How to rehabilitate a beagle

Posted by edwin-carvajal
Aug 29, 2016
Hi
I have nine year old beautiful female beagle who is well behave with humans but she experiments a sudden change when she is among dogs. We received Honey when she was four years old and she was raised among humans by her first owner without having contact with other dogs. She got used to human food. When we got her, she got used to having dog's food twice a day and she would go out for walks three times a day. Her behaviour changed a lot but we have not been able to understand how to entice her to play. Honey now shares our care with a German Shepherd, who is three years old and is totally different. Agatha exercises daily and obeys instructions, she is trained too and likes to catch the ball. How can we train Honey so that she has an activity because she sleeps most of the day and covers her head or she goes behind a sofa as if she is hiding. I feel that that is a symptom of suffering or that something is not right. What can I do about it? How can we make her to be more active? I feel that Agatha is happy but Honey is not. Please help me.
Posted by Preethi KOP
Aug 30, 2016
Hi Edwin,

Thanks for writing in and sorry to hear about the trouble you are having.

I guess the first thing to rule out is a medical issue and a vet check would be a good place to start. She could have underlying arthritis or dental disease that makes her feel sore all the time. Alternatively, it could just be her temperament - dogs come in all shapes, sizes and personalities!

As for the issues with the other dogs, it is unfortunately one of the harder things to rectify and you may not be able to fully trust her with other dogs without supervision. Puppies have this small window period where they pick up their social skills and when this is missed they are usually very hard to socialise. I recommend that you get in touch with friends who have dogs you can trust to not be aggressive if instigated and get her to meet them frequently - slowly expanding the time she spends with them and the number of dogs she meets. It may be a long and windy road but you will get there with her provided you are patient and persevere. Always remember, safety first! You can always take a rain check and try her on another day if it seems like she may attack the other dog.

Good luck to you and Honey!

Regards,
Preethi