surchinmy
Ultra ALPHA
May 25, 2004, 11:53 PM
Views: 3624
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Re: [Koogiebus] Really NEED HELP!
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Hi ...
I believe that your answers provide the reason (or a major portion of the reason) why your almost adult Beagle is barking ...
First ... all dogs bark ... it is natural for dogs to bark ... dogs bark to communicate with other dogs and with their owners ... dogs bark when they are nervous ... when they are afraid ... when they are stressed ... when they are hungry ... when they hear or see something new (sometimes when they hear or see something old) ... when they seek attention ... when they are happy ... and for each there will be a slightly different bark ...
If you spend enough time with your dog, you will start to notice and understand the difference ...
Many dogs also start to bark more when the get older and mature ... and become more aware of the world around them ...
The Beagle as a breed may tend to bark more than other breeds ... Afterall they were bred as pack hounds, and bred to communicate with the rest of the pack during a hunt with barks ...
Also because they are pack hounds, Beagles do not like being left alone (they like *surprise, surprise* being in a pack!!!) ... and because they are actual hounds and not toy dogs - Beagles also need a fair amount of exercise ...
... I suspect that your Beagle is barking because it is bored to tears ...  ...
There are ways to train a dog not to bark or not to bark so much ... but I believe that trying to determine the root cause of a behaviour is better than just trying to train a behaviour out of a dog ... especially when it's something as instinctive as barking ...
If a dog is bored ... what else can the dog do except bark?
If your dog is not socialised and exposed to new situations and environments ... then it's also not so surprising that your dog barks at everything and every chance it gets ...
It is perhaps wrong perception to think that dogs exist solely for their human owners' benefit and will therefore do what the owner wishes or desires ...
Dogs are living entities with their own instincts, behaviour pattens and needs ...
I would strongly suggest the following:
(a) First thing ... I don't know what your circumstances are like but I do hope you are not crating your dog for 10 hours a day while you are at work ...
If someone did that to you - you would bark too!!!
You should consider creating more space for your dog ... with toys to play with ... so that she has a little more freedom and chance to at least entertain herself ... and is not so pent up with being crated for so long ... Crating a dog for more than 2 or 3 hours a day is not healthy for the dog ...
(b) Start a basic trainning programme with your dog ... everyday ... say 20minute sessions ... just basic sit, stay and recall ... Then follow that up with a short walk, say ... another 20minutes (if possible more) ...
More than just training your dog ... you will be bonding with her. And when you go for walks, you will be exposing her to new sounds, sights and smells ... The more comfortable a dog is with the environment - the less a dog is likely to bark.
(c) Try and do at least one (preferrably 2) short walks a day ... rather than one long walk a week (that is simply not enough) ... The walks will be good for you too - exercise is great for Beagles and their owners ... otherwise both will get fat ...  ...
(d) I hope you have not been placing the muzzle on your dog for 10 hours a day ... Please remove that muzzle (maybe you can place it on your friend instead) ... It's natural for dogs to bark ... And placing a muzzle just causes more frustration for your dog ...
(e) And finally ... if you can ... try and get your dog out on weekends to meet other dogs and also give yourself a chance to meet other doggie people ... There is a Beagle group in the forum ... why not join them and see if you can meet up ... It will do you and your dog good ...
Cheers
(This post was edited by surchinmy on May 26, 2004, 12:06 AM)
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