Expert: Have4Paws - 7/22/2003

Question
I have an 11 month old female Beagle named Jager who has a pinkish nose, greenish-yellow eyes and a dark brown coat with white.  When she was 3 months old, I potty trained her with a bell and within 2 days, she would ring the bell and I would let her out.  Now, although she is more independent and has doggy doors instead, she comes and goes as she pleases in her yard.  She has now developed 2 annoying things.  One, she sniffs the grass because we have lots of birds, and makes a wierd-piercing noise and won't shut up nor does she come in the house even offering her treats.  Then she's developed bitting as though she were a puppy again and has bitten me harder especially when I try to get her to be quiet or bring her inside.  She won't listen and won't stop at all.  I have spanked her legs pretty hard in order to keep her quiet because of the neighborhood we now live in.  But, I stopped the spanking because it just has not worked.  I also bought her a shock collar, which I have not used yet.  She does real well though with the gentle leader on walks. Please help!  Thank you.  Yassie

Answer
My apologies for the delayed answer. Your question somehow got lost in the shuffle when my system recently went down. I thought that I had answered all the pending questions already until I saw yours today.
PRINT THIS OUT BECAUSE IT IS VERY LONG....
First off I am pasting below info about biting and nipping. PLEASE DO NOT HIT, SPANK OR PHYSICALLY ATTEMPT TO DISCIPLINE YOUR DOG ANYMORE. This only breeds aggression and can be partially why she is biting back now. The only thing aggression teaches is fear which in dogs has no other way to be exhibited other than agression back. Probably the reason she won't come back in is because she fears being reprimanded. Also she may not be properly trained. In order to establish yourself as the ALPHA dog you need to take her to obedience school and learn positive reinforcement for teaching her. Hopefully you will not have to use the shock collar, these are for only the most drastic cases and are somewhat inhumane. I would suggest working with her in POSITIVE ways to curb the barking or baying. I am also going to paste below some great books which would be helpful to you.

BITING/NIPPING YOUR HANDS IN PUPPIES OR DOGS
First a mini-lesson in pack dynamics……………..

Puppies learn what we call “bite inhibition” from their littermates during play and from their Mom when they are nursing. This has to do with knowing just how hard is okay to bite or nip.
Ideally puppies should stay with their litter for 12 weeks, 10 weeks minimum. Unfortunately, eager breeders ship them off or sell them at 8 weeks to minimize their costs and maximize their profits! This is not in the best interest of the puppies. Crucial socialization occurs in the litter during this time. If the breeder is a good reputable one they will spend a great deal of time handling the puppies so they become well socialized with humans. That said, those of you asking for help with this issue most likely don't have puppies who had this luxury so we will have to try and correct or teach some of the behaviors they should have learned in their birth pack. Keep one thing in mind however throughout this………..Nothing we as humans do will be as good as the learning they would have had in their litter and some puppies “get it” better than others do. Some may have also have been in the litter long enough but had moms or siblings who weren't as diligent with their lessons. This means even ones who had “ideal situations” can be less than perfect in their learning's. It doesn't mean your puppy is stupid just that they learn slower or didn't get enough practice time.

To correct biting/nipping in a puppy you will use the following standard technique;
Make your hand flat and stiff as a board with your fingers tautly held together. When your pup bites or nips you, insert your hand sideways (like a board) into their mouth and push it back all the way to where the lips/gums attach at the back of their mouth. You do not need to ram it back there but you do need to exert enough pressure to make it uncomfortable. At the very same moment you will say……”UN UH, No Biting!” You will then immediately insert a toy or bone which is acceptable into their mouth and say. "Here, this is what we chew on!” and then give them lavish and exaggerated praise. (Goooooood boy/girl!) Timing is everything in dog training so you need to make sure to coordinate the above as stated. You will need to do this exercise EVERY SINGLE TIME your puppy bites/nips you. You cannot miss a time or the message becomes confusing. The reinforcement must come every time it occurs. You may have to do this for a couple of weeks depending on how quickly your puppy “gets it” or how severe the problem is. Just make sure to exaggerate your praise and always use an overly exuberant voice when praising your puppy.

I prefer the use of the words “UN UH” (you know the sound we make for no sometimes) than always using the word no. If you begin to use this now it will be adaptable as a preface to all training corrections to signify displeasure or to mean stop it.

Lastly, and a key issue. You must not rough house with your puppy during this time of learning. Until your pup has mastered “bite inhibition” you are undoing everything you are teaching by roughhousing with it. Natural instinct during roughhousing is to bite (think about what pups' do in their litter) and we don't want any mixed messages. You are now their “pack” and the rules have changed. Months down the road if they have “gotten it” you will be able to roughhouse occasionally although it should always be done in moderation so as to not encourage aggression. But now is NOT the time no matter how tempting!!

As well, NEVER chase your puppy/dog to get something away from them. The correct thing to do is to run the OTHER WAY!!! Get them to follow you and then distract them by giving them something else more appropriate to mouth, bite, chew. If you chase them it will become a game and one you will never win at!

If you are experiencing more severe problems than just nipping and biting in a puppy or dog please let me know. It may be that you will need to hire a professional trainer to work with you a couple of sessions. It is essential that any aggressive behavior be dealt with quickly and properly so it is curtailed ASAP otherwise you are setting yourself up for additional issues including the possibility of someone getting bit. So please if this is an issue contact me again as I have said.

If you follow the above advice consistently for biting and nipping 95% of all nipping and biting can be corrected!

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HAVE 4 PAWS
RECOMMENDED READING
RE; DOG TRAINING

The Culture Clash (James & Kenneth Publishers, 1997)
By Jean Donaldson *********!!!!!!

When Good Dogs Do Bad Things (Little Brown & Co., 1993)
By Mordecai Seigel & Matthew Margolis

So Your Dog's Not Lassie (Harper Collins 1998) by Betty Fisher & Suzanne Delzio

How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks (James & Kenneth Publishers, 1991) by Dr. Ian Dunbar

Doctor Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book (James & Kenneth Publishers, 1996 by Dr. Ian Dunbar

The Perfect Puppy (Reader's Digest, 1996) by Gwen Bailey

Good Owners, Great Dogs (Warner Books, 19950 by Brian Kilcommons, Sarah Wilson, & Paul Kunkel

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Here is some additional general info.....
The scoop on beagles.....

They are wonderful dogs with kids, very friendly and although they are active they are also considered docile. They are easy to keep clean, they do shed somewhat and brushing once a week will help but they don't need constant upkeep. A bath once a month is sufficient. Beagles LOVE to eat (ok they are DRIVEN to eat) and they need to be kept on a strict diet (NO HUMAN FOOD) and minimal treats. They have a propensity to become obese if you do not do this and obesity will greatly shorten their lives. They are pack animals and as such want the companionship of others. They will readily adapt to a human pack. These are not good dogs if no one is ever going to be home and if they will just get stuck in the back yard. They will bay (howl) incessantly if left alone too much. Two beagles may or may not solve this situation. It could, and then it could also end up that they both bay!! They are indoor/outdoor dogs unless they are hunting beagles and then they would be housed outside. I don't personally believe that ANY pet dog should sleep outside. Beagles should be walked daily if possible, at the minimum a couple times a week, EVEN if they have a big back yard. They crave new sights and smells and require activity to stimulate them. Since they are hounds their brain just about resides on the end of their snout. They will follow their nose anywhere so you need to be sure you have an escape proof back yard and never leave a front door open without holding onto them. I have not had any personal experience with “fenceless fences” (electronic) however my bet would be that a beagle will continuously test it because of instinctively following its nose. Whether or not they eventually are conditioned to it or not I do not know, but the manufacturers should be able to tell which breeds it works best with or provide you with testimonials.
You may hear from people that beagles are hard to train or stupid. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!! They are VERY smart but because their noses guide them they can be easily sidetracked by a scent. Therefore, they require consistent and firm training. The good thing is that they are highly motivated by food so they will respond to positive reinforcement training well just once again, WATCH THOSE TREATS!

I have had numerous breeds of dogs and beagles have become my love. They are sweet, loving, funny, mischievous, cuddly, smart, cleaner than most dogs, extremely friendly to everyone and yet loyal at the same time. They will act as a good "alert dog" when someone comes around but that is about the extent of it. They are too friendly to do much of anything to anyone who is friendly back. We always joke that if a robber comes in and talks nice or gives them a treat they would SHOW them where all the valuables were! My one female though probably would bite if one of us was being hurt but I think she is more the exception than the rule. As far as what to look for I suggest you go to the AKC web site and they will have all the conformation standards to look for. Temperament is important also and you will just have to use your gut instincts. You don't want a "aggressive" pup but you also don't want one that is too "submissive".

I hope this is helpful and wish you Happy Hunting!

Have4Paws