Why is my beagle running around sniffing ground.?

Question

We have a beagle that we got 2 months ago. Starting last Saturday after he was out of his cage in the morning, he went outside and started running around sniffing the ground, grunting and braying. He has been doing this for the past 4 days. He eats little, does all his business inside the house, does not come when we call him, doesn't play with our other dog any more. HELP!

Answer 1

Because Beagles are hunting dogs, that's what they do, so if he want to sniff let hem don't disrupt hes natural instincts, that would be just like telling a child not to play, let hem do it.

Answer 2

They're scent hounds and were bred to sniff. So... thats exactly what they do. They sniff EVERYTHING.
If he has stopped eating or has become centered around sniffing, it may be a doggy obsession (sounds crazy, doesn't it?)

Try to channel his interests into something else, such as giving him a new job to do. Sniffing is his job right now-- his purpose. To pull him away, you need to give him something else. Beagles are smart dogs and need to have a job.

Some ideas include training; either for sport or just for fun. You can teach your beagle the more simple things such as fetch, rolling over, sitting up, barking on command, or other fun tricks that he'll enjoy doing. The training can get more extensive, including things like agility and hunting. You can create a make-shift agility course in your backyard (or a large room) and train him to use it. Its definantly a job for him, and very fun to try!
Hunting is another good one that will use both his sniffing skills and other ones as well. Its gradual training, but overtime, he may learn. Introduce him to animal scents and teach him to fetch; slowly progressing out into the real hunting world. Its a hard job, but something to consider.

You can also attempt to do jobs that will benefit you; though will be enjoyable to the beagle. Teach the beagle to find different objects of your house and learn them by command. For example; show the dog your car keys, let him sniff them, and hide him in a nearby room where he can't see it. For the first few times, place a small treat next to it. When he finds the keys, praise him like a mad man! Slowly begin to stop the use of treats until he can find them with just a simple command.

New skills are important to a beagle; but just remember. A beagle's biggest motivation is food!

Answer 3

Let's start with the breed of dog. This is a beagle and part of their "job description" is to hunt up game which usually means they put their nose to the ground and sniff. Once they find something interesting -- usually to them, not always to you -- they will start baying and telling you all about it. You can learn more about the beagle with these two links http://www.akc.org/breeds/beagle/ or the UKC site that talks about Beagles and also about their hunting programs. http://ukcdogs.com/HPBeagles.htm

Your dog probably needs a "job" that will help keep him active and working with you. Are you walking him on a daily basis? I always ask that my students walk their dogs at least 45-minutes every day. The exercise helps them burn off excess energy and tired dogs are usually good dogs.

If he isn't listening to you and is using your home as a bathroom, you may want to use your leash as an "umbilical cord" while the dog is loose in the house. All this really means is that the dog is connected to you whenever he is in the house with you. If you have him on a leash, it is hard for him to ignore you and/or go to the bathroom inside.

On the food side, are you leaving food out all the time or doing challenged feeding where the food is only down for a limited time and then gone until the next feeding? As a general rule, the one who controls the food, controls the dog.

If you haven't had this dog to a training class, I think it could really benefit dogs and humans. He needs to learn to pay attention to you and you need to learn how to get that desired behavior from him consistently.

Hope this helps some.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

That's what Beagles do.They are scent hounds,and they love to sniff out things.He probably smells a rabbit,opossum,or some other animal,or a female dog in heat,which would explain his loss of appetite.Is he neutered? If he isn't,you'd better get it done,because if he gets away ,you may never find him,as Beagles will follow their noses as far as they will take them.

Answer 5

You probably got a beagle with a hunting pedigree. Nothing wrong with that! They do that, been bred into them. Kind of like pit bulls, they have ben bred to fight and attack, other dogs or people! See what I'm saying? If its ben bred into them, it nots the owners fault, its the breed! I through away "Its the owners fault" years ago....... Like when the time the poor little "Pit" puppy grew up, and bit the neighbors kid. Was it the owners fault? Yes. Because he bought a pit bull. Is it the breeds fault? No. thats what they were bred for. By the way, that dog is dead now, and it cost Him almost $7,500.00 Now He owns a beagle.

Answer 6

Mabye there's something on the ground that was mabye spilt or something from someone, and he's trying to get it...
Or there's something inside the ground he's trying to get
(which is basically the same thing I just said)

Um or mabye he just likes sniffing...
Dog's do it all the time, its nothing to really worry about,
but if your really think theres something wrong, ask a Vet.

Answer 7

Ummm...cause he's a Beagle...that's what they were bred to do, they're scent hounds. I can see you didn't do much research on this breed....

Answer 8

He's sniffing the ground and baying because he's a beagle and found something exciting outside. He may be fixated on it, but be patient with him.

Answer 9

give him more attention!!!! And keep if he uses the bathroom inside then get him a kitty litter box but keep t he top of the litter box off for more room and maybe he'll understand what it meens...and maybe there's another dog thats running around in ur yard but u just don't see him or her or it.And they dog is destracted by the smell....

Answer 10

A beagle is a HUNTING dog so your kinda missing the obvious