Beagle Mix Having Me At Wits End

[friend4him]

I have recently gotten a new beagle mix from the pound and he is a bundle of joy but I am having a hard time teaching him not to dig under the fence. I don't mind him digging up the whole yard but I don't want him to get loose. I have trained my last two dogs but I never had a digging problem. Also I have only trained big dogs and this is a lot smaller than the lab mixes that I have trained. How would you suggest curving this habit?
I seem to have more problems with him when I leave or go inside. Once he realizes that I am in the house he doesn't even think about digging under the fence. I can see he enjoys it but he is only 4 months old and I have only had him for about 2 and a half weeks. So he doesn't come very well.
Also if anyone knows about training hunting dogs I would love to allow him to hunt. I personally don't care for killing but I can tell he would love to hunt.
Thank you

[Cincy'sMom]

There are some good suggestions to help curb digging behavior on a former thread. Hope these ideas will help

Digging


p.S. Welcome to Pet Talk! We would love to see some pics of this cute little beagle

[lovemymaltese]

Hello! My parents dog did that until we had him neutered. He was digging to go and find him a girlfriend. Welcome to Pet Talk.

[ChrisAK]

If you can in the place where he is digging, place those large stepping stones. You might want to keep extras in case he begins to dig around the perimeter. (Hopefully you get this under control first).

What is happening, he is relating or has learned in his past, that freedom comes from under the fence. Once you block the "freedom" and he can't get out, then he can put it together. If you can't dig, you can't get out.

When you notice him digging, a stern NO, then give him play time, a chewy, or some kind of reward. Once he makes the connection, it should stop or at least be very minimal.

Good luck.

[mugsy]

Oh boy, do I feel your pain on this one!! We got a beagle about a year ago from a neighbor who was going to dump him in the woods because he kept getting out...I would too if I were kept outside all the time. We got him, got him neutered, and things were looking better, but he still had the wandering urge, and in the process taught our Toy Eskie the escape routes, so we went and got railroad ties and put them around the perimeter of the fence...and there you go...no more escape routes!! It's been months now since we've had to go driving around the addition yelling for Billy. All of our neighbors know exactly where he lives now!! lol

Oh and btw...you haven't lived until you've had 14 dogs get out at once when you are late getting out of the house to school and have to drive all over God's green Earth to get them!! lol

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[manda99]

Originally posted by mugsy


Oh and btw...you haven't lived until you've had 14 dogs get out at once when you are late getting out of the house to school and have to drive all over God's green Earth to get them!! lol

Oh man!!

[KYS]

Oh and btw...you haven't lived until you've had 14 dogs get out at once when you are late getting out of the house to school and have to drive all over God's green Earth to get them!! lol >>>

LOL! Oh my goodness, I am glad I wasn't in your shoes
that day. hehehe

[friend4him]

I seem to be getting the idea that neutering is about it.. He was nuetered when I got him from the pound. At 3 months.... so i don't think that this is my problem cause he is only 4 months now and from what I have been told the erges don't start till 6 months. I might be mistaken but I mean it curved any lifting the leg to.
The main problem I have would have to be just under the fence. He only digs when I talk to him through the fence then I go in to the house, but by the time I walk through the house to the back yard he is already half way out. He has never actually got out but he is really close. I have been thinking about just digging up that area and placing some stone or wire or something to stop him. Maybe when he begins to dig he will hit that and stop.

[sammi]

Railroad ties! Yes that might work. Buddy has found a place where it is lower in the yard by the back fence and he has dug that out. Abby has (with the help of Buddy I'm sure) dug a huge hole in thse yard by a tree - we might need to put rocks or something in that hole.

[ChrisAK]

He's got it in his mind to be with you. You have him programmed right now (not intentionally mind you) that all good things are on the other side.

From now on, ignore him when you are on the opposite side of the fence. Start speaking to him only when you are on the same side of the fence. He'll stop the urge to dig since you are with him (his initial want to begin with). Don't even acknowledge him even in passing. Be consistant with this, as this will make all the difference.

As owners we have this tendency to give our pets mixed signals. Not intentionally, just out mis-understandings or lack of pack dynamics. EXAMPLE:

We want our pets to greet us with open arms. So when we come home and the dog jumps on us, we tend to say GOOD BOY, HOW YOU DOING. The whole time the dog is wagging his tail to no end. After greeting us, our company comes inside behind us (the dog has already been praised for jumping on us, so he thinks it's okay to jump on company) and the dog gives them the same greeting. We as owners naturally, in a stern voice or even yell at the dogs NO! DOWN! BAD BOY!!.

The dog has just received mixed signals. 1st it's okay, then he's turned into a bad boy.

Same thing with getting on furniture. If you think that you will not want them on them when they are older and bigger, don't allow them on them when they are younger and smaller.

[friend4him]

I have not even thought about that.
I do understand the hole misreading the dogs because I have been trying to tell my mom that. I try to reroute the greeting process to my dog is now allowed to jump on the table we have outside by the door. They do not jump on me to get up to reachable height. I do not pet them if they jump on me they are pushed away and have learned that it is okay to jump if you do not touch the person.
But I have tried the stopping the hole with wire.. TONIGHT actually. So I will find out if he still digs or not. Well thanks for everyones help

[turner]

Welcome to Pet Talk!

[sammi]

Mugsy, My husband put out some railroad ties this afternoon around the fence. He told me that I had a good idea! LOL I did tell him that it was "Another Mike & Molly's idea".

[sammi]

quote Chris: ignore him when............

You are right. A few weeks back when I was having so much trouble with Buddy and Abby (who was a new stray) I was yelling all the time - Abby, don't bark, don't bite Buddy, and on and on I also would tell her to not drag all the toys outside and I think this is when Buddy quit playing with the toys and started to want to stay away from Abby. Of course this made me all the more upset. So once I finally became more calm and ignored them when they were play fighting with the toys ect. They in turn started to listen to me more. I also believe that the reason Buddy got so he didn't want to play is everytime he would play with Abby I would be yelling even though it was at Abby he saw it a bad thing.

[friend4him]

Well I have been away for a week and there is a small hole but that is it. I hate that I am going to college and I am afraid to say that I must give him up.. I have tried to get friends to take him until I get out but I just can't seem to find anyone who wants to just keep him for 6 months. Because of his digging and his only barking at night under my parents bedroom window they have decided that it is best to get rid of him. I really can't blame them I thought that I would be able to bring him with me but that didn't work out. So if anyone lives in the Louisiana area near baton Rouge I would like to be confident that he will be given a good home.. And everyone here seems to love animals.
THANKS