I adopted a 3 year old female beagle from a rescue group. She lived with dogs there and we believe she was a hunting dog. It is likely she spent her entire life with other beagles.
She has been with us for 3 months. On 2 occassions she has met dogs of friends and has acted unfriendly to the dogs (barking, lunging)
She is a sweetheart with people.
Anyone had similar expeience with adopted dogs?
Beagle unfriendly to other dogs
Moderators: Pike Ridge Beagles, Aaron Bartlett
Beagle unfriendly to other dogs
Enjoy Life
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Show Dog
My Mom has a beagle that I breed. She acts like an idiot on leash but fine when loose. My brother adopted a beagle from the pound. Same thing, wants to eat the rotts and sheps. He is only 17 pounds. Leash aggression, fight or flight response seems to be strong in beagles that have had some notion that they are in a dangerous postion. You might have to go out of your way to avoid meeting other dogs esp when on leash. There doesn't seem to be any way to stop it either. One of mine does the barking/lunging thing sometimes too, always on leash. I board dogs of all breeds in my house so socialization is not the answer/problem. A quirk of the noble beagle!
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mmccluskey
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2002 2:00 pm
We recently adopted a 5 year old female and have the exact same problem. She is fine with people, babies, and our 2 year old male beagle, but when were out walking her...look out!
She barks, growles, and lunges at any other dog she sees. Fortunately she is a runt, only about 12 pounds...we just need to get her to realize her size.
She barks, growles, and lunges at any other dog she sees. Fortunately she is a runt, only about 12 pounds...we just need to get her to realize her size.
The dog you have was in another home (at least one), then with the rescue, and now with you. Such drastic changes can cause dogs to act in strange ways until they adjust and become confident they're going to be with these new people and new home for the long haul.
If she's dog aggressive on leash, that can be defensive behavior. It could also be her protective nature.
Generally, dog aggressiveness - especially with a generally friendly breed like the beagle - has to do with poor socialization. I've known plenty of "home-grown" dogs that were sweet to people and the other dogs in the home but were either dog aggressive or dog fearful outside of the home because they weren't properly socialized. Regardless of whether or not she spent her whole life with other dogs, you're still talking about a pretty consistent pack, and if she was a hunting dog, she may have been kennelled 99% of her life.. Now, she's seeing all sorts of strange dogs, and that's something she's not used to. She's also seeing them in what are probably pretty strange and new places with new sights and sounds, where she still may not be 100% comfortable. She may be nice to her new packmates (like your other beagle), but it will take awhile for her to trust any other dogs. I would take her as many places as you can and let her experience as many new experiences as she can. I would also socialize her with as many strange dogs as you can. Just ask the other dogs' owner before you do, and you may want to muzzle her until you feel 100% comfortable she won't try anything.
If she's dog aggressive on leash, that can be defensive behavior. It could also be her protective nature.
Generally, dog aggressiveness - especially with a generally friendly breed like the beagle - has to do with poor socialization. I've known plenty of "home-grown" dogs that were sweet to people and the other dogs in the home but were either dog aggressive or dog fearful outside of the home because they weren't properly socialized. Regardless of whether or not she spent her whole life with other dogs, you're still talking about a pretty consistent pack, and if she was a hunting dog, she may have been kennelled 99% of her life.. Now, she's seeing all sorts of strange dogs, and that's something she's not used to. She's also seeing them in what are probably pretty strange and new places with new sights and sounds, where she still may not be 100% comfortable. She may be nice to her new packmates (like your other beagle), but it will take awhile for her to trust any other dogs. I would take her as many places as you can and let her experience as many new experiences as she can. I would also socialize her with as many strange dogs as you can. Just ask the other dogs' owner before you do, and you may want to muzzle her until you feel 100% comfortable she won't try anything.