In need of help with my puppy

Eire_1992

Hi all.
I have a 10 month old female foot beagle and I've had her since she was 2 months old. Just looking for some advice and guidance really. She's chewed our front door, dug up our back lawn, chewed furniture in and around our house. Can someone let me know if this is normal and will she grow out of this ? She sleeps inside in a crate and is outside everyday assuming weather is okay.

Any advice/suggestions welcome

Gloomtastic!

Totally normal behavior. They should grow out of it at about two years old. A couple of long walks a day may calm it down then crate it when it is left alone.

DBB

It's not unusual for a youngster to cause some damage OP, but a front door? Sounds a tad excessive!
Beagles are high energy, and very clever, but determined dogs. What's her daily routine like? How much walking does she currently do? How much time per day would you or others in the family spend playing with her? Training her? Generally interacting with her?

Eire_1992

Thanks Gloomtastic ! Any more ideas to try and limit the bad behaviour ? She is normally walked twice a day but hasnt been lately due to illness

Oscars Mum

Can I suggest you rub tabasco sauce where you don't want her to bite/eat... Along with the above suggestions..

Eire_1992

Her usual routine would be to be let out approx 8am fed at 9am and outside during the day but would have 2 walks a day normally (morning and evening) and is trained and has interaction with us a bit throughout the day..normally brought in about 6pm and fed at that time and get chew treats in the evening

Eire_1992

Thanks Oscars Mum

shelliwelli

That all sounds like very beagle-like behaviour to me! Our girl is 16 months and is starting to calm (slightly! ) but she was just like yours at that age. Lots of walks and games should tire her out a little But a beagle will get very very bored very quickly if left alone for any period of time and that's when the madness starts, at least in our house it is! What that dog can get up to in five minutes never fails to amaze me!

DBB

Eire_1992 wrote: »

Her usual routine would be to be let out approx 8am fed at 9am and outside during the day but would have 2 walks a day normally (morning and evening) and is trained and has interaction with us a bit throughout the day..normally brought in about 6pm and fed at that time and get chew treats in the evening

Okay, just to clarify, she's out from about 8am to 6pm every day? Then what... 6pm to what time do you spend with her in the evenings? What times does she go to bed, and where does she sleep?
Can you try to quantify how much interaction she has with you or family throughout the day?
Sorry for all the questions OP, but in order to get to grips with why she's so destructive, the routine the dog is in must be teased out.

Eire_1992

shelliwelli I get nervous when she is outside and I cant see or hear her ha ! Did u get yours trained and have u another animal in the house for play ?

Eire_1992

She is out from about half 10 (after a walk) until half 4/5 (before another walk). She goes to bed approx 11pm after being let outside and she sleeps in her crate in our back kitchen ! She would have about 4 or 5 hours interaction with us on average..

shelliwelli

Eire_1992 wrote: »

shelliwelli I get nervous when she is outside and I cant see or hear her ha ! Did u get yours trained and have u another animal in the house for play ?

We brought her to weekly training and socialisation classes pretty much straight away when we adopted her (she was around four months when we got her). Found them great, put a little bit of manners on her anyway! We only have herself, often think a second dog would be brilliant but we have neither the space nor the finances for that at the min! She does spend a lot of time playing with my sisters dog so she has a good bit of company during the week too. Oh I know what you mean, the suspicious silence that's usually followed by a crash, you can't be up to them!

Eire_1992

wondering should I adopt another older dog for company and to keep her out of trouble

shelliwelli

Eire_1992, I often ask myself the same question!

DBB

I've asked all these questions OP, because I suspect I have to be bluntly honest with you. It sounds like your little dog is bored, perhaps lonely, and just not getting enough mental stimulation.
Two walks a day is nice for her, but how long do the walks last? An hour each? More? Less? Two hours of walks a day is pretty good (although she hasn't been getting this of late), but that's just two hours out of 24, leaving a lot of time for the dog to be up to other things, and it's this time that you need to find ways of filling with other, more appropriate and positive stuff she can be doing.
She's out in the garden all day, with a small amount of human interaction whilst she's out there. Then she gets a few hours of company in the evenings when she's in the house. So, you've accounted for an maximum of 5 hours out of a 24 hour period where your young dog has anything meangingful to do. Again, you need to find ways of filling up a few more hours than that with stuff for her to do, which I hope I can help you with below, and I'm sure others will come along to give you some ideas too!
Dogs who spend a lot of time in the garden alone are not being influenced by their owners at all: they are self-training, they are making up their own rules, and they are entertaining themselves by doing things that often are not what the owner had in mind. Dogs like this feature very highly amongst dogs with behavioural problems: chewing, digging, ripping due to boredom (these are anxiety-reducing behaviours), and when they do get to interact with humans, they squeeze every last drop out of the opportunity, frequently being way too excited, jumping all over everyone, grabbing sleeves and trouser-legs, stealing stuff... anything that gets them attention. Is this a problem you have with her? Could this perhaps be what's making you feel she can't be in the house during the day?

However, I can't emphasise this enough, a dog who is left alone out in a garden for long periods is much more prone to behavioural problems. All dogs have a strong, biological need to be with someone... the need is as strong as the need for food and water. Some breeds are far more prone to suffer if left alone due to their being a group-working, social breed, the Beagle is one of these: if there is any way that you can let her in more during the daytime, even just to let her sit with you, or anyone, whilst munching on a chew toy and simply enjoying your company. You don't have to do a huge amount with her...just let her be with you! After getting their exercise, that's all most dogs want... just to chill out with someone meangingful.
To keep her occupied, invest in some interactive toys, and feed her meals out of these instead of out of a bowl: this prolongs mealtimes, thus prolonging the reward factor, gets her burning energy, gets her using her brain, and because such toys are food-filled, they are much more attractive to a dog than, say, a skirting board or a front door! Buy a couple of large Kong Toys for stuffing with soft foods: http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/kongs/kong/139215

Here are some recipe ideas to give her a yummy stuffed Kong treat when you want her to settle in the house (or garden, if you absolutely must leave her out alone):
http://www.kongcompany.com/recipes/

and for dry food feeding, buy her a Kong Wobbler, which dispenses her food slowly as she plays with the toy:
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/kongs/kong/183630

Kong Toys are hard to beat in terms of durability and value for money.
These are ideal toys to give her to while away some time safely, whilst burning off some physical and mental energy.

In addition, you can hide stuffed Kongs, food treats, and dry dog food (kibble) around the garden for her to find and snuffle up.
Does she play fetch? A few minutes every hour or so of ball throwing in the garden, a grooming session, or just a few minutes to cuddle her, will make a huge difference to her.
If you've no choice but to leave her in the garden during the day, do you have a friend she could go to during the day? Preferably someone with a dog who your little lady can play with? Or can you get your dog into a small doggy daycare, even a day or two a week?

She will, doubtless, grow out of the destructiveness, but only if she's given a reason to, and that means slowly chipping away at her so that you're influencing her behaviour in a way that you want it to go. If she's just left to her own devices, this problem could possibly get worse, and harder to deal with.
What do you think OP? Any of this stuff possible, do you think?

Eire_1992

I think it may help but dont want to bring another dog into the situation and it to make things worse tbh

DBB

Eire_1992 wrote: »

wondering should I adopt another older dog for company and to keep her out of trouble

This is a commonly-given piece of advice, Two dogs are great company for each other, as long as both dogs are getting plenty of human interaction and training. If you're getting a second dog to relieve boredom in a dog who's spending a lot of time alone, there's a strong likelihood you'll end up with two bored dogs, and consequently, twice the damage. Seriously, getting another dog is nowhere near the cure-all that people would have you believe... it takes a serous amount of work to get the two dog idea to work!

Eire_1992

I have tried the kongs before..I have 2 and she loved them at the start but I noticed she got bored because I was freezing them to give her more time and she got very tired with them. She does have 2 hours of walking during the day. I do have that problem with her re jumping all over people and jumping up to doors/counters. You have me wondering now is there anyone elses dog I could leave her with ( I'm in college during the day which is why she is outside so often ). She does play fetch yes. DBB what is your opinion on me adopting another dog for company ?

Gloomtastic!

Eire_1992 wrote: »

I think it may help but dont want to bring another dog into the situation and it to make things worse tbh

In my experience of dogs that destroy gardens when out of human sight, an extra older, calmer dog makes no difference whatsoever!

DBB

DBB what is your opinion on me adopting another dog for company ?

I said it above Eire_1992, you may have missed it... it's a very risky strategy to take, because there's a big risk both dogs will end up bored and destructive!

I have to admit to not being a huge fan of freezing Kongs, for the very reason you've given... if it's too hard to get the food out, the dog gets bored with it, completely defeating the purpose. I'm also a bit anal about dogs damaging their teeth on things that are too hard! So, dig the Kongs out and have a look at the mad recipes you can fill them with... and stick them in the freezer for a short while, just enough for them to firm up but not become rock hard.
And get a Kong Wobbler, or another activity ball of some kind that dispenses kibble as the dog plays with it.
It would be absolutely fantastic if you could find a pal who could mind her for an hour or two a day whilst you're away at college, and who has a dog she could play with under supervision! You may even be able to come up with some reciprocal plan... if they mind your girlie during the week, you'll walk their dog at weekends, or mind it whilst they go on holidays!
Anything you can find that will keep your Beagle active and burning off energy appropriately is great, but she should also learn to chill out and calm down whilst in the house, and this is where getting some help in in invaluable. If you can spare a few quid for a good trainer to spend an hour or two with you, showing you some calming techniques, and how to stop your dog from jumping up on you and on counters (and let's face it, being a pain in the butt), that'd be ideal. But you do need to be careful that any trainer you'd get in would be positively focused and doesn't use physical or coercive training. If you fancy this idea, let us know where you are and we may be able to recommend someone suitable

Vel

Is it still recommended that pups should have limited exercise, ie 5 minutes for every month of their life? If the OP's dog is only 10 months would two hours of walking per day not be too much? As others have recommended it sounds here like the key is more human interaction, mental games, training etc. rather than lots of walking?

I'm not sure if mods would prefer me to start a new thread but as it links into this topic I'll ask here! Those of you who have brought up pups from a young age, given that it is advised that they have limited exercise for the first year of their lives what games/activities/training do you recommend to keep them busy and engaged and stop them from becoming bored and destructive?

tk123

Vel wrote: »

Is it still recommended that pups should have limited exercise, ie 5 minutes for every month of their life? If the OP's dog is only 10 months would two hours of walking per day not be too much? As others have recommended it sounds here like the key is more human interaction, mental games, training etc. rather than lots of walking?

I'm not sure if mods would prefer me to start a new thread but as it links into this topic I'll ask here! Those of you who have brought up pups from a young age, given that it is advised that they have limited exercise for the first year of their lives what games/activities/training do you recommend to keep them busy and engaged and stop them from becoming bored and destructive?

I don't know if I'm qualified to answer - I have a 4 year old dog and the pup has always been really really chilled out.

I have followed the 5 min rule - My other dog had deformed legs so I'm extra careful with the pup(!)

I've found this time around that diet is a huge factor - my pup isn't eating a food packed full of fillers/cereal so doesn't have a ton of excess to burn off. Other pups we know are bouncing off the walls and are just mad and never stop - they're being fed crappy Hills or RC. She's been fed a mix or raw and good quality wet food from day one.

For keeping her busy she loves a good chew on her nylabones or has a few toys that she'll play with - some balls and mostly ones she's robbed off her big bro. She loves Kongs /treat dispensing toys or even a cardboard box with some treats in it for her to tear apart lol. We've kind of promoted a chilled out environment from day one and it's rubbed off on her thank god. She knows when she's in her crate it's time to relax and go asleep so the times when she's put in it or when she opens it herself and goes in she just snoozes. My pup is is in the house btw - not left out in the garden to get into mischief.

looking_around

Vel wrote: »

I'm not sure if mods would prefer me to start a new thread but as it links into this topic I'll ask here! Those of you who have brought up pups from a young age, given that it is advised that they have limited exercise for the first year of their lives what games/activities/training do you recommend to keep them busy and engaged and stop them from becoming bored and destructive?

Depends on how intelligent the dog is.

The "find"(their toy) game is great, Ideas.

I would often feed them using treat balls/bongs to keep them entertained for longer.
I had a dog that loved to unravel things, so I started knotting up rope. (be careful with this, you don't want them to swallow threads)

DBB

Vel wrote: »

Is it still recommended that pups should have limited exercise, ie 5 minutes for every month of their life? If the OP's dog is only 10 months would two hours of walking per day not be too much? As others have recommended it sounds here like the key is more human interaction, mental games, training etc. rather than lots of walking?

At 10 months, a smaller, early-maturing dog like the Beagle, should be safe enough to walk reasonable distances. However in this case, given that this little dog just isn't getting enough action, stimulation, or human company, I'd hesitate to recommend that the op walk her less. Unless the op does a lot more to help the dog satisfy her social and psychological needs, this little dog needs all the attention she's getting now, and more, but not a minute less.