledgeable, so ask away!

Baying...as others said, depends on the dog! Rocky tends to bark when playing and if he wants in.
Cats...we have 2 one year old kittens...he chases them to play with them. Our newest comand on a walk is leave it! if he's trying to get something questionable so I have started using it when he chases the kittens...he's catching on slowly!
We haven't got a fenced yard...our front yard is huge so he has a 20ft tie out and it's working out wonderfully!

The best thing I chose to do with Rocky is tethering him. If he starts getting into things he shouldn't in the house, or chasing the cats too much, or if I am busy and can't watch him well enough to keep him safe, the he gets leashed to my waist. Or the kids...they will do it too! It's great!! He resisted it at first but now he seems to realize what's going on and follows willingly. I will also station him with the leash if need be.

Lots of walks and playtime! A busy puppy is a happy puppy is a tired puppy that sleeps well!

Socialization is very important too. (after shots of couse!) We took Rocky to our town's Heritage Day festival...tons of people, tons of dogs, tons of noise...he did so well! He also slept like a log afterwards. The more he gets out and has to follow our lead, the better for him.

Good luck! We don't regret our choice in breed at all! Very friendly and loving...can't ask for a better family dog!

 

[shoppingaholic]

Beagle mom and Rocky is our boy,
Oh please ramble.

I wanted to thank you so much for what you wrote. I just read it to my husband and he agreed that I think we've investigated so much bad rap on the beagle to worry so much. We both were brought up with dogs, and I also did have a beagle growing up at one point in my life. It's a lot different though having to be the trainer of one. I think I'm a little over whelmed with all this puppy biting also. She doesn't do it to my husband as bad as with me and the kids. I've got to get a hold on this now, before she really hurts someone. She just gets so excited when she plays she goes over board. When I was little I witnessed (it was almost me, I was right beside her) my friend got severely hurt by a pitbull. Needless to say now I'm terrified of most stray dogs. Never my own dogs though, but this baby biting so fiercely has me a little over whelmed I think. I love dogs, I just don't like the biting! Okay, see now I am rambling.ha

I just wanted to say thanks, you have made us realize we are thinking way too much into this. We know what this dog entails, just scared of the barking...and that is it. The rest we can work out. I guess I'll go over and introduce myself properly now, and with Java's picture!

Thanks again

 

[My2Beagles]

I have to get to bed so will add more tomorrow from work I hope. The fact that you will be home for at least the next 4-6 months will probably be the best thing for Java. Outside of the first few weeks when a pup is still with the litter, the first few months of a pups life is probably the 2nd most crucial period - a dog can learn at any age but it is those first few months when they learn the most and the easiest/quickest. I have raised the Beaglebratz from the age of 8 weeks - Shiloh B. is now 6 and Shasta B. is 2 and a half. Just knowing what to watch for - the not so good and the very good - will help you. Welcome to BW to you, your family and to Java (love the name). We all love to see pictures when you have any to share.