Out of control doggies

[Stephen Cherry]

Hi everyone-- I have two little beagle dogs, and they are out of control. They snore, pass gas as loud as they can, and walk around on the kitchen table when they think that I am not watching. My sofa is filled with rawhide bones that they have burried in there. Notice the big ones nose- covered in mud, she was digging another hole. Does anyone have any advice on a discipline program for these two:

223188

[Rich Engelhardt]

They snore, pass gas as loud as they can, and walk around on the kitchen table when they think that I am not watching. My sofa is filled with rawhide bones that they have burried in there. Notice the big ones nose- covered in mud, she was digging another hole
My wife says exactly the same things about me...
& then some...

[Mike Cutler]

For the gas; Change the food and add a probiotic, or spoon of yougurt to the food bowl.
For the sofa and the table: Get an in home electronic collar system with multiple units, and keep the chairs pushed in when not in use. Multiple spray bottles, kept around the house, filled with water are a good long distance deterrent also.
The little guy is probably taking his cues from the bigger one, and he's actually too young for an eCollar. If you get control of the bigger guy, the little guy may fall in line.

Other than that they sound like nice little dogs and would be a scream to play around with.

PS.
How is that little guy getting up on the kitchen table??

[John Coloccia]

Actually, it sounds like the dogs aren't out of control but in complete control :D

Have you trained them at all? A well trained dog is a happy dog because his pack leader isn't constantly mad at him all the time. Dogs naturally want to please you and/or get attention from you. Once they understand what the right behaviors are you'll be all set. Except maybe for the gas thing.

[Chuck Saunders]

"I have two little beagle dogs, and they are out of control."

a bit redundant don't you think :)

[Jason Roehl]

I have a regular customer who has a (at least mostly) beagle that could probably power a small city from a treadmill. I maybe spend 1-2 weeks working at this house per year, but the dog (Doug) knows when I come that I won't pet it until it sits down and doesn't jump up on me. Consistent expectations breed good behavior.

I must say, thought it was pretty funny when I was cleaning the haze off a tile floor I had just grouted for the customer. I was wiping it off with a rag for the final cleaning, and the dog was tirelessly chasing the rag.

[Lee Schierer]

Actually, it sounds like the dogs aren't out of control but in complete control :D

Have you trained them at all? A well trained dog is a happy dog because his pack leader isn't constantly mad at him all the time. Dogs naturally want to please you and/or get attention from you. Once they understand what the right behaviors are you'll be all set. Except maybe for the gas thing.

I concur, watch a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer and you will see that your dogs need more exercise and you need to set limits for their behavior. Hunting dogs need to work. Buy a doggy back pack for the big one and walk them a couple of miles every day.

[Van Huskey]

They need to WORK or at least walk. A tired dog makes happy owners and if you walk them you will be better for it as well.

BTW given how cute they are I know why they get away with murder!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Depending on how much you know about dogs, consider taking a dog obedience class with your dogs. It is potentially useful even if you do know about dogs.

The claim is that using a clicker in your training is more effective than voice training because the dogs do not hear a clicker in other situations (unlike your voice). The idea is that the click is the reward, usually paired with a treat of some sort. The principle behind clicker training comes from "operant conditioning" (we learn from the consequences of our actions). We usually repeat actions that have positive outcomes and not repeat those that have negative ones.

The official word is as follows:

Step one is to click and give a treat or reward. Do this until the dog expects a treat when he hears the click. Our current dog is highly food motivated so regular food is fine for many circumstances. For serious training, however, use something special such as small bits of cold cuts or cheese.

After setting the expectation, wait until your dog does something that you want to reinforce. Click during the desired behavior. If you want to teach sitting, click and give a treat every time he begins to sit, then delay the click and treat until his back side is fully on the ground. Once your dog associates the act of sitting with a reward, add the verbal cue “sit” before this desired behavior occurs. When your dog’s response to the sit command becomes consistent, continue to use the clicker, but vary the food rewards. Your dog will be well on his way... of course, I am not always so patient so I may force the dog into a sit (bad me).




If you do not want the dogs on the couch, be relentless and do not allow them there. Render these inaccessible. Begin working immediately on simple things such as sit. It is also useful to have a spot for the dog to go with a command to send them there. For us this is a crate, but if you do not create your dog a dog bed or piece of carpet should suffice.

Probably enough for now.

Oh, I told my wife that she had to deal with the dog, not I. So, I told her to hire a dog trainer and she is both in obedience training with the dog and paying for private help. I grew up with dogs, she grew up totally afraid of dogs. Almost fell over dead when she told me that she wanted to get a dog.

[Paul McGaha]

Beautiful dogs Stephen. Sounds like everythings kind of going ok to me. Except the part about the dogs being on the kitchen table, I'm sure they'll learn to not get up there.

PHM

[Stephen Cherry]

Thanks for the great advice everybody



Beautiful dogs Stephen. Sounds like everythings kind of going ok to me. Except the part about the dogs being on the kitchen table, I'm sure they'll learn to not get up there.

PHM

Paul, the up on table thing kind of bothers me, but everyone I know who has beagles has had similar experience. My theory is that the same desire that makes them happy to chase a smell into sticker bushes, etc, also makes them want to get up there and sniff around. They get in trouble each time. I kind of like the snoring, and other noises though. Plus, they are super friendly.

[Phil Thien]

Thanks for the great advice everybody

Paul, the up on table thing kind of bothers me, but everyone I know who has beagles has had similar experience. My theory is that the same desire that makes them happy to chase a smell into sticker bushes, etc, also makes them want to get up there and sniff around. They get in trouble each time. I kind of like the snoring, and other noises though. Plus, they are super friendly.

LOL, I'm not buying it.

There is a significant difference in their ages, isn't there?

If the first one was such a pain, why in the world would you get a 2nd one?

Those guys are adorable. What are their names?

- Phil, "dad" of a lab/beagle mix. Looks like a lab, acts like a beagle.

[Stephen Cherry]

LOL, I'm not buying it.

There is a significant difference in their ages, isn't there?

If the first one was such a pain, why in the world would you get a 2nd one?

Those guys are adorable. What are their names?

- Phil, "dad" of a lab/beagle mix. Looks like a lab, acts like a beagle.


The big one is Sweet Pea, and the little one Boo Boo. The're half sisters. Actually, we went for a puppy, and got the bigger dog at a discount. (she was the only surviving puppy of a litter of two) The picture is from last spring, so the little dog is now bigger than the bigger dog. Sweet Pea is my favorite though- I got her on sale.

One thing that they do when we go for walks is very funny- one will grab the others leash and start pulling the other around. They both do this.

[glenn bradley]

"I have two little beagle dogs, and they are out of control."

a bit redundant don't you think :)

Agreed. Long ago I took my new beagle puppy to obedience class. The instructor was walking around looking at all the dogs saying how cute they were and what some of the admirable characteristics of each breed was and what the owner might expect to get from the class. As she got to me she barely slowed her pace, looked me in the eye and simply said "my condolences" and moved on. I found out what she meant but, in the end it was worth it.

[Jim Matthews]

They need to WORK or at least walk. A tired dog makes happy owners and if you walk them you will be better for it as well.

BTW given how cute they are I know why they get away with murder!

+1 on hunting dogs with jobs. Beagles and Jack Russel terriers should come with warning labels.

[Phil Thien]

Agreed. Long ago I took my new beagle puppy to obedience class. The instructor was walking around looking at all the dogs saying how cute they were and what some of the admirable characteristics of each breed was and what the owner might expect to get from the class. As she got to me she barely slowed her pace, looked me in the eye and simply said "my condolences" and moved on. I found out what she meant but, in the end it was worth it.

That's pretty darn funny.

My previous dog was all lab. He was 16 weeks old when we got him, and we were told he may be "vicious." A lab? Surely you jest.

He was nippy. We trained him. He responded well to training. He was a fantastic family member for nearly 12 years. I took him to work with me every day. He was my constant companion his entire life.

So fast forward to the new dog, our house is small, so I wanted a smaller dog, if any.

So my wife gets me the half beagle/half lab.

Knowing nothing of beagles beforehand, I didn't expect any problems.

All I can say is that the beagle stubbornness is a dominant trait. As is the baying. The digging, too. Burying your treats, bones, etc., inside furniture, too. He looks like a lab, acts like a beagle.

Beagles are born troublemakers, I think.

But I wouldn't trade my half beagle for anything in the world.

[Belinda Barfield]

I have absolutely nothing to offer in the way of advice. However, I was once trained by a beagle. I dated a guy who had a beagle named Snoopy. The guy was a farmer so Snoopy rode everywhere on the farm with him. The guy also had a jeep and the passenger seat was Snoopy's seat. Long story short, I got to ride in the back seat when we went anywhere in the jeep.

[Phil Thien]

I have absolutely nothing to offer in the way of advice. However, I was once trained by a beagle. I dated a guy who had a beagle named Snoopy. The guy was a farmer so Snoopy rode everywhere on the farm with him. The guy also had a jeep and the passenger seat was Snoopy's seat. Long story short, I got to ride in the back seat when we went anywhere in the jeep.

Ayep. Same here. My half beagle rides shotgun. You can try to ride in the front passenger seat, but expect a dog to climb onto your lap.

My wife <- not thrilled.

[Belinda Barfield]

Ayep. Same here. My half beagle rides shotgun. You can try to ride in the front passenger seat, but expect a dog to climb onto your lap.

My wife <- not thrilled.

I would have been happy to have the dog climb onto my lap. We would start out sharing the seat, then he would do one of those disgusted huffs and start nudging me over with his rear end. He would do this every few minutes until I was on the very edge of the seat. It was safer to just get in the back. I ended up marrying the guy and, needless to say, Snoopy had a side of the bed, too. :rolleyes: At one point we had Snoopy, two English Setters used for bird hunting, a three legged Golden Retriever I had rescued, three barn cats, and a pet pig. Pigs are hard to train.

[John Coloccia]

Pigs are hard to train.

They take up a lot of the front seat, too.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....At one point we had Snoopy, two English Setters used for bird hunting, a three legged Golden Retriever I had rescued, three barn cats, and a pet pig....

On the bed.......?

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Here's why owning Beagles is an experience:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kn6NjEArWU

[Belinda Barfield]

On the bed.......?

No. Only Snoopy was allowed on the bed. I do recall one occasion when all the dogs were in the living room after a particularly close lightning strike. One second we were all on the front porch and then we were all in the living room and I have no idea how we got there.

[Jim Rimmer]

Here's why owning Beagles is an experience:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kn6NjEArWU

That dog is exceptionally smart, even for a Beagle. :D

[Jim Rimmer]

I Pigs are hard to train.

"Never try to train a pig. It's a waste of your time and it only irritates the pig."" Source Unknown

[Paul McGaha]

We got a dog on sale once. We had decided we wanted to get a dog for Christmas one year. My wife went looking at a couple of them and the pricing seemed to be up on the dogs due to it was Christmas time. $600 to $700 for a pedigree lab w AKC papers. Week or two later one of the people my wife had gone to see was down to their last dog and wanted to leave town for a trip. The seller offered to sell the dog to us for $250 of which we agreed. He (Bill) was an excellent family dog for 12 years.

PHM



The big one is Sweet Pea, and the little one Boo Boo. The're half sisters. Actually, we went for a puppy, and got the bigger dog at a discount. (she was the only surviving puppy of a litter of two) The picture is from last spring, so the little dog is now bigger than the bigger dog. Sweet Pea is my favorite though- I got her on sale.

One thing that they do when we go for walks is very funny- one will grab the others leash and start pulling the other around. They both do this.

[Craig Matheny]

Ok I own a short legged Jack Russel in the city and have a 12000 lot so he has room however after months of no success with him he went to school 6 weeks boarding. No he comes home and wala a perfect dog (not) he was still the same pain in the butt as before we worked with him to no avail then he turned 3 and it was like a light turned on. He is still a Jack Russel full of energy and if he sees a bird nothing in the word exist but him and that bird. What I did learn was by going to http://community.sessionswithcesar.com/forums/ there was alot of people with ideas but most of all encouragement. This little dog of mine is the greatest friend I have helps me deal with my deprecation because he always does something to make you laugh. I am getting ready for the head trainer to come do a house eval to help with a few last issues but feel this will work.

Do't give up being you have more then one dog it will take alot more effort to keep them both behaving.

[Zach England]

The cuteness is what is out of control.

[Rick Moyer]

Here's why owning Beagles is an experience:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kn6NjEArWU


I"m guessing from the boards above the door that that wasn't his first escape that way!

[Bill Edwards(2)]

I"m guessing from the boards above the door that that wasn't his first escape that way!

I always assumed that's why they set up the camera. He had no idea how his dog was
getting out. I would never have expected through the roof.:eek:

Time to invest a couple more bucks into the kennel.:rolleyes:

[Greg Berry313]

For the Gas, change the food to a premium food. They will consume less since it's they have no fillers and the "end" result will improve. I use Orejin/Acana or Fromm but here's a link for you.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Try to stay above 4 stars, I know it sounds silly but it really improves the gas issues. I tend to stay away from the box stores for the pet foods as most of them have been too commercialized and have grain in them etc. Some are still ok. Water bottles for discipline couches etc.

[Myk Rian]

Depending on how much you know about dogs, consider taking a dog obedience class with your dogs. It is potentially useful even if you don't learn to behave.
Fixed it. :D