My Beagle mix has social problems.?

Question

I have a beagle mix who really has some issues. He is 1 or 2 and I got him from a beagle rescue. The shelter told me he was locked in a backyard pen for the first year of his life and the only human contact he received was from the family kids who fed him occasionally. Needless to say the only people he would respond to when I first got him were children. This dog has so many fears but if you were to stick him in the middle of Chuckie Cheese restaurant for kids he would be in his glory. I took the dog away with me on a month long camping trip and he really bonded with me. Now I am afraid he will never bond with anyone else but me and my children. It has been five months since I got him and he will only socialize with other women if I am present and he wants no parts of men. My parents live with me and he will socialize with my mother in my presents and even play with her but my dad is his sworn enemy. He won't let anyone feed him or let him out of his crate when I am at work. Any help?

I have tried many things such as trainning classes, socializing him with men, having my dad take him for short periods of time, and he still hates men. Maybe this is something only time will heal. Like I said before he is an extremely well behaved dog. I would not even know he had a problem if I didn't have any contact with men. I guess if something terrible happen to me that went on for a year it would take a little more then five months to forget it. I know the Dog Whisperer says that I may not be the pack leader but I feel I am. He just has fears that he can't let go of yet and for good reason. I can just imagine what the shelter didn't tell me.

Answer 1

Sounds like the dog had a really hard start and it will take time and a lot of patience to get him to loose his fears. Socialize him as much as possible, since he was never socialized as a young dog.

The breed is normally a laid back breed, not aggressive, or outgoing. They make good family dogs but outsiders are usually scary cause he does not know or trust them.

When you have guests have him sit right beside you or in front of you and you and the guest just sit there talking and let the dog make the first moves to get to know someone. Once he knows he can trust you and your family he will go to others. just give him some time and TLC. He hasn't forgotten what he has been through in the past and he needs behavior modification.

He could also be a fear biter and bite when cornered. I have groomed many a dog that and they can be quite nasty.

He considers his kennel as a safe domain and it should stay that way. Leave the kennel door open so he can come and go as he pleases but tell everybody that while he is in his kennel it is a hands off situation until he looses some of his fear.

Answer 2

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/nycqQ

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
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Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 3

Do you have any male friends that wil help you work with your dog? I've seen this problem many times, and although it is frustrating, it can be resolved. I would find male friends that are willing to spend some time feeding him treats and interacting with him to desensitize him to men. Try doing this at your house, in the yard, at a park etc. After several encounters, this should begin to relieve his anxiety. If it doesn't, your dog will need to see a vet to get a prescription for something like clomicalm or xanax. Once he has been on the meds for a few days, try having him work with your male friends again. The medicine will help keep his mind clear enough so that his training and behavioral modification is possible.

Please make sure that your male friends realize there is a chance your dog will bite them. Of course, do everything possible to keep this from occurring, but know it is a real risk if the dog is truly scared of men. If it seems like your dog will bite, put a muzzle on him and then work with your male friends like that.
Aside from this, please contact a behaviorist to resolve your dog's issue. You vet should be able to make a recommendation when you go in to the office to get the meds.

Answer 4

Watch a bunch of episodes of The Dog Whisperer. Bonus points if you buy the DVDs and book.

Part of the problem is that a beagle is born to run -- they are happiest when they're running for miles, sniffing for rabbits. Unless you're exercising your dog, you'll have problems. The dog's first owners need to be SHOT for what they did. And, you need to take this dog for a FAST walk (rollerblades?) for 30 min a day.

Part of the problem is that the dog hasn't been around other dogs, so he doesn't know how to act like a dog. I'd suggest finding a way to socialize him with other dogs as a first step.

In addition, you are not this dog's "pack leader". Part of the reason is that your dog doesn't act like a dog, but part of that is you're busy feeling sorry for your dog.

Answer 5

My dog is a lot like that. My dog, like yours, was adopted, after being abandoned on the streets. He was around 9 months old when we got him, and was scared to death of males. He still only really interacts well with me and my mom, and any other females that visit my house regularly. He never interacted with my dad, or my brother. He's five years old now, and he is still cautious around my dad. Your dog may have just had some bad experiences with males, and doesn't want to bond with them. But if you really want him to bond with your dad and any other males he'll meet, leave him alone with him for a little while, at first he'll be wary, thinking, "Where's my mommy gone?" but if your dad just shows him that they can be friends, he'll bond to him. Have your dad give him a treat occansionaly, or play ball with him, or take him on a walk. Be there with them, just incase he gets a little overwhelmed.
Good Luck!