Bouncing Beagle

Crossy

My Beagle pup is 4 months old, and is one bundle of energy, its like he is on a bit of elastic!

He just jumps up all the time, we can't sit down to have a cup of tea, because he will break his neck trying to get at the drink, or any food within his reach.

How do I stop him jumping? also he eats anything!, I feed him twice a day, and he is always looking for food, he looks like a barrel at the moment.

I have signed him up for puppy classes in the new year, but it is clausing some friction between hubby and myself. I watched the Dog Whisperer last night and he said that the owner has to be dominant, but how do I do this?

Also he play bites all the time - and his teeth are very sharp!.

Sorry to ramble on, I love him dearly, but am at my wits end.

DKLS

Before you start the training, throw as much exercise as you can at him every day, Beagles are a working breed and a hound!!!! what a combo.

My boss has a beagle, and as well as 3 walks a day it gets two 30 min sessions on a treadmill.

WeirdoMagnet

Please, please, please, DO NOT follow the advice of Cesar Milan. Cesar Milan uses methods which are at best dubious, and at worse are downright cruel. He subscribes to the Dominance Theory, which is thought to be flawed (more about that here), uses methods like 'flooding', alpha rolls and cruel pieces of equipment (like prong collars). It really is not necessary to be dominant over your dog - it's more about being consistent and training your dog what is expected of it.

What do you feed him? Some dog foods (eg. Bakers) are full of artificial additives that can cause hyperactivity. Things like Burns, JWB tend to be recommended.

Teach him that the behaviours that you don't want (jumping up, play biting), by ignoring him (so non-rewarding) - no telling off, pushing away, just ignore him and turn your back on him if necessary. And teach him desirable behaviours by using part of his food ration to reward him when he's doing something you do want. Try Clicker Training to train the desired behaviour and to tire him out mentally too! Also try teaching an alternative behaviour - he can't jump up if he's sitting.

He'll be teething, so make sure he's got lots of toys he can chew (stuffed frozen kongs are great), manage the situation so he doesn't get the opportunity to nip, and ignore him when he does (when I say ignore, I don't mean let him carry on, but divert his attention onto something he can bite/chew).

Try to find a training group run by an APDT accredited trainer. They use kind and fair principles of training and do not use coercive or punitive techniques and equipment.

Hope this helps, and if you need anymore help, just shout.

Georgie

WeirdoMagnet

DKLS wrote: »

it gets two 30 min sessions on a treadmill.

:eek: Poor dog!

The trouble is, the more exercise it gets, the fitter it gets, and so the more exercise it needs! He'd be better mentally tiring it out (in addition to the walks) using clicker training.

Beagles are working dogs, so will need more stimulation than others, but I wouldn't recommend a treadmill. :rolleyes:

RooBee

A 4 month old puppy's joints cannot handle lots of exercise. You risk long term damage if you over exercise at this stage. Instead you need to mentally tire the dog with lots of games. Beagles are scent hounds so anything that requires him to use his nose is good. Try playing 'hide and seek' games with a toy....start by letting him see you hide it and then gradually move on to putting him in another room while you hide it.

Georgina's tips about clicker training etc are spot on. You can use this to teach him to stay on his bed whilst you are eating or having a cuppa etc.

Beagles are known to be the ultimate eating machine of the dog world. At 4 months old, he should really still be on 3 meals per day (reducing to 2 at about 6 months or so). If you are using titbits to train with, remember to reduce his food rations accordingly...Beagles will literally eat til they bust and you don;t want a pudgy adult on your hands as that causes other health problems.

Oh, and ignore anything that Cesar Milan has to say about dog training...his theories were debunked a long time ago by the very people who first developed the dominance theory based on wolf packs. His methods are very outdated and bordering on cruel in many instances.

WeirdoMagnet

RooBee wrote: »

A 4 month old puppy's joints cannot handle lots of exercise. You risk long term damage if you over exercise at this stage.

An excellent and important point, RooBee.

Raksha

I don't think I can add a lot more at this stage - mental stimulation and increased frequency of meals will help with most of your problems - biting can often be down to sheer hunger as well as teething. For more tips on how to stop it - http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm.

Why is the idea of puppy classes causing friction (or have I misunderstood?) A good puppy class will help you train and socialise your puppy, surely that's got to be a good thing?

Alibi_2

Crossy wrote: »

also he eats anything!, I feed him twice a day, and he is always looking for food, he looks like a barrel at the moment.

Is he up to date with worming using a good wormer (Drontal / Milbemax / Panacur)?

Second using Kong's - they are fab and give a dog something to "work" at. Buster Cubes are also good, you fill them with treats or if puppy is on dry kibble you can put his meal in there and he has to push it around the floor and a couple of kibbles drop out at a time - makes food last a little bit longer. Its quite funny having 3 dogs in the kitchen with 3 Buster Cubes - but noisy!

Raksha

Buster cubes are great, but maybe a bit big for a 4 month old Beagle. There's also Dog Pyramid and Tug a Jug which are all worth considering.

suki1964

Great advice already given

One thing about the teething, never go to handle him unless you have a toy in your hand, The minute he makes contact with you with his teeth, give an ouch and substitute your hand with the toy and praise him for playing with the toy.If he keeps on trying to chew you - remove him from the room for a minute or two or if hes on your lap put him on the floor till he calms down, then encourage him to play with his toys. His "mouthing" will lessen as he gets older and his teeth come through but he still needs to learn that humans are not to be chewed.

The food advice is very important,especially for working breeds. I personally never feed any of the processed treats sold in pet shops preferring the more natural things such as jerky, pig ears etc and home made liver and tuna bread. I also only feed high quality kibble, my personal preference is Arden grange but JWB, Burns and Naturediet are all as good and well worth the initial extra outlay (although usually they work out cheaper on a daily basis then supermarket brands).

Puppy classes are an excellent idea, helps with socialisation for your pup and teaches you the owner how to read a dog. As already mentioned try to find an APDT qualified trainer.

A great book is The Perfect Pup by Gwen Bailey. However it is an old book and she does hark on a bit about dominance and pack heirachy(the rest of it is great for new pup owners), its best to put those ideas to the back of your mind, a dog is a dog and a human is a human and dogs have evolved a long way from wolves

pulliptears

If you are not planning on breeding from him Id also recommend castration, it can calm them down as well.

Worked a treat with my Westie, he became a lovely, calm and obidient dog, failed miserably with my Scottie who is just a ball of plain daft, 100mph energy!!