Any Beagle owners out there, to give me advice on barking and using an anti-bark or shock collar?
Hi we are a family of a 7 month old beagle. We rescued him when he was 6 weeks old. He was only 2lbs when we got him, abused, under nourished and very sick. Well he is 18lbs now, very healthy and loves us and we love him to death. We have never had a dog before as I always knew the work would end up on me and as a mom of 4 children I knew it would be like having another child. Will it is……lol, but I LOVE him. My oldest son who is 16 has really bonded to him and he has become his primary owner. He is the one who baths him, brushes him, feeds, walks, trains etc. Our beagle loves my son so much and cries when he has to go to school out in the evenings. My son cannot even go to the bath room without the puppy sitting outside the door crying. He is “really” like a baby. If my son is sitting on the sofa with him, our puppy will climb up with a toy and then drop it on the floor so my son will pay him some attention and pick it up for him. Just like a baby right?
Anyway, I think because this puppy was taken away from his mother so young and being abused he has real separation anxiety issues. But we are dealing with this ok. He sleeps alone at night in a crate and is ok when we have to leave to go out, if we leave the TV on for noise. He is GREAT with our kids and kids in general, but BOY DOES HE BARK…………….
So this is my problem………. I know beagles are “barkers” and I am ok with this and having 4 children we are a noisy house anyway. He gets lots of exercise in the evenings when the kids are home and they take him for long walks and the kids LOVE to play with him. He is NOT an aggressive dog at all and loves people. So when we are out on a walk he will bark at EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY so very loud and you cannot get him to stop. Or if someone rings the door bell or knocks on the door, he is at it again with the barking. It is SO loud it actually hurts your ears.
I would like to learn how to train him to not bark so very much. I understand that he is a dog and a beagle and wants, actually needs to bark. But I was wondering if there was a way to control it so it does not go on so long. So if someone comes to the door he will bark for about a few seconds then stop.
I would LOVE to be able to send him to get “training” lessons from someone qualified, but unfortunately in this economy we cannot afford it. I was reading a lot about using an anti-bark or shock collar; has anyone ever used one? Any success with using them? Are they harmful to the dog? We will not use anything that will hurt our puppy and only want to be able to train him to be polite and well trained.
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks…..
Just wanted to thank everyone for the great advice!!!!!
Related Blogs
- Why Beagles Love America « Hope Karns
- It’s a Long Walk From Guatemala to Honduras — Travel Insurance, Travel & Better Living
Tags: beagle, beagles, brushes, ears, evenings, exercise, long walks, mom, puppy, separation anxiety, sofa, trains
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
What you really need is a trainer to train both you and the dog. No dog needs to bark..you’ve allowed him to get away with it, and now you need to undo the damage. A shock collar isn’t going to help since you need to know what you are doing with it in order to get the results you want..and clearly you don’t.
Ask around about a good qualified trainer to help you learn the basics and to work with both you and your dog..Good Luck
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Ask your kids if they would have a problem wearing one. And get shocked whenever they talked to much or to loudly. Try using the word hush. All my dogs have always responded to the word real well.
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I have a Beagle too and also hade a barking problem usually at night time, but we didn’t get a shock collor or anything we just sprayed him with water whenever he starts to bark and stopped barking after a few days. =]
Hope this helps Good luck with your beagle he sounds like a really cute dog x]
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Does he have any basic training at all? Does he sit/stay/come or any of the regular commands? This is important and if he does not, you need to start there.
You don’t ‘send’ him to a training lesson, you would take him. You would learn the skills necessary to control him. If it makes a difference, many basic obediance classes are not very expensive – in my area, a $100 would get you an 8 or 10 week sessions of group lessons.
Set him to bark. Have someone knock on the door. After a few barks or what you deem as appropriate, then you tell him ‘quiet’ or ‘enough’ and have him sit/stay. I have a spot near the front door where my dog has to sit/stay while I open the door. Obviously, he is not going to do this right away, so you close the door again and start over. Repetition is the key. Keep him on leash if you have to but do not open the door until he is quiet and sit/stay. It could take several weeks but this process will work.
Then you proceed to the walks. As soon as he barks, he is told ‘quiet’ and put in a sit stay. Do not move forward until he is quiet. This could be started just in front of your house, repetitively until the lightbulb goes off and he starts to think ‘oh! if I bark, we don’t move" Beagles are stubborn but are very trainable.
Good luck!
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
i don’t have any beagles but my aunt has one she uses a shock collar that keeps her in the yard. the one my aunt has beeps before shocking. u plug it into your garage and scroll through how many yards u want the dog to go. or my grandpa has a shock collar where u shock them yourself. it also has a beeper where you can teach to sit or other stuff like that
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I have tried shock collars on more than one dog……They hinder more than help…..anyone that ADVISES you to use one does not understand how a dog thinks and it particularly lazy LOL.
I have owned a couple of beagles and redbone coonhounds…..both are mouthy dogs.
They have all been INDOOR dogs…and very well mannered. BUT they would always bark, when ever someone new came in the driveway…if a cat ran up a tree, if they "got a scent"…….
If you have ever watched the dog whisper, or its me or the dog……they are both VERY educational for all dog owners. Both Ceasar Milan and Victoria use similar techniques….
One method that works for barking dogs is fairly simple……When they start barking at something, remove the dog from where it is.(another tip: this training method also has to deal with the "leave it " if they are thought this things move along much quicker)…if they are barking at the door at someone,tell them to "leave it" and if they still bark take them to a bedroom,basement, somewhere AWAY from whatever is making them bark , for a brief amount of time….a minute or so…..if they continue to bark in the separated area you can try "goosing" them in the shoulder and making a deep almost cough growl…loud enough ( "goosing" is where u just poke/jab them with your four finger tips, not HARD …but enough to get their attention)….after a brief minute….take them back to the situation…..if they start barking again …..remove them again……and over…and over…….REMEMBER dogs do not learn like people do…….this may seem frustrating when you actually start….but it works…..SERIOUSLY! once its done with a couple of things AND they learn the "leave it" command they will catch on to other things…
a technique used for an anxious dog…..fixated around people or things, beagles do this often, is to expose them and then take it away , without it being a big deal…..if, for instance your son cuddles and tells the dog goodbye when he leaves…anything of that sort….it will always make the dog feel anxious to see him ALL the time again…..so even when it is brief moments like going to the bathroom he’s gotta be there….Beagles are SO SMART! they can be trained to do a lot….especially when they are so young. To break him of this anxious feeling your going to have to "un fixate" him on whatever it is he’s fixated on…..your son….he is going to have to practice leaving and entering a room WITHOUT giving the dog his immediate attention. This also has to be done…..over and over…..
if you have ANY more questions feel free to email me
loveisallyouneed222@gmail.com
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Never use a dog collar it’s too cruel for dogs. Barking = dog’s natural, and try to get a professional trainer to help you stop your dog barking..
July 17th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I have 2 beagles; one sounds like yours, the other is very quiet. Yes Beagles do bark. I have taken mine to training and it did nothing. The shock collars are very bad. I have used a spray bottle of water and when he barks too long I spray him and he stops. Its the only thing that has worked for me. There has been times when I put a muzzle on him; like at christmas when I have a house full of people but I hate doing that.