[BUZ]

Hello everyone, am new to this forum and am hoping to receive some desperately needed help for a very timid/scared lemon beagle. My wife and I recently brought home a purebred lemon beagle (just under a year old) and we were told by the breeder that she was very timid. She is great around kids and most adults always trotting around with her tail wagging however when I or someone else who is tall gets near he she basically runs for her life (I'm 6'3 230 BTW). When I'm on the couch she will just up and basically lye on my lap, it's just when I stand up she becomes terrified. She is crate trained and is left in the crate at night which doesn't seem to bother her a bit, however when I wake up in the morning to let her outside (wife is still in bed) she basically runs into the corner or another room and will not go outside. I have been around big GSD's and labs all my life so this kind of behavior is something I do not know how to deal with. Is there any way of stopping this behavior?

Thanks in advance for any info!

 

[Brien]

It sounds to me like your beagle had some bad experiences with adults and more specifically men. Unfortunately there is no easy answer or solution. Only time and consistency will help.

I'm sure many others in the forums will have additional suggestions. For me I would spent time with her on the floor. Get down to her level and engage her in play, petting and general affection. She needs to feel comfortable with you at her level first. Hopefully over time she will be less scared of you when you stand.

 

[beagletails]

I wish I knew the answer to your question, but mine is the exact opposite. My new tan/white Beagle (1 1/2 years old) is scared to death of babies and children, but does fine with most adults. She is actually afraid of skinny people I think young or old. lol My sister is thin, where as my husband and I are obese. She does fine with us, but with smaller or thinner people she seems so afraid.

Our little gal is afraid of everything. Reflections, t.v., even the tiniest of noises like a pop can being opened or someone coming up the stairs. Anything that moves or makes noise creates fear in her. She's even afraid of new foods which is weird in a Beagle. Last night she was allowed to have a 1/2 of a hard boiled egg. My others gobble their whole ones in 3 seconds flat. It took Sulli about 30 minutes to nibble little pieces off of it. Obviously I am dealing with a severe case of being under socialized and I am just trying to be patient.

I would just say to take things slow with her. Sulli has only been in our house for 6 days now and she is doing so much better. We are just watching for very small steps of progress and rejoicing in each of them.

 

[Murphys Dad]

I agree with Brien, it sounds like your girl may have had some bad experiences before she came to live with you. Make her experiences with you positive. As was mentioned, get down on her level and play with her and give her treats. It will take time before she comes around. Undoing the mental damage is much harder than causing it. Plus, take into consideration how small your dog is compared to how tall you are. Lay on the ground and look up from her perspective. If you're already timid and then you look up to this giant, it's prohably going to make you even more scared. Give her time to come around. Be patient and kind with her and don't get frustrated. Good luck and keep us posted on her progress.

Oh, and the most important questions...what's her name and do you have any pictures? We love pictures!

 

[MoonStr80]

What you could do is keep a leash on her, so you can keep her monitored and when you notice she becomes afraid ignore the behavior if you do something about it like scold, yell at her, or try to comfortable her that will only reward the behavior ....

Try click training ... Be sure to reward her when she is in a calm state

 

[BUZ]

Thanks for the info everyone, will give her some time and hopefully she comes around. She is really a great dog, doesn't growl/bark at anyone, never goes to the bathroom in the house and we never hear a peep from her at night. If she gets over this little hurtle I believe We'll have the perfect dog.

Quote:Oh, and the most important questions...what's her name and do you have any pictures? We love pictures!

LOL....Yeah I have some pics however they're not that great. BTW here name is Molly.

Christmas day
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/nisquallyvalley/DSC02021.jpg

Here favorite spot, on top of the couch cushions.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/nisquallyvalley/DSC02073.jpg

 

[Murphys Dad]

Welcome to Beagle World. Molly's beautiful, and time, love, and patience should help her come out of her shell.

 

[Toby & Lucky]

Sounds just like my Toby. Purebred, came to me just under a year, very timid of men, crate trained. Time, time and more time is what it takes!! We always left his crate door open and he could go to his safe place anytime he felt intimidated. As time went on, it just got better and better. He is still a little shy with strange men (strangers, not weird!!lol), but I don't mind that. He doesn't jump up on people or anything which I always thought was a nice side-effect of that timidness!

A couple of things that worked for us. Opening his crate door and letting him decide when to come out. DH gave food, treats, toys, etc. to give him a positive view of men. DH would take him outside more, so he started to associate good things with the man of the house.

Hope that helps!

 

[Java]

I also agree that Molly may have had something traumatic happen to her. Speculation is probably not helpful, but someone may have intimidated her early on in her life.

My humble suggestion is:

Try squatting down and call her over. When she comes to you, reward her with treats and affection. When she feels comfortable with where you are and your position, do the same but this time while kneeling. Try gradually presenting yourself taller and rewarding her when she obviously feels/act comfortable around you while you're not sitting.

Good luck!

 

[Brien]

Awww... she's adorable. The best part is your problem can be fixed by just giving her lots of love and attention (at her level of course). I wish all training and behavioral issues could be remedied with pets. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[weed30]

Oh, she's so pretty! She will come around with time and gentle patience. When I got Daisy, she was obviously abused by her previous owner. I would go to pet her and she would flatten herself, preparing for a smack. I've had her for a year and a half, and she is no longer scared. She loves to be petted. Now, if I could only get her to give me a little kiss without a bribe....

 

[BookerMoose]

Molly is so pretty! You have already gotten great advice here, and I think you are doing the right things. As a number of people have already said, time and patience are what you need - but the fact that she is already comfortable around you (when you are not standing up) is a great sign that you can work through this...

Our latest rescue was also really scared of us at first whenever we were standing (right after he had been cuddling in our laps) and would run away in terror if we came towards him with a leash, but after a while he just seemed to figure out we were the same people standing up as we were sitting and just got over that fear (he still has some others...). I do remember for the first few days we had him, when I would be out on a walk with him, and he would at some point look back at me and recoil in horror, even though I was the same person he had just left the house with!!

 

[sammi1218]

I don't have any advice to give as my lemon/white is not shy at all around anyone. I just wanted to say that Molly is beautiful, and looks alot like our Sammi who is just over a year now.

 

[beagletails]

She's a beautiful girl. Don't give up hope on her. I am sure that a little time and patience will go a long way with your Molly and my Sulli.

 

[Toby & Lucky]

Just looked the pics - Oh my, what a beautiful girl!!

 

[Brisen]

Awwwww...Molly is adorable! I don't really have anything to add, other than giving her lot's of patience and love. Keep us updated on her progress!

 

[RosCole]

She is gorgeous! Best of luck to you, I agree it will just take time, patience, and a lot of love.

 

[Buzzquincy]

Hi Don! My Beagle, Buzz, is the SAME way. I've had him for only two years and he is scared of everything. He hates reflections of any kind: sunlight coming through the window, his tags, tinfoil, lighters, flashlights, etc. Also hates thunder, banging of any kind, etc. He even shudders sometimes when you open a can of soda! He has come around to my husband and I, and eventually I think if you're patient, she will come around. I've noticed a real change in him, but I guess we will always have to work with him. Getting used to strangers too. Hang in there!

 

[AJollyBengali]

Oreo was very frightened when I first got him back in July. He's still timid but has improved by leaps and bounds.

I think the best thing to do is establish a regular routine in terms of walks, feeding, playtime, bedtime, etc. Once he gets a jist of the routine, he'll thrive off it.

Another thing, as it is with all Beagles (and all dogs in general, I guess) is FOOD. Do you have a KONG for him? I've found that stuffing a KONG and letting him go to town on it has really helped Oreo. Nothing more wonderful that seeing your dog's tail go crazy as you're about to give him some food.

Good luck, you'll be great!

 

[Murphys Dad]

Thanks for posting some pictures. Molly is a beautiful girl.