CWBC Question and Answers, Page 3
CWBC Question and Answers, Page 3
Opinion 1:
There is a simple answer for this question. If you do not mind that your Beagle may be gone for a day or forever, you do not need a good fenced yard or some way to insure your Beagle’s safety. A lot of good Re-Call training helps, but is no guarantee that your Beagle will come at the sound of your voice or whistle. Take it from someone who has been helping in Rescue for a couple of years. Beagles really need us to keep themselves safe from their instincts.If you have been doing any type of research into Beagles, you will know they were bred to be curious dogs that will follow a scent for miles. That was what they were bred to do. By the time they realize they were able to wonder off, they may not know their way home, or they may find some food, rest, and then follow a different scent the next day. This is one reason why a fence or leash is necessary to keep Beagles safe. Many responsible breeders will look hard at the gaining family before placing their Beagle with them. If it is likely that the family may loose the dog with or without thought, a responsible breeder is most likely going to turn them down. This is not to say that beagles are a bad choice for apartment dwellers. As long as the owner knows his or her responsibilities to the dog, and does not mind using a leash and carrying a pooper scooper or plastic bag, the dog will do just fine in this type of environment. The CWBC has even placed a rescue dog into an environment like that due to the dog’s tendency to escape from ANY kind of secured yard. And the family and dog are quite content!Opinion 2:
Unless you are prepared to take your Beagle outside on a leash at all times, you do need a fenced-in yard for your Beagle...and a good one! Some Beagles are climbers, and most can easily get over (or under!) a three foot fence. The under part can be fixed by putting a foot or so of wire under on the inside of the fence. If the sod has been bent back, it can the bent and placed there, then the sod replaced, and they will be unable to escape that way. If you have a climber, you have two alternatives. You can either make the fence quite high, or a medium height with something that will stop the Beagle. There are solar power electric wires that are easy to install and quite effective. You can also put a board or a strip of wire so that when the Beagle climbs up it hits it before it escapes. It sounds like a lot of trouble, but is the only safe alternative. You can also construct a fence that is not Beagle proof, but in which you only allow your Beagle when you are present. If left to his own devices, the Beagle will eventually find a way out if possible. The Beagle, even the show-bred Beagle, has strong hunting instincts. They simply follow their noses without paying attention to danger. They usually find their way back, if they are not injured, or if someone else has not found them and taken them home.
Opinion 1:
What is the thing that disgusts you most about dogs? Here is one.
Of all the things my dogs do, this is the most disgusting thing that gets to me right down the to bone. I do not understand why I think that way, except that *I* was trained that way. For dogs, this is a very natural thing. Personally, I think it goes back to when dogs were wild, living in packs, and the lowliest of the pack had to fend for their food in this manner. It is part of their instinct, I guess. I am probably grasping at straws trying to rationalize why this happens, but I still have a hard time dealing with it. So, what to do...
We have tried just about every type of concoction there is that is 'supposed' to remedy this, but my hounds being what they are, do not flinch at it. We have tried disciplining, Alfalfa tablets, Forbid, Dis-Taste, and Meat Tenderizer with varying levels of success. Having 5 dogs does not make it easy to prevent all of the dogs from eating the other’s poop. Our best form of prevention to date is to pick it up before they do. With one dog, it is an easy task to follow behind your dog right after a meal with the pooper-scooper. With five it is more of a challenge, but we have a fairly poop-free yard that way. This is always a good thing, I suppose.
Opinion 2:
From TwainHeart Beagles
Sorry to say that many, many beagles eat their stools . . . and most people don't have any luck in getting them to quit. When I first got into beagles, I was horrified and I tried everything including: "Forbid" (an enzyme from the vet); pineapple in their food; meat tenderizer in their food; even tried injecting tobasco sauce with a syringe into their stools so they would get a hot surprise. This last attempt just made them like it more!
I had an opportunity to visit the home of Judy Musladin, author of the _New Beagle_, and I told her of my dilemma and asked for her expert advice. Judy told me that when I found a way to make them quit, then I'd be qualified to write the next book on beagles! After that, I just accepted this gross habit.
We do have one puppy owner who reported success using a combination of Deter (one tablet twice a day with food) and a tablespoon of crushed pineapple with the Beagle's food once a day.
Stool eating doesn't really hurt the Beagle. Best you can do is keep the yard picked up daily. But, I can tell you that when my beagles see me coming with the pooper scooper, it is a mad dash to eat it all before I get there. Very gross.
Beagles are such wonderful dogs, I guess they needed to have at least one mortal flaw. How does that Prayer of Saint Francis go? "Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change . . ." Think of it as character building!
Opinion 1:
When you are looking for a good healthy pet for the family, the pet store (or newspaper) might not be the best place for finding such a pet. There are many reasons for this, that may be much more expensive than the puppy who may also be over priced.Please keep in mind that a store trying to find a home for lost dogs, or one that is retiring from racing, is not at all like a store that tries to sell puppies in the mall. Some local pet stores do not make it a practice to sell pups from local backyard breeders, but will try to find a home for a loving dog. Thus, it is not uncommon to see the local Humane Society in PetSmart, or a ground that has been retired from racing. These are the typical pet stores I like to do business with.
Opinion 1:
This has always been a big problem for curious breeds with owner who try to keep them from harms way. Here is one email sent to a reader of the website.We have had a similar problem in the past. Our dogs stay away from the front door now, and even when people are coming in, they only go to the door to greet them. We actually had the problem fixed for our own dogs before closing off the front porch. We added the closure for the rescue dogs that came in.
First we made it a bad thing for dogs to even get close to the front door, by using a spray bottle or something of that nature. Every time we went to the door and they followed we told them to "Back Up" and sprayed them if they got within 5 feet of the door. When I came home, my wife would stand by the door and spray them if they got close. We also trained the word "Wait", which means they need to stay where they are until we either released them or several minutes had passed. They have figured out that the Wait command is only for what we are doing at that time.
Another thing we did was to set them up to fail. One of us would sit outside, out of site, with the door wide open, and tell them to wait. If the dog ran through, there was someone there to catch them. This is tricky, because if the dog gets through and you have to chase him, it becomes a game. Do not let the dog get through. After stopping them from getting through, punish them appropriately with a strong "No!" and a shake at the scruff of the neck, and put them back where they were supposed to be. Once they achieve a minute of this, initially, it is treat time. Keep practicing this and stretch out the time. After a couple of weeks, you should see a noticeable improvement. Every time the dog gets out and runs about, do this training exercise until it is successful once, then leave it at that.
This will probably fix the problem most of the time, but Beagles are stubborn and will try to get away with things if they can. You just have to be more stubborn. :-)
Good Luck!
Opinion 1:
From TwainHeart Beagles
Medical/Genetic Conditions in Beagles
Genetically the most serious thing that is not uncommon in beagles is epilepsy. It doesn't show up until the dog is several months, sometimes a couple of years, old. It can be controlled through medication. Be sure to ask any breeder you're considering if there has been epilepsy in their line and what remedy they offer if the pup you purchase from them should develop epilepsy. (We have no history of epilepsy in our dogs - knock wood - and if one of our dogs develops a genetically related illness that significantly impacts the dog's quality of life within the first four years of its life, we'll provide a replacement puppy as soon as one is available. The replacement puppy is free if the original puppy has to be euthanized or is returned to us. If the owner wants to keep the affected dog, the replacement puppy is sold at a reduced price to be negotiated.)
Beagles are also prone to a condition called "Cherry-eye." This is when the third eyelide pops out and it looks like the pup has a cherry in the corner of his/her eye. It usually happens (if it's going to) between 2 and 6 months. It can be surgically corrected (the eyelid should be tucked and stitched, never removed as this can lead to dry eye and the need for life-long medication). In our part of the country the surgery is about $100. Most breeders give a short-term health guarantee (we give 72 hours) and if the cherry eye occurs during this time, they pay the vet bill. After that short-term guarantee, it's the new owner's responsibility. Worse case scenario is that the pup gets cherry eye in one eye, gets it fixed, and then gets it in the other eye. Once it's fixed, it usually stays fixed and if it doesn't, the vet usually re-fixes it for free. It must be fixed in a timely manner (not an emergency, but within a day or two) or it can get infected and lead to blindness. You should ask any breeders you talk to about the incidence of cherry eye in their line, especially in the puppies' parents.
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Can you tell me about epilepsy?
Opinion 1:
From TwainHeart Beagles
As the literature indicates, epilepsy is not uncommon in beagles.
In all the dogs that we have owned or bred, we have had a few single episodes of seizuring. In one instance, a 6 month old puppy that we had placed with a family in the Seattle area started seizuring one evening and continued seizuring with increasing intensity for a couple of hours. The family called us and asked what they should do. I explained to them that epileptic seizures usually only last for a few moments, and although they may be followed by a period of disorientation, the actual seizuring period is relatively short. I asked them if it was possible that the puppy had gotten into something because their scenario sounded more like a case of poisoning. Turns out the puppy had gotten into slug bait-- an often lethal substance. They rushed her to the emergency vet and, fortunately, she made a full recovery.
Another single incidence of seizuring occurred with our first beagle, Carson, when he was about two years old. I was present for that seizure and it was very scary. I had been participating in a dog show handling clinic that day and Carson was serving as one of my "practice" dogs. He had been with me the entire day. The workshop was from 9 AM - 5 PM. The class was held indoors and Carson was either in the ring with me or resting in his x-pen next to the ring. In other words, he was in an unusually controlled environment that day. It wasn't particularly hot or particularly cold, and nothing unusual had happened during the workshop.
I walked Carson outside briefly to take a potty break before getting into the car and heading for home. Shortly after we got on the road, Carson began having a violent seizure. He appeared to lose consciousness and did quite a bit of convulsing. The seizure seemed to go on forever, although it was really just a few minutes. This was followed by a 15-20 minute period of disorientation where, at one point, Carson couldn't even stand or walk even though he had regained consciousness. This all happened on a Sunday and we took him to the emergency vet clinic which was about a 45 minute drive from the workshop. By the time we arrived at the vet's office, Carson was fine and really had no residual effects.
The vet hypothesized that perhaps a bee had stung him, but I don't think so because I was with him the whole day. Anyway, Carson lived to be ten years old and he never had another seizure. So, the whole thing has remained "one of life's great mysteries." (By the way, Carson never completed his championship so he was never used in our breeding program)
Our niece's Beagle had a seizure one late afternoon just before a severe electrical storm. She was five years old at the time. To our knowledge, it's the only seizure that Beagle has ever had and she is now 7 years old.
We suggest you talk to your vet about any kind of seizure behavior. Your vet will probably want to know:
Time seizure began
Time seizure ended
Length of disorientation period
What was going on just before the seizure started
Note any unusual behaviors that your dog displayed prior to the start of the seizure.
What were your dog's behaviors like during the seizure.
What was going on in the environment just before the seizure (thunder or lightening, earthquake, severe heat or cold, etc.)
If the vet says that he is healthy, and the seizure doesn't happen again, then there's not much to worry about. If the seizures continue, then it may be necessary to treat them with medication. Keeping the above log will help the vet in making this recommendation.