Hi

I have two 7 month old beagles, boy and girl half siblings. We are getting on fine and have just passed our bronze awards.

My question relates to the boy, who is delightful, but has occasionally started to grumble at me if I tell him off. This tends to be if he is in a corner, or if I am trying to remove him from somewhere he shouldn't be (such as on a chair). He doesn't attempt a bite, just a low growl and a bearing of teeth.

Should I quash this behaviour now before it escalates, and if so how? Or should I remain jolly and coax him?
I don't want this to get out of hand but I also want to let him know I'm the boss!

Many thanks

Allison 

Work on the recall so you can call him to you if he is doing something you don't want, then you can praise him for coming to you and will have no need to man handle him, a good few scent hounds resent being manhandled however gentle, so I try to avoid the need by calling the hound away, praise him for coming and then watch to see if he goes back and get in first with NO.

Edit to say, if you can't avoid it and he does growl don't respond, apart from a no you don't and continue with what you intended to do.  I have found it is something they try on when coming out of puppy hood and it soon passes as they find it gets them no where. Try to increase the time you spend grooming him and make sure if you need to put a collar on he sits and lets you do it, apart from that try to avoid the confrontation and it will pass.

I agree, avoid being confrontational, but at the same time you can't leave him sitting on the chair when he does this.  While you are around, try attaching a lightweight nylon lead on his collar.

When he is on the furniture, lightly take hold of the lead and say his name and 'off'.  If he doesn't, walk away from him holding the lead and pull him off.  The important thing is not to look him in the eye when you are doing it, if he hasn't growled, praise him, but don't go over the top with the praise.

Jackie is right, he is trying it on, it is a boy's thing around this age.  It will pass.

Sandra

hi

don't be jolly be firm so he knows you mean business get him out from the corner or wherever no matter what he does! he's trying it on don't let him win then he will soon know his place,he's being a little sod!

You may be right Jackie R but I find encouraging confrontation can back fire on you and would prefer to avoid the situation. Would agree if you must or have started an action that causes the problem then you must continue with it, the pup must never win that sort of fight, but I would prefer to avoid it in the first place.

Jackie if this is how you deal with signs of agression in dogs, it's not surprising you're fearful of it escalating - confrontation as you suggest is a disaster waiting to happen.

Digger which Jackie, I would always call a puppy out of a corner or out of a chair or use the lead method, I don't believe in training a dog to be aggressive by being so myself. If at any time you have to for the sake of safety it comes as such a surprise to the dog you get a response immediately, I doubt you would if it was used to being treated thus.

Ops- Sorry JackieH - not you (just my luck that there would be TWO Jackies posting on the same topic....) ;)

i did'nt say be agressive i said be firm theres a huge difference if the dog is growling at you and you stand there trying to cheerfully coax him out your wasting your time , you just have to speak firmly and remove the dog from the situation!

You may not perceive it as agressive - the dog may well - simply staring at a dog will be perceived as agressive by a dog, and you may well get bitten for your troubles.  If anyone follows this type of advice, and gets bitten, they may well be entitled to sue.......

did i mention the word stare NO someone could sue me oh do me a favour ! she's more likely to get bitten by being weak! she needs to nip this in the bud now before it gets out of hand you use a cheerfull manner when praising not when the dogs being dominent if it did this to an alpha dog it would get snapped at the owner is the alpha of the pack and the dog has to learn this.

Jackie r, everyone is entitled to their opinion, including you, but there really is no need for you to be so agressive in your replies.

listen if my replies  offend you then don't read them, you suppose to be giving the post advice not me!! go and comment on another board if your not happy with this one .

I'm quite happy with this board, thank you. It's just some rude people who spoil it for everyone.

If you have trained your dog to come when called there will never be a need to manhandle a dog, if it is some where you would rather it was not, you call it out. That is not giving way to the dog it is getting the dog to do as you wish. If this dog will not come when called, I suggested that the poster trained it to do so. A dog that runs and hides in a corner will worried if you drag him out, so why do it?

Hello everyone

Firstly, thank you for all your replies....and so quickly.

I have been working on the recall and giving lots of praise..and generally he is very good at this. I will reinforce this with further work as suggested. When I said coax him in a jolly manner,  I meant using my voice positively in an upbeat way. I usually do this first, and the take his collar and firmly pull him down, saying "Off". I will try not to look him in the eye as this could be part of the problem. He sometimes gets fed up with all the rough and tumble generated by his sister, as he is the quieter dog.

thank you all again

Allison

This is one of the reasons people say do not have two hounds/dogs of the same age, but you have, so can you give your boy a private place of his own, like a cage. The other thing I would say is have a collar on him (only when you are there) and if he is where you don't want him call him, if he does not come walk up and clip on the lead and walk away towing him with you. Deposit him in a more appropriate place and praise him, and give him a few moments of your time.

I agree that 2 beagles at one time is not going to be easy!  But I feel if you dont have a crate already that would be a good idea.  At 7 months he is trying to be the boss and you need to show him with firm kindness that he is not and you are, have boundries and rules and stick to them.  Dont one day allow him on the chair and the next not.  I have no go areas for dogs and stick to them, the place they can sleep in and feel safe in is their crates.

Beagles are clever and do like to please themselves, so you need to be consistant at all times.

If he is already in a corner and not  a very happy bunny, he may just be a bit stressed and not able to cope with all that adrenalin. He still has to learn what is acceptable and what is not, and this can certainly be done by using a line, gently pulling him off and then rewarding with a treat...if necessary and the sofa is small you can gently upturn the sofa -voila, you are the leader and no harm done ;)

If you reward him for getting off (even if you have to pull him) then he will in time learn what is required/acceptable and that it is actually quite nice to get off. Do use the word Off and not Down! Many make this mistake and over the years i am convinced it can lead to an escalation in this sort of problem simply because the dog IS already lying "down"

I agree it is best  to not respond in any particular way to the growl.....also practice grabbing collars and giving food treats as you grab, so that he understnads collar grabs are OK .... he may be fearful of hands coming towards him and pulling him.

If the problem continues or worsens, i have a pal who does working trials with beagles and knows lots about motivating them; she's also a trainer so would be able to help :)

Best wishes
Lindsay

Allison

Again thanks for more good advice.

Yes two puppies are hard work but not impossible, and yes we do have a crate.......couldn't manage without! I will try to give him more time out as I think he needs the break occasionally.

The chair I'm referring to is in the kitchen, all other areas of the house are out of bounds. I just came downstairs to find he'd shunted the chair 6 feet across the floor and was standing on it casually munching papers off the kitchen counter. As I entered he voluntarily jumped off. I praised him and then had a quiet laugh to myself at his resourcefulness!

Allison

p.s.

Lindsay thank you for mentioning your friend....I may call on you again sometime if I need more help.