Is Your Apartment Too Small For Your Beagle?

Since city beagles are so restricted, they often wind up just staying at home alone. It’s just not possible to take the dog everywhere in the city. Even if the dog can stay in the car comfortably, in some cities there is a very real chance that the dog could be stolen. On the other hand, most city pets serve a need for protection and security, so they are left behind to guard the owner’s belongings. The resulting isolation, accompanied by a backdrop of urban noise, is often a prelude to incessant barking, destructive chewing, or other frustration-release activities. The situation spirals as continual barking or whining leads to complaints and possibly eviction. Destructive chewing can cause an apartment dweller to forfeit an expensive damage deposit, not to mention the loss of personal belongings.

If you live in an apartment you should carefully consider which rooms the Beagle will have access to when you are gone. Some owners may need to train their dogs to eliminate on papers in the bathroom, so this door will have to be propped open. Otherwise, if the pet accidentally shuts the door during the day, you may find your living room “bombed” with feces when you return. A variation on this same theme is the dog who locks itself in the bathroom, and proceeds to eat towels, soap, and the door in its frustration.

In apartment buildings, most bathroom and kitchen pipes and ventilation systems connect to upper and lower floors. The dog that barks in the kitchen, bangs its tail on the bathroom radiator, or yodels in the living room will probably disturb several residents of an apartment complex. The terrace is no place for an unsupervised dog. Some city owners train their dogs to eliminate on a terrace, sending fumes, aromas, and even droppings down or across to their neighbors. Others use the terrace for exercise, and run the risk of the dog’s falling or even hurling itself over the railing.

Correction of these problems can be difficult, regardless of the techniques used, since, in some cases, the dog simply cannot tolerate the city environment and meet its demands.
Obedience training, at least to the heel, sit, stay, and come level, is always imperative. Efforts to screen city noise can be made and it might be helpful to leave the radio or TV
turned on. Boredom and loneliness can be alleviated by a program of roadwork, exercise, massage, grooming, and proper diet. The possibility of providing a companion for the Beagle might also be explored. Don’t think automatically in terms of another dog - a cat may be a possibility, if the two are compatible. A bird which sings or can be taught to talk is another possibility.

Beagle Training Methods You Can Use To Defuse The Problem-Barking Dog (Part 2)

Staging for Correction of Isolation Barking: Staging “setups” must coincide with the times of day or night at which troublesome barking occurs. For instance, if the Beagle barks when the owners leave for work Monday through Friday, setups should be staged during weekend days at those times.

The owner should quietly leave the dog, but be prepared to monitor it for signs of restlessness or anxiety. This may mean sneaking to a window, listening at a door, or peeking over or through a fence (downwind of the dog). If the dog shows anxiety or starts to bark, a single, loud sound should be made to startle the dog and reorient its attention. This can be a hand slapped on a wall, or a sharp knock on a window. Then the owner must remain silent. If needed, this should be repeated each time anxiety behavior or barking occurs until the dog settles down.

At least 5 minutes after the Beagle has settled quietly, the owner should return, again with no emotional interplay, waiting at least 3 1/2 hours before repeating the procedure. This period between setups allows the conditioned learning to “incubate” better than if the sessions were conducted over a shorter time.

The time the owner remains away can usually be doubled between sessions. That is, the owner initially stays away for 5 minutes, then 10, 20, 40, 80, etc, until the dog has quieted dependably.

More Push-Ups: If, after 4 days, all of the foregoing steps have been strictly applied with little or no progress, the setup should be repeated by leaving the dog and applying the single, sharp sound stimulus one time. Then the owner must literally rush into the area where the dog is and pleasantly, but with urgency, apply the push-up routine of “Sparky, Sit. Good. Sit. Sparky, down. Good. Down. Sparky, Sit. Good. Sit,” etc, until the dog shows signs of tiring. At this time, and again with no emotion or eye contact, quietly leave the dog, again to monitor and repeat the routine until the dog is quiet for the required minimum of 5 minutes. The time the owner spends away can be increased by doubling, as previously described.

Correction of Anticipation Barking: Many dogs bark in anticipation of the owner’s homecoming. This usually can be resolved using the steps outlined above. When barking persists, the owner must arrive home early, applying the setups at the first signs of anxiety or barking.

Remove the Cause: Some vocal dogs bark in response to stimuli that can be removed. These dogs may bark at neighborhood cats or other dogs. If the neighbor’s cat or other dogs can be kept away, the barking may stop. Some dogs gazing out their favorite window may bark at people or other animals. Keeping the drapes drawn often resolves these problems. Many beagles that bark in the backyard for entry to the house benefit from a pet door.

Beagle Training Methods You Can Use To Defuse The Problem-Barking Dog (Part 1)

Limited Barking Permitted: If the Beagle barks when the owners are at home, it should be immediately called to the owner on the first bark and very quietly told to Sit. If the stimulus that caused the first bark is known not to warrant barking (the barking was unnecessary in that situation), the sitting dog should be quietly released and immediately recalled, and the routine repeated until the dog settles down.

If the owner believes the stimulus should be investigated, the dog should be called, told to Sit, then released, at which time the owner should go quietly to investigate the stimulus that caused the barking. If the cause for the bark is not worrisome, the owner should quietly tell the dog again to Sit, release it and return to former activities. This teaches the dog that its bark is important, but that the owner is in control of the situation, not the dog. If the dog starts again to bark during this procedure, it must again be called and the routine repeated. When this is done consistently, the dog will soon begin to give a single alarm bark, then seek the owner for further guidance.

This exercise is very important in that it teaches the dog it has a function in the family group. At the same time, it learns not to sound the alarm at stimuli that are not important, such as neighbors returning home, visitors arriving, or sirens sounding.

Learn-To-Earn and Push-Ups: The learn-to-earn praise and pet program can be used in correcting barking. Each time the dog seeks affection or attention, it must be pleasantly told to Sit, then praised and petted briefly (3-5 seconds), then released from the Sit. It’s as simple as that. The dog should also be taught to go down on command after being told to Sit, then Up to Sit from Down, then back Down from Sit, then released and petted briefly. This exercise, called Push-ups, can be used.

Defusing Homecomings and Departures: At homecomings or departures, the owners must avoid all emotional interplay with the dog. This requires behaving in a matter-of-fact manner. In many cases, even eye contact with the dog should be avoided if it causes excitement. Homecoming greetings should be delayed at least 5 minutes and then should be low key, with minimal petting and a few quiet words. If the dog barks for attention, the greeting must be ignored until the dog becomes quiet.

Leadership Exercises: Many barking beagles are leader types. That is, if the owner walks from one room to another, the dog rushes ahead of them. The owner must understand that this is the dog’s way of leading in their relationship. To reverse this situation, the dog should be taught, by movement (the dog’s language), that the owner is in charge of movements around the house. This is not difficult, but it must be applied consistently.

Each time the owner starts to go somewhere and the dog begins to move ahead, the owner should produce a single hand clap and reverse direction, which puts the owner in the lead. If the dog catches up and again starts to move ahead, the hand clap and direction reversal are repeated. This should be done if the dog rushes ahead of the owner when the doorbell or phone rings, or at meal times, until the Beagle begins following its new leader. If the dog is a backyard barker, this exercise should be applied there as well as in the house.

Beagle Training Considerations in Multiple-Dog Households

Dogs living in pairs, trios, or larger colonies all need to have a special relationship with their human family. I say special because in order for the humans to have control of the environment some form of training is needed. This training should be done with one Beagle at a time until the relationship is solid and clear. Although it is fine for the dogs to be with one another for scheduled play sessions during the day, it is far more important for each dog to have private time with the family for bonding and training. Once you have good control of your pack, then you can begin to expand on the time that they spend together. Block out a little training time every week for training your group. Keep them sharp in obedience, whether it is one-on-one or the whole group.

Generally, your Beagle’s name would only precede an in-motion command such as “let’s go” or “heel.” Stationary commands such as “sit” usually do not call for your dog’s name prior to the command. But in a multiple-dog setting, it is helpful always to use each dog’s name so that each one may be controlled without confusion. If you lined them up in a “sit-stay” and called just one, the others should remain in the “sit-stay.” If even one began to move you’d make an ugh-ugh sound followed by the command “Sparky, staaaaaay.”

How do people really keep numerous dogs and maintain peace and harmony? It’s an attitude, a learned way to behave around dogs. Some owners are naturals and just have “it,”. These owners have a quiet, calm, yet very strong attitude combined with a sense of fairness and compassion that earns them the trust of their dog. Some things come faster for some than for others, but the more contact with dogs that you have had the better you will be. Learning how to read the structure is one imperative component for success. You are calling the shots, but beyond that it is crucial for you to support the hierarchy as it naturally falls. You can’t choose who is in charge for them, they must do it, and hopefully without violence.

There are cases upon cases of Beagle owners who report that their dogs get along fine by themselves, but problems develop when the owner comes home. This is a clear indication that the owners are disrupting the natural order and the subordinate dog is owner-reinforced to be dominant. The way to avoid these problems is to side with the dominant dog and help the subordinate to become comfortable in that space.
]
Realistically, it is more natural for us to yell at the growling dog than it is to yell at the dog that is being growled at. This is wrong. We should side with the dominant dog to try to avoid a fight. If you discipline the subordinate as the dominant dog does then things will change. A common fight scenario is who may greet a visitor first. The dominant dog is allowed to greet first. If the subordinate should be so bold as to try to get to the door first, the dominant dog might attack. Help this situation out by teaching the subordinate to hang back when someone comes in. On a natural level, the dominant Beagle will allow the subordinate access to the visitor, but in his own time, and the subordinate should wait and look to him for that time.

Train Your Beagle To Become A Good Neighbor

Their world may not extend beyond a couple of blocks but nevertheless, dogs are an integral part of society. As a Beagle owner, you have a serious responsibility. You must mold your dog into a good neighbor - not a nuisance or a menace. Left to its own devices, a dog naturally might enjoy destroying someone’s precious lawn, chasing other animals or having a loud dialogue with the midnight moon. These and lots of other behaviors your neighbors will hate, of course, never strike your dog as anything but fun, unless it is properly trained and supervised. This is your responsibility. Certainly you don’t want your dog’s behavior to become a point of contention between otherwise compatible neighbors.

To begin with, no Beagle should be allowed to roam indiscriminately. Most people are reluctant confront the owner of an offending dog, but no one appreciates canine trespassing. Dogs
lacking human supervision will often leave destruction in their path, and you are liable for your pet’s activities. Don’t let bad feelings start because you have given your dog a free rein.

Furthermore, you put your Beagle’s life at risk every time you allow it such freedom. Your pet may attack or be attacked by other animals - wild (think about rabies) or domesticated. Chances are, at some point, the dog will be hit and perhaps killed by a car. A free-roaming dog is more susceptible to picking up parasites and disease. And it may simply disappear one day, leaving you to wonder whether it has been abducted or killed. Sadly, these are common occurrences.

If you want to keep your dog outdoors, an exercise run or a sturdy fence around your yard is mandatory. Hopefully, if your dog is a barker, your neighbors live a good distance away. However, in the densely populated urban and suburban areas in which most of us live, it is simply unacceptable to permit a dog to bark endlessly. You are going to have extremely unhappy neighbors. Breaking the barking habit can be a real problem; you can try working with a trainer to come up with a solution, or you may simply have to keep the dog indoors. Certainly, it is unfair to make other people suffer while you’re away.

Remember, barking is both natural for beagles and a learned behavior in certain situations. To correct unwanted barking, you must catch the dog in the act and administer a stern, forceful correction. You cannot correct undesirable behavior unless the dog is actually caught in the act of performing it.

Beagle Toilet Paper Blues

If ever there’s a time when beagles look like mischievous toddlers, it’s when they’re sitting on the bathroom floor surrounded by ribbons of toilet paper. The expression on their faces says, “Oh, did I do that?” Once they see you laughing, they’ll happily tear into it again. They may start pulling at the toilet paper because they’re bored or curious, but once they get going, it’s just plain fun for them!

Toilet paper is fun because it engages all of a Beagle’s senses. Toilet paper is soft and light, and it flips and flutters. The roll makes a great noise when dogs turn it. And best of all, the pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger. For dogs who are really captivated by visual stimuli, the ever-growing white thing they’re making is a huge reward for pulling on the roll.

Dogs can entertain themselves for quite a while with a roll of toilet paper, but what makes it
really fun is the reactions of their owners. Nearly everyone laughs when they see their dogs’ antics for the first time, and their dogs remember that. Even if you respond with a shriek, that high-pitched shout sounds a lot like a puppy’s yelp. It translates to Let’s go play!

Unraveling the roll is just part of the game. The other part is running through the house with the paper flapping. That’s the part a lot of dogs really enjoy! Toilet paper rolls aren’t very firmly anchored. Dogs get a lot of satisfaction from working them free from their holders and showing everyone in the family what they’ve done.

Not everyone appreciates replacing a roll of paper, only to see it in shreds a few hours later. But you should consider yourself lucky when you have a puppy who limits himself to this shred-and-chase game - it means he’s not destroying something else. It’s a whole lot easier to clean up toilet paper than to replace carpet or hang new curtains or bring in a new couch. Usually, closing the bathroom door does the trick.

How To Make Him Stop: Make it clatter. Most beagles outgrow this unraveling phase, but some keep doing it because it’s so much fun. Discipline may not help, because it only takes a few seconds for dogs to turn a roll of toilet paper into streamers - meaning, it’s hard to catch them in the act. One way to discourage them is to set a booby trap. Put an empty can or two on top of the roll. Put a few marbles inside the cans. When your dog gives the paper a pull, the cans will tumble, making a noisy clatter. After a few frights, most dogs will be convinced that grabbing the roll isn’t as much fun as it used to be.