Expert: Have4Paws - 10/9/2001

Question
We just purchased a beagle/bassett mix puppy 3 weeks ago.  First, some background.

The puppy, Max, is 14 weeks old, part Basset, part Beagle.  We bought him from a petstore which everyone says you shouldn't do and instead you should buy from a breeder, but he was irresistible, so we did.  We recognize that both breeds are difficult to housebreak, but we have a crate and that is working pretty well so far.  We also realize the long road ahead since we also have a golden retriever.

Our golden is a seven year old, spayed female.  We got her as a puppy from friends whose golden had a litter.  Aside from the tumbleweeds of hair over the entire house, she is a great dog.  She was/is smart, but just relentless and abounded with energy.  She play bit our son all the time and I remember him hating it.  She is more mature now, but it took well into her three years of age to calm down a little.  My guess is that this beagle/basset will be the same.

Anyway, my wife and I had a dog before all this which was a cocker spaniel/terrier mix.  He was shy aggressive and became increasingly a problem with those he did not know...attacking, biting, then running and hiding and growling under a bed.  We eventually had to put him down.  

A lot of background to lead you to the question.  She is very nervous when she sees Max now biting at our golden trying to rile her.  She puts him in his place, but he is relentless.  He gets so worked up that he will try to growl at you if you pull him away.  I am not sure if this is typical and we should just let the dogs do their thing under supervision, or keep them separate.  My wife is also concerned that in her words, "he shows so much aggression as a puppy."  What are your thoughts on that?

Also, anything you can share about your experiences/knowledge of beagles or anything about the beagle/basset hound mix.

Thanks
Mike  

Answer
Hi and thanks for writing to me! I had to reread the question a couple times because I wasn't sure who was very nervous when Max bit at your golden but eventually it came out that it was your wife (I think?)

Ok, first of all, all puppies have to and need to be socialized. MOST of the time they get this socialization in their litter and the longer they are with the litter the better. The usual recommendation is a minimum of 10 weeks, preferably 12 for a well socialized puppy. Unfortunately, pet stores take puppies away at 6-8 weeks which is just about the crucial time they are beginning to really learn social skills through playing with their littermates and mom. This is where they learn about how hard it is ok to bite, when to leave someone alone because they have had enough etc. So....it is likely that your pup didn't quite finish socialization school and your Golden is the new teacher. Should you interfere? My belief is that you only interfere if it gets out of hand which means a real fight. Otherwise the two of them will figure it out and the pup has some lessons to learn. Nature and instinct need to take over. They will figure out who is ALPHA (boss).... just because the Golden is older and was there first doesn't mean she will end up now being the ALPHA. It is determined by each of their respective original litter rankings and only the two of them can figure that out.

When you say your wife is concerned about the puppy being so aggressive I don't know if you mean because the puppy is biting at the Golden or is it because he will growl when you try to pull him off? Either way it is normal for him as a puppy to try and stir up the older one. Think of him as a juvenile delinquent. As far as growling at you when you try to pull him off that is a big no-no! He must learn asap that although he and the golden are figuring out who the boss is between the two of them you (the humans) are ALWAYS the ALPHA and it is not acceptable for him to growl at you. One of the ways to establish your dominance is by training him and soon by taking him to obedience classes (puppy kindergarten) He is old enough to learn the sit command which will an essential command throughout his life. Just about any unwanted behavior can be stopped by putting a dog into a sit so I would suggest working on that immediately and drilling him on it so he is perfect.

Lastly, beagles are NOT hard to housetrain and I don't know who gave you that information. They are very smart and the only time that training is a challenge with them is when you do obedience but that is only because their noses rule their worlds and it doesn't make it impossible just makes it so you have to be a bit more diligent before they get it right. The same would hold true for Bassets or any other scenthound. Rumors about how trainable a beagle is in general abound yet they are unfounded. As I said they are VERY smart. Remember,these are the very dogs that the government chose and trains for the Dept. of Agriculture at airports etc.

The crate is an excellent idea. Just remember, never use the crate as a punishment. That has to be Max's private "space" and one that gives him comfort and pleasure.

Well, hopefully this has answered your concerns and it has been helpful. If you have further questions or concerns feel free to email me directly at Have4Paws@aol.com. I would appreciate it if you would go back to the site and rate me also. Thanks and good luck!