Dog Help

[rony_espana]

Hey Guys,
I just got a dog a little while ago, and he's great in every way except he is kind of destructive. He's about 5-6 month old, will he grow out of this once he gets older? The main problem is digging, I just had a new lawn put in this year, and basically he dug holes all around my yard. I would never think of getting rid of him....but is there anything to stop him from doing this.

Heres a pic of him, in case breed makes a difference.

[Kona9]

not sure if you kennel him, but Repetitive bad behavior warrants repetitive time outs. Perhaps a caged in Kennel where he goes when bad. IMMEDIATELY.

I just got a purebread Boston Terrier (8 weeks old) and although a kennel is their safe place, thats where he goes when he shits or pisses any where other than the paper or outside.

How long is he left outside? Can you watch him and catch him in the act? If so, instant time outs upon the digging will be caught on. If you let him out and he does not dig on his venture outside...... reward him!!

For $80.00 at petland we purchased a 36" foldable cage that surrounds his kennel. He goes in the caged area when bad, yet has his kennel to make him feel safe.

You may not need the kennel, but a place where he can go and know he did wrong without physical punishment or scolding. Let him whine, let him cry. It's tough love but it works.

Good luck!

[tyrone]

ya he'll definately grow out of it
he's just a pup still, super energetic, if you wanna save your lawn, just let him put his energy into other things i.e. maybe some chew toys

also there's a rubber toy for dogs
looks like a hollow rubber cylinder
u fill the inside up with peanut butter,
dogs will go at it for hours.

[rony_espana]

Well he is not left outside very long, especially now after digging it up. But I do let him out a few times a day for about 2 hours at a time. I have never been able to catch him in the act its usually when he is outside for a while that he does this. I even clipped his nails so he couldn't but he still manages. Last night I got him one of those huge pillows to sleep on (he sleeps in the basement) and in the morning is was completely destroyed.

Might try the peanut butter thing though, thx!

[Supa Dexta]

spray him with the hose everytime he's at it..

Gettin cold though, you better get sprayin soon... And after that the ground will be frozen and un-diggable..

[D. Dub]

he's a beagle...they are hunters...plain and simple ......

they dig and sniff and dig and sniff and dig and sniff......


and then they dig and sniff some more

how much exercise does he get? Maybe more walks or play or running will tire him out??

you can also bury poo where he digs or cover it in chicken wire, or pour ammonia on those spots to discourage him

good luck

[celica girl]

I have a beagle. They are stubborn as hell. I love my little guy to death though. He should grow out of it. Fortunately mine never dug any holes. Didn't chew on anything he wasn't supposed to either. I guess I got lucky.

One trick my friend suggested was to fill up a pop can full of pennies. If you catch them in the act doing something you don't want to do you either shake the can or throw it against the fence (NOT THE DOG) to make a sound loud enough to scare him. He will associate the loud noise with what he is doing.

I don't recommend the hose though. What if you need to spray him down when he's dirty? He will run and you will have a hard time giving him a bath.

Kongs are a good toy to give them. That's the rubber toy Tyrone was talking about.

Basically he's just bored. Walk him more. Tire him out.

[snowboard]

kongs rule haha, except when you put a dog treat in it and it gets soggy and falls out :barf:

but the penny in the can idea sounds perfect. but yah beagles are amzing enrgetic howling dogs, have fun with him :thumbsup:

[Lex350]

Originally posted by Kona9
not sure if you kennel him, but Repetitive bad behavior warrants repetitive time outs. Perhaps a caged in Kennel where he goes when bad. IMMEDIATELY.

I just got a purebread Boston Terrier (8 weeks old) and although a kennel is their safe place, thats where he goes when he shits or pisses any where other than the paper or outside.

How long is he left outside? Can you watch him and catch him in the act? If so, instant time outs upon the digging will be caught on. If you let him out and he does not dig on his venture outside...... reward him!!

For $80.00 at petland we purchased a 36" foldable cage that surrounds his kennel. He goes in the caged area when bad, yet has his kennel to make him feel safe.

You may not need the kennel, but a place where he can go and know he did wrong without physical punishment or scolding. Let him whine, let him cry.
It's tough love but it works.

Good luck!

when we took our dog through training they said not to time out a dog where he sleeps. It causes anxiety and could lead to further problems.


Sounds to me that the dog is bored. Do you do any formal training with him on a daily basis?

[lexIS300]

what about a dog that chews on cords? lol my dog chews the shit out of my cords

[kaput]

.

[celica girl]

Originally posted by lexIS300
what about a dog that chews on cords? lol my dog chews the shit out of my cords

You can try Bitter Apple. It's a spray that's supposed to taste bad to dogs. Although my dog loved it. :dunno:

[snade831]

My roommate has a beagle... and it will eat everything if it gets a chance (ie. an entire loaf of bread, dead birds, and woodchips ect). Just keep this in mind. As for the distructiveness, it's definately a stage. It could take a year or so for him to grow out of it, just let him know he is in the wrong each time. Lots of walks are good too. Good luck! He's a cute little guy.

[lexIS300]

my dog has chewed on cords when it was plugged in but he still does it.

and he loves bitter apple makes him go to those areas more haha

[Ajay]

That's such a cute puppy!

Off topic but do you mind if I ask where you got your beagle? I'm looking at getting a beagle cause I've always adored them. People tell me to go to Petland but I hear they don't treat their animals very nicely, at the same time this makes me want to get my puppy from Petland so it won't be treated poorly.

[t-im]

Originally posted by Ajay
That's such a cute puppy!

Off topic but do you mind if I ask where you got your beagle? I'm looking at getting a beagle cause I've always adored them. People tell me to go to Petland but I hear they don't treat their animals very nicely, at the same time this makes me want to get my puppy from Petland so it won't be treated poorly.

one word: Puppymills :thumbsdow

[redline]

So much bad advise in here.

My work is blocking the pic but i assume it is a beagle. Beagles are high energy dogs are require LOTS of exersice and attention.

It is not a dog that will take well to being left in the back yard.

I would suggest you exersice him more ie long walks with plenty of time to sniff. Beagles are scent hounds and love to smell stuff. This will exersice his mind which is also important.

Some Dogs are diggers they love it and will not change. So make an area of your backyard that he can dig in.

I would suggest you take some classes, to me it sounds like you need some training more then the dog.

oh and never put them in a kennel as any form of punishment, that is totally wrong.

If they are pissing on the floor put yourself in the kennel as punishment cause you missed the signs that they needed to go!!

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by redline
So much bad advise in here.


It is not a dog that will take well to being left in the back yard.

I would suggest you exersice him more ie long walks with plenty of time to sniff. Beagles are scent hounds and love to smell stuff. This will exersice his mind which is also important.

!!


Best advice in the thread!!!!!!

[mekeni]

obedience school !!! :burnout:

[teggypimp95]

We had a personal trainer come in for our jack russel because she was out of controll. What we were told is digging is in there instint. there is no real way to tell them not to. You could try teaching them not to, but dont get worried if it doesent work. There is a good chance the puppy will grow out of it. Most of the reason why puppys distroy or dig or cause trouble is becuase they are bored. You need to keep him more active and play with him more, walking him etc. even more chew toys or things to hold his interest. hope that helps.

[three33]

Well seeing as how its a beagle, they need constant entertainment, I have a beagle/poodle mix and she is 2 years old and still gets destructive when she's bored. Lots of stuffed toys, toilet paper rolls, a kong, chew bones, things to keep her busy. She still has to stay in a kennel during the day or she would destroy things.

[rony_espana]

Thanks a lot to "most" of the tips. I will try some of them out, I'm definately going to try the kong toy idea.

By the way Ajay, I bought my dog off my brother so I'm not sure where he got it. I do know he drove a while to go see it.

:thumbsup:

[codetrap]

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[rony_espana]

Thanks guys, this has all been really useful!

:thumbsup: