Hi everyone...
Here's the deal...my boyfriend and I adopted a beagle about 5 months ago. He's a great dog when we're home, but when we leave he barks incessantly and even worse, he is passive agressive with other dogs. Sometimes he'll just stand there and let himself get sniffed, but most of the time he bares his teeth and goes after the other dog (for NO apparent reason). He does this on walks and at doggie daycare. He is walked 2-3 times per day and he is trained pretty well otherwise. Any suggestions about how to build his confidence so he doesn't snap at any dogs?!
Also...we've tried leaving for very short periods of time and coming right back, just to try to get him used to being alone...didn't work so well. We know he has seperation anxiety and probably lack of confidence...I just don't know how to fix it. Thanks!
2007-06-02 11:44:38 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Couple other things I should have included...we leave the radio on when we leave, we've tried toys, kongs, chew toys...and he just doesn't play with them...
2007-06-03 04:18:33 · update #1
And yes, I know he's not really "passive agressive", but there really isn't any other way to describe his behavior to others.
2007-06-03 04:20:04 · update #2
Beagles are lovely dogs however they are naturally a hunting dog and very rarely does a beagle like to be left with no attention. Leave a radio on low when you go out, leave lots of toys for him and hide some small treats, he will enjoy hunting them out, if you do not have one get a 'kong' and fill it with something he enjoys. Dont forget you have only had him for 5 months and it will take time to get into a routine, you can buy a plug in which can ease seperation anxiety Regarding the aggression it could just be that he has now realised there are females around, this behaviour certainly sounds like it, it will probably be male dogs he is snapping at, this usually only happens for a couple of weeks then back to normal....
2007-06-02 12:15:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as socializing your dog a good trainer can help you with that. If you think your dog truly has separation anxiety issues you should have a chat with your vet. There are protocols developed by veterinarians specializing in behavior issues. This type of behavior modification takes time and dedication. There are drugs for separation anxiety. Of course just like any medication they are not without side effects so you should always try behavior modification first.
2007-06-02 12:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by gonnella1205 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One of the things you can do is leave your TV on to see if that keeps him quiet while your gone. He may just need some noise in the house to feel secure. And as for the times that he gets aggressive, you need to find a way to discipline him and let him know that his aggressive behavior will not be tolerated.
2007-06-02 11:54:31 · answer #3 · answered by Belgariad 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey there. Please seek the help of a trainer:
http://www.ccpdt.org/
to get some help. It's not fair to accuse your dog of being passive-aggressive - dogs are not capable of this. The behavior that you describe is caused because he is fearful. You need to learn how to counter-condition his aggression before the lawsuit happens.
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB464
2007-06-02 14:30:03 · answer #4 · answered by Misa M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to find a good trainer in your area who deals with aggression issues. It sounds to me like your puppy might have been taken away from his mother too young. This causes socialization issues. They don't know how to respond to other dogs, pack order, etc.
Your dog needs someone who knows how to deal with problem dogs. He needs to have lots of socialization under the eye of a good trainer.
Good luck.
2007-06-02 11:50:40 · answer #5 · answered by Jocelyn7777 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋