Everything around Beagle Care


Don�t leave your dog unsupervised in your yard. Beagles are prone to run away. Even if you have a fence, beagles can dig and I have witnessed Snoopy climb a 4 foot fence before, while he played with another dog in the neighbors yard.(Fortunately we could catch him but he wasn�t allow to play there anymore).

Don�t leave your dog tied out by him self. He could get stolen. Some dogs are aggressive if they are tight up. It might be ok if you work in the garden or do similar things but it�s not a replacement for exercise.

Like I have mentioned before walks are very important. Be very careful with hot weather, dogs are not good with heat. It�s better to make a longer walk in the early morning or late at night when it is cooling off. It�s also good to go different routes to bring a little bit more excitement for your dog. I understand that it is difficult to walk in some areas, you might need to drive somewhere first. Maybe there is a park or a nice area near by. Before you go to any state park, check the internet site or call and find out if you are allowed to bring your dog. If you take your dog for regular walks, he will stay in good shape and therefore there is a good chance he will also stay in good health

Snoopy is wearing his harnessYou can try to use a harness. I know people have different opinions about that. Some say that the dog can use his full power and you are not able to hold him and others say, the dog won�t pull so hard because the pressure on his throat is gone. Basically as more pressure the dog feels as more he will pull. In my experience it is also easier to pull the dog away with a harness. There are also �no-pull harnesses�. It puts pressure under the dog�s leg �pits�. Imagine somebody is grapping your armpits. I understand people have different opinions but personal I wouldn�t recommend it. Just one word of advise, I have heard from dog owners that some dogs are able to struggle themselves out of a harness. Just keep that in mind, you will find out pretty soon if it is possible or not. Keep a close eye at the dog and leave a normal collar on to change the leash if necessary.

I bet you know those thin leashes that zoom in an out and can be pretty long. Those are not the right kind if you want your dog to learn to walk the proper way. I also find it hard to �grab� into those leashes if you need to pull your dog away very quickly. Unless you are in an open/safe area and it doesn�t matter if your dog starts suddenly running don�t use it.

It�s very important. If there is a dog park in your area, I would highly recommend trying it out. People have different opinions about it and some find it dangerous. It can be, you never know who is there. We go to a dog park several times a week for about 1 � years and Snoopy is having a blast. If we don�t feel secure; we just leave and come back another time. For example if a dog shows up and we know Snoopy doesn�t get along we just go. If you are not sure, you can go to a time where it�s pretty empty. It is also a great place to let your dog run of leash and play some ball if you don�t have a yard at home. Some dog parks have areas for small and for bigger dogs. For the dogs it is like going to a playground. The playing and running with other dogs, its something I can�t give Snoopy myself in this kind of way. Your dog needs to be up to date with shots.

Snoopy and Bailey are playing at the dogpark


It is not a good way to socialize your dog while going for a walk.Some dogs are aggressive if they are on a leash and act in a total different way. Because of that it is not a good idea to walk around your dog in a dog park with a leash while everybody else is running loose.

It is very important.Dogs are never too old to get trained. Snoopy came to us when he was about 4 � and we enrolled him in a dog class. We did positive reinforcement that means you reward good behavior and you ignore bad ones. I know this is not always possible. For example if your dog stands on a table you can�t really ignore it and you have to put the dog down. But if your dog jumps up to greet you and you don�t like this behavior just ignore the dog until he settles down.

Dog schools are good for several reasons. If you are a pretty new dog owner, you have always somebody to ask questions and to get help with problems. The class is more for the owner to teach him the proper way to handle his/her dog. The dog won�t learn his commands while he is only in the class and you will need to practice a short time every day. It is also a good way to socialize your dog and to have some playtime under supervision from the trainer. I also think that a dog class gives you more motivation to train your dog compare to if you just do it yourself.

There are different types of training methods and principles. You will find the positive reinforcement training in pet stores like Petsmart. It is very important that you feel comfortable with the trainer and the training methods. Please talk to the trainer and ask about details before enrolling your dog.

If your dog is well trained you can think about doing the �Good Citizen Test�. You will find more information about it on the akc website.

Last but not least, one more advice. Don�t shake your dog or force it to roll on his back to be �submitting� to you. Shaking a dog can look like a death thread to the dog. This is what it means if wolves do that at each other and a wolf always rolls on his back on his own never under force.

SnoopyWe never had a big problem, so I can�t write too much about it. Take your dogs out regularly. Don�t leave your dog alone for a long time if he is not housetrained. Always keep a close eye until he is housetrained. Praise if he goes outside. Some dogs need to find �their spot� and won�t go if too many other dogs are marking in the area. If an accident happens don�t put your dogs� nose in it. If you see it right away tell him a firm no or scold around a little bit and just clean it up. There is no need to yell at the dog, you don�t want to scare your dog, you just want to let him know that you are not happy. Also think about the time, if you have left your dog alone for a long time, don�t blame him. Puppies can only hold in certain times and for that reason should hardly be left alone at the beginning if possible.




I would recommend a �Zoom Groom�. If not absolutely necessary don�t bath your dog more than every 2 monthotherwise the skin can dry out and you can destroy the protective coat. At other websites I have read before that you shouldn�t bath your dog at all. I can�t really imagine that. Just don�t overdue it.
Don�t forget to check the ears regularly and if necessary to clean them.

To feed a dog the right way is a science in itself. Everybody got different opinions and new discoveries come out all the time. Everybody got to find out the right way for their own dog. I will keep it short and only pick out a few general points.
The recommendations at the back of the dog food package are not always right. Depending on your dogs energy level you probably have to feed more or less. Talk to your vet about healthy weight. Keep an eye on your dog�s weight. Don�t free feed your dog; beagles will eat until they explode. Check the label. The dog food shouldn�t have ground corn or chicken by products. Those are not healthy for the dogs digestive system but cheap for the manufacturer. If your dog got diarrhea, talk to your vet to find out if it�s a feeding problem. We had problems when we mixed dry and canned food. Now we only feed dry food. Some dogs don�t like dry food, you might have to try out different healthy types or do little �tricks�. I put very small amounts (about one tablespoon) of broiled chicken or ground beef in it. The meat needs to be broiled or grilled to get the fat out. Sometimes I put in rice, tiny breadcrumbs, shredded cheese or fat-free broth. But one warning, if you start doing this, your dog probably will never eat dry food with out it anymore. So you might try just to give the dry food and do this only as the last resort. The dog should also have plenty of waters at all times. Never ever give chocolate, it is toxic to pets.
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