HELP!!!!!!!!!

[poorshot]

I bought a three year old beagle on Sunday 3/30/03she ran good in the guys 37 acre running pen and she handled very good for him. She did not seem shy at the time but not overly friendly to us. While talking to the owner I mentioned that it was to bad Monday was our last day to hunt, that i would have liked to hunt her , and he spoke up and said she would be okay to hunt that she handled well, so I took his word for it and took her hunting Monday 03/31/03. Well what a mistake that was she did not pack up with the other dogs like he said in fact would not hunt at all. she would not even come to us when we tried to pick her up she would just run off. I had a tracking collar on her and tracked her for two days,untill she slipped the collar off her,only about 12 feet from me in the brush. I have tried to call her and she moves away from us.I have had her in sight and she has seen me but runs away. any ideas on how to catch her?? and do you think she would be any good after I do catch her? I have put a kennel with some food in it and she comes to it and eats a little bit of food.She is not hunting just wondering around. So she is hard to locate. We are getting some snow today so I will be able to track her again. Thanks for any help. Earl

[S.Preston]

I had a Mt.Cur that did the same.Knowing what I know now I should have shot her. Anyway I went to local animal shelter,explained the situation,put up a $300 deposit,used their trap (like a small kennel) put a bratwurst in it and she was in there the next morning. Returned the trap and got the $300 check back.Gave the dog away.

[steve]

Get ahold of the guy you bought her from see if he can come help you catch her then as soon as she is caught ask the guy for your money back,why feed a dog that needswork in the handling department when your hunting seasons is closed,first sign was in the pen the dog showed it was shy,save your money and shop around for something better.

[bowhunter59]

my motto is i never buy a shy acting dog!!!!!i have a it didnt work out but i got 1 that was some shy and after a month of being arouind me and goi n hunting she is a dream now so if u got time and cvan eventualy catch her she might come around there r some benefits of a one mans dog anybody cant pick it up u cant catch her now but she comes to me if i clear my throat hard lol!-

[bluegrass]

My first inclination was to tell you to get the original owner and have him help you but the more I think about all the hounds that I have had that were shy and the trouble they caused me, shooting the dog sounds like the most viable option!!! Seriously, though, I think the smartest thing is to try and get your money back and NEVER buy a shy dog. I think these dogs should be put down so as to never breed that trait into any line. I think the fenced pen is a dead giveaway...I bought a dog that ran and minded perfect in a pen, kept her for a month before taking her hunting and she was the most shy hound I have ever seen...Wound up losing my money and spent every nerve I had on that dog. Never buy a shy hound!!! Good Luck, Tony

[New York Hillbilly]

I to have been down the road with the shy dog situation and I do not care what anyone says about working miracles and making the dog unshy. I will never put up with it again in my life time. I will not by a shy dog, will not keep and feed one, will not breed to one.... and will never never never trust one. Shy equals scared and scared in my mind is more dangerous and unpredictable than mean. You never know when they might bite out of fear and I'll be damned if I'll risk the safety of someone for the sake of any dog. I will put down any shy dog that ends up in my kennel. I am not talking about being cautious around strangers I mean the type that will run out of reach and sit there staring at you when any well adjusted dog would come to you. I have one in the kennel now that is going to meet the great beyond as soon as snow melts enough to get to the back wood lot. This hound I bought from a fella as an 8 month old pup even though the little voice in head told me not to......EERRR...even after all these years I still screw up at times!!
This hound has had every chance I could offer and every ounce of baby talk, petting, snacks...you name it....I will not cure this problem and neither of us will live with it anymore. Neither should you!!
Cut your loses,
NYH

[snowshoehareguide]

well i wouldnt shoot that dog yet . ive seen lots of dogs that a stranger couldnt pick up. i think its not that unusual for a dog that youve had one day , wont come to you. i dont have any in my yard that i guarantee would come to a stranger after one day. my advice is catch it in a trap take it home and if you cant get money back try feeding it food out of your hand. talk to it pet it . let it get used to you when it will take food out of your hand its probably cured. i wouldnt give it anything but water until it does. i dont like shy dogs either . there is a good chance this dog can be cured if the guys telling you the truth. i think your expecting a lot to run a dog youve had one day. pete

[poorshot]

Pete the owner of the dog told me to run her the next day so I took his word for it. I was going to wait awhile but he talked me into it saying how good she was. Anyway I got her back in a live trap today. she was in good shape for what the thing had been thru. Called the owner in JAY MAINE and told him she was not what he said she was and he said that he never had a problem with her. No chance on getting my money back. But I will tell you this before anybody thinks about buying a pup from Jay Maine they should e-mail me and I will give you his name and kennels name. eisecs469@msn.com. Is there a book out on reading between the lines when talking to a kennel owner what this guy told me and what the truth is is a fne line with real big gaps between them. The bad thing was she did not act shy when the owner was thereshe acted almost normal.
I sure hopes he at least sends me some vasoline to easy the pain

[Richard]

I agree with Pete, get a live trap and trap it. Take it back to the seller if possible or keep it and put it on a chain in your back yard. Handle it every chance you can and have everybody who comes by do the same. If it doesn't bond with you, I would give it away.

[Hunt6]

Poorshot..Now that you have her back and the seller will not refund you your money,,,Try keeping her on a chain and working with her.See if she has been taught the come command etc.Does she respond to it while on the chain.Try to gentle her up and bond for a period of time.

If she is still the same the next time you take her hunting after all that kill her and bury those genes for ever.Best thing you could do for the breed.

Anymore I never buy a pup or dog that is the least bit shaky - shy.I've had some beagles, coon hounds like that over the years.I buried all of them.They should never ever be allowed to reproduce.
One other thing : never be shy about askinf for a trial period in writing for a dog that is supposed to be started good or broke.No trial offered do not buy from that breeder.
Hunt6 (David)

[snowshoehareguide]

earl i read that he told you to hunt it the next day . i say never do this. you can have problems with a normal dog. try what i told you . i didnt make it up it works. ive done it with several dogs in last 30 years . some of them made great dogs. and some were as bad as yours and i caught them in a foothold trap. one in my yard and for a couple years he was my lead bear dog . scared of nothing. guy gave him to me and just let him go at my house i couldnt catch him for a week so caught him in a trap. this is probably the biggest turn around of all of them . anybody that knew him will tell you he was the opposite of shy , he could kill a big coyote one on one , he was a leopard cur and he would hurt you wagging his tail. tie her up offer dry food in your hand. give it nothing but water. handle her a lot . time is on your side. dont be in a hurry. if you have to give her a piece of hot dog or cheese at first. if the guy wouldnt refund your money then it is a pretty good chance he should send you some vaseline but i am not soft on dogs and i have turned some around that acted half coyote. in some cases they are very smart dogs and never a problem again others made useable dogs. i can think of 4 dogs right now like this that were cured no problem and one that wasnt. pete

[Boomer]

NY Hillbilly,

We've got a former stray (unknown age, but full-grown) that was very handshy and a fear-biter when we got her. Three months later, and she was the sweetest dog around (still gunshy, but a great pet). We've had her for two years now. She can still kick another dog's butt if she wants, but I trust her around any human, no matter how small. She's the biggest kisser out there, too. People can't believe all of the stories we tell about how she was when we first found her.

We've helped re-home plenty of other cast-offs that were shy, and none of them were ever a threat to bite. Not all shy dogs have the potential to be fear-biters.

[Beagleman973]

Hand-shy hounds can be very difficult to cure, but it can be done! I would not recommend putting the hound on a chain, what I have done in the past, with good results, is pen the hound up away from any other dogs. That way the only contact she will have is with you. Dogs are pack animals, they need to bond with someone or something. You pen her with another hound, or where she can see another hound, she will try to bond with them instead of you. Keep her out of sight from any other dogs, sit in the pen with her, talk with her. Do that for a few days, then starting bringing snacks with you, toss them to her, then closer, finally she should start taking them from your hand. Get her bonding to you and coming to you in the pen, then the next step is a check cord. Patience, and gentleness is the key. Putting her on a chain will reinforce the fear, shy reaction when you are around her.

This will work on many shy hounds, but it does take some time. If she wasn't shy around the kennel owner, you have a very good chance of curing her. Just make sure you are the only one she can bond with!

[New York Hillbilly]

Boomer,
While I appreciate your offer and am happy that you have had some success inthis area I must stand my ground on this one. A dog tat is frightened all the time and spooky acting should never be trusted in my mind. That it not to say that some dogs who have been mistreated cannot learn to trust people and become good pets. I know that they can at times and on one occassion I bought two beagles from a guy that were chained out in the winter with no food and no water simply to save them from the situation. It cost me 300 bucks fr the pair and the guy was mad at me because I told him I would turn him in if he did not sell them to me. The comment that they eat snow when they get thirsty was the last straw for me. After taking them home and keeping them in the house and another 400 dollars in vet bills cause one of them had heart worm real bad they wound up being excellent pets and terrible hunters. So I know it depends on the situation. But when you have a dog that is spooked to the point that it steers clear of the person that feeds, waters and cares for it one has to rethink things. When all the hounds come running up to you and one stays way back staring you have a problem. And passing it off to another could spell disaster! As a hound owner for 30 years I know when it is time to throw in the towel for safety sake. And as a nurse I have cared for numerous children as well as adults who tried to live with the situation only to meet disaster. I too have a big heart but it is not allowed to do the thinking for me......at least most of the time!