Q: About 5 months ago, I took in a 37-pound Beagle mix who had been living "on her own". Someone gave her shelter in their garage where she had four pups. As far as they knew, she had been living in the area more than a year. I brought her in when she appeared one morning walking down my road with four pups in tow. That is, I brought the babies in, and in a few minutes she climbed the fence to join them.
I was able to locate neighbors who knew her situation. Eventually her pups were adopted to people I know. They are great dogs, with all of their Mom's fine qualities. She got a bath, shots, flea treatment, and quickly became a healthy strong dog. She is maybe around 2 years old.
In the first month she learned to sit, learned to jump up and off things--such as into the car, or her grooming bench--learned to love her leash and walk very nicely beside me, and became housebroken. She did have submissive urination, and cringed. She is extremely intelligent, and has a happy face. She is extremely anxious to please, and I have never had to raise my voice to her. She even sits if she hears the word in conversation.
What I have been unable to do is reassure her. No amount of petting or telling her she has done well is enough. She cannot learn anything else now because if I ask her for something, she goes into anxious distress, begging to be told she is doing the right thing. I am sure if I spoke sharply to her she would cower again. She is now done with submissive urination, but still cowers for strangers. She is desperate to please, begs for constant affection, and reacts to things with what I call hyperactivity. She simply cannot learn to lie down, it is more submissiveness than she can scrape up. But, she does do her best, she leaves me, goes across the room or to the end of her leash, and lies down.
An example of what I am calling hyperactivity would be when she comes in the door. She bolts in, knocking anything over (including me) in her rush. She sits before she comes in and before she goes out, but when I say ok, come in, she bolts. Usually scattering the other residents and annoying them. She used to leap up on me--she would jump up as high as my chest, now she knows she mustn't do that, she begs and sort of crawls up my leg. It is just too hard for her not to be close. Outside she dashes all over the yard also knocking things over--including me. She began to do this when I went out with her and tried to introduce her to a toy and a game of fetch, and that mad dash is all that happens when we go outside now.
She is extremely gentle with the kitten, kind to the cat, friendly to other dogs, patient when brushed--she has many good qualities. Lately she has started barking sharply at bypassers, and has leaped over the fence to bark at bicycles. She ignores my calling her back in, roams around in sight, and runs off if I go after her. The fence is 5 feet tall, and she struggles to get over. She comes back begging to be allowed in and petted.
My feeling is that whatever I have done has made her worse, and we are headed for some really bad behavior. She does cry when left alone and suffers when she thinks I am leaving. She did follow me all over the house desperately, but has learned to "stay" for a whole minute, and she has learned not leap up and follow if I say "Wait, I'll be back." She follows me so desperately she is often under my feet, facing me, and trying to back up without breaking eye contact. I do allow her on the sofa beside me, but that is a squirmy muddle of wiggly dog, begging to have her tummy scratched, and sometimes her claws do damage. Is there something that might help, and what do I have here?
A: Five months is a very short time for all the progress this dog has made. It sounds like she needs to be more carefully guarded when outside. You could manage that by never leaving her outside alone. If she goes over the fence when you are out there supervising her, you can stop that holding her on a long line when you're outside together.
Beagles respond wonderfully to tiny food treats as training rewards. It turns on another type of drive than the drive activated by your petting, and would probably bypass the anxiety she is showing about learning. The Down does not have to be taught in a submissive manner, or perceived by the dog as submissive. Treats are one way to change that way of thinking. The dog gets tiny treats WHILE in the Down position--not afterward, but DURING.
If she spends less time outside, that should help avoid some of the attitude she's working up about passersby she wants to chase, and also help with the muddy paws. When a dog is this submissive, letting her on the sofa can be beneficial. Of course you can cover it with a slipcover, old comforter, etc., to keep it cleaner. The toenails can be groomed with a nail grinder to eliminate any sharp points. A professional groomer can do it for you, or you can do it at home. (A rechargeable Dremel mini-drill is not expensive at Wal-Mart.) I do my dogs' toenails weekly, because I do therapy dog visits and must have no sharp edges on those nails.
Beagles tend to not be good on the coming-when-called command in an off-leash situation, so I would advise being very diligent about stopping those escapes. Once she has gotten out, I'm not the least surprised that she doesn't listen when you call. If you need to retrieve her, never chase a dog. Run AWAY from the dog, and the dog will eventually run to you. And of course, never, ever show anger at her when you do get her back. That just makes it harder to get her to come back with you the next time.
Once dogs start jumping the fence, the best way to keep them safe is not to leave them outside anymore. Beagles are notorious roamers, and this dog has already been on the loose. She sounds like a dog who can be a wonderful companion and family dog.
UPDATE Q: Thank you so much for this morning's advice regarding my Beagle mix. I felt I was doing something to make her this way, as things were getting worse. I trained her with tidbits, until she regained a good weight. After reading your message I felt so sorry for her. I saw right away what I had done. I removed the tidbits and then wondered what in the world I had done to make her so unsure she was doing right.
I did say "no amount of petting assures her she is doing right," well, it doesn't. But you should see what a liverbit or a tiny scrap of food does. I would say in her book petting is good between friends, but has nothing to do with obedience and training. She has tried so hard to guess what I wanted. In her book I have been crazy making. Everything went right back to normal after this morning's message. No bolting through the door, no mad dashes about, no anxious pleas or behavior. Her doggy dignity has been restored. She does something she learned, and I can tell by her behavior that she expects a tidbit now, please. It is a little dignified pause, that I have been overlooking, causing her to escalate her "I want" or "I need" behavior. This clever lady is happy to do what she has learned, and she knows she is right when she gets a tidbit. You noticed how much she had progressed in a short time, and she has. But it was all for praise in the form of food, not voice or hand. Poor little girl, no wonder she sat even if she heard the word in conversation, she was desperately trying to do something right. This afternoon when I told her to jump up on the sofa and she got a tiny treat, there wasn't a squirm or a wiggle in her. Just a content puppy whose Mom finally approved of her, nested down for a nap. Holding a little sign that said "Thank You Mrs. Good Puppy."
Also, don't worry, I would never scold her when she comes back home. This is her home and she is safe here. She doesn't go out alone, does jump the fence even when I am standing out there, so I will put her on a long line. I gather from what you said about Beagles that she has behaved wonderfully well when she has stayed in sight for her excursion. There is always the chance that she won't want to leave so much if life makes sense to her here, and the rewards are forthcoming again. By the way, she plays a great game of peanut, peanut whose got the peanut. She finds it, never tries to eat it, but looks for another one meant for her in my hand. Thank You!
A: She sounds like a terrific dog! Here's something else I would suggest, so that your praise will, over time, develop more meaning for her. Keep the tidbit out of sight until you're ready to actually give her one. When she does the thing you like, praise her instantly, and only THEN whip out the treat and give it. With repetition, this will make your praise take on more meaning for her.
Beagles--and many other hounds--are extremely food oriented, and you have to watch not to make them too fat. Keep the treats teeny, and adjust her meals so that she gets the right total amount of food.