Banishing Your Beagle’s Destructive Scratching

Destructive scratching is related to escape chewing, digging and jumping out of windows. This is a behavior that your Beagle normally undertakes when he has been confined and wants to escape.
To discover the causes of this destructive behavior, you must determine when and where the scratching takes place. Obvious causes of this behavior is when the female dog next door is in heat, or confinement because your dog is a social problem or is being punished, which are the usual causes relate to confinement alone.
One exception is the Beagle that scratches on the seats or cushions of furniture or through bedding or mattresses. These excavators are usually digging a hole for themselves to curl up in or are scratching in frustration at their owner’s anal and/or genital scents. When pillows and clothing are the target, the dog may be attempting to masturbate with them.
Scratching in order to escape can occur in dominant or over dependent beagles. In either case, correction involves the same methods as for destructive chewing. The owner must teach at least the Come, Sit, and Stay commands without the use of force. These commands should be used whenever the dog nudges for attention. The dog should be praised for desirable responses. If punishment has been used, this must be stopped immediately, as this is usually counterproductive.
To minimize the contrast between the owner’s presence and absence, all unsolicited attention, such as talking to the dog, petting him or playing with him in response to the dog’s attention seeking, should be stopped. Examples of these activities include tug-o’-war, wrestling, chasing the dog, and playing fetch when the owner must force the dog to give up the ball or stick.
In other words, interactions must involve the dog’s responding to the owner, rather than vice versa. Coming and going rituals must be avoided. It is also helpful to leave a radio turned on at a normal volume at all times to stabilize the acoustic environment and keep the Beagle company.
If the cause of destructive scratching is known, that cause should be eliminated, if possible. If a confined male dog is scratching because a neighborhood female dog is in heat, the use of some medication for the female dog in heat has proved to be successful, providing her owners are willing. If not, and if the problem is recurrent with a male that is not to be bred, castration has proven helpful if combined with the other steps outlined here. If your Beagle is unruly or shut away as punishment for some other behavior, the basic behavior problem should be corrected.

Pet News

MetroWest Daily News - A really nice girl who lost her home when her owner passed away and she was surrendered to the shelter. Good dog but must Bonnie is a lemon beagle and Tina a tri-color beagle. Both are good with other dogs. No reaction to cats. They love everybody
Source: www.metrowestdailynews.com

Meghan Daum: TiVo Tyranny — The Latest in Self-Loathing
Los Angeles Times - TiVo sounds like the name of a pet beagle. That’s apt because, like a loyal dog, DVR technology is nothing if not patient. Part personal shopper who knows our tastes better than we do, part complacent spouse who keeps our dinners warm no matter what
Source: www.latimes.com

Taking aim at Measure A
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Maile, a 6-month-old Cairn terrier and beagle mix, wore a gray “Vote No on A” T-shirt. His owner, Glendora resident Dennis Tapert, said Measure A would destroy the natural environment in the foothills that Maile enjoyed on her walks. “The dog
Source: www.sgvtribune.com

Warning over ’smoke-easy’ lock-ins 

SCOTTISH pubs are breaking the smoking ban by running after-hours “smoke-easies”, where regulars can flout the law and enjoy a cigarette with their pint.

Katrina spared his home, not his city 
For Darren Howard, last year’s NFL season was marred by far more than his personal beef with the New Orleans Saints. In late August, Howard packed a duffel bag with a few days’ worth of clothes, spirited his beagle off to a shelter and headed out with his teammates to San Jose, Calif., for the preseason finale against Oakland.

Small game season opens Friday

Oceanas Herald-Journal - Michigan’s small game season opens Friday, Sept. 15, but it’s hard to say why. Most rabbit hunters don’t unlimber their beagles and shotguns until the snow flies. Squirrel hunters are getting thin on the ground these days. With the ferns still up and
Source: www.oceanaheraldjournal.com

Animal boarding, photo shop opens
Quad-Cities Times - She is a past member of the Quad-Cities Dog Obedience Club, where she showed her Airedales and beagles. Holloway is moving his home-based business into the facility, specializing in pet portraiture. He works in pastels and acrylics, painting animals
Source: www.qctimes.com

Pet protection bill sent to Bush
Philadelphia Enquirer - Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who has two beagles and a cocker spaniel, said the bill is about “compassion and the recognition of the importance of compassion in the life of this nation.” The bill calls for state and local emergency preparedness
Source: www.ledger-enquirer.com

The Day of the Dogs
New York Times - in Tarrytown, were dotted with blue and white striped tents and a few yellow ones. It could have been a bustling county fair or a particularly ambitious farmers market, had it not been for the unusual number of well-groomed collies, beagles
Source: www.nytimes.com

Ota McCullough reaps honors at 100
Herald-Star - Ota and Louis received more than 1,000 trophies and ribbons over the years for their beagles. She is a life member of the Steubenville, Willow-Brooke and Fort Steuben Kennel Clubs. Ota also is a member of Wintersville United Methodist Women and the
Source: www.hsconnect.com

Pooch pretzels, anyone?

Asheville Citizen-Times - I m bummed I didn t bring my beagle. They make petit fours that look just like the ones I would make, said Brito, who is training to be a pastry chef. Although the store s primary focus clearly is dogs, there is a kitty corner read

Star-Gazette - helping out in the Gulf Coast animal rescue, local shelter officials also have the satisfaction of helping 65 homeless dogs Mike and Laurie Cirulli of Elmira had to wait longer for their Katrina dog — Caley, a beagle who weighed only seven pounds read

The State - The dog a friendly, chubby possible beagle-hound mix is the latest in what has become a major problem for the shelter shelter the only one in the area that doesn t euthanize animals is set up to handle stray or abused cats and dogs read

WISH-TV - American Society, and since 2003, has been the Vice-President of the Central Indiana chapter of the Society. A native of St. Louis, Ken is pleased to be back in the Midwest. He and his wife Wendy have 2 kids, Emily and Matthew, and 2 dogs, a Beagle read

WQAD - Thirteen homeless dogs from Taylortown, Mississippi have a full stomach and a warm place to sleep, thanks to a Tipton A young, quiet beagle has a tumor-like growth on his hind. And two young pit bull mixes are covered in bite marks from read

Searching For An Honest Beagle Breeder

Once you have located several breeders who produce the breed you desire (in this case a Beagle), we recommend that you visit all of them before deciding on a puppy. Compare their facilities, and beware of the hard sell. Do not be pressured into buying a Beagle puppy because the breeder says there are three other prospective buyers on their way over. Also, do not buy a puppy simply because the breeder isn’t planning to produce another litter any time soon.
Pay attention to first impressions. Which of the breeders is open, informative, and friendly? Which are closed-mouthed and cautious? A good breeder will be honest and will want to place the puppy in the best home possible. Breeders should also want to know about you. Are you responsible enough to own a dog? Do you have a house with a fenced yard, or do you live in a studio apartment? Do you own other pets? A good breeder will want to ensure the welfare of his or her dog, for the animal’s sake and for the future success of the breed.
Observe the general appearance of the facility. Is it clean and well maintained? Do the beagles appear to be healthy? Is the breeder’s home neat and orderly or messy and chaotic? You wouldn’t buy groceries in a filthy store infested with vermin, so why tolerate these conditions when shopping for a dog?
Check the area where the puppies are housed. It should be clean, warm, and comfortable. Water, bedding, and perhaps a few chew toys should be available. If this area is littered with excrement, the puppies may have become used to these conditions and may not understand that the sleeping area is not also a place to eliminate. Housebreaking these puppies could be difficult.
The friendliest beagles are usually those that have been handled by humans from the time they were only a few days old. Successful breeders understand this and will have regular handling sessions with the puppies every day. Many bring the Beagle puppies into their home each day to acclimate them to this environment. Avoid those breeders who keep their puppies isolated from people.
No breeder should allow a puppy to leave the litter before it is seven weeks of age. Proper socialization within the litter is ensured during this important period. puppies that leave too soon often become dog-aggressive and antisocial. Breeders who are willing to let their puppies go too early are not doing their job properly. Avoid them.
Proper record-keeping is an essential part of the breeding process. Breeders should have the pedigrees of all of their available dogs and should provide you with the accurate date of birth as well as all vaccination records. The breeder must also give you a blue AKC registration application for your puppy. You will fill this out and mail it to the American Kennel Club; the AKC will then send you your puppy’s registration certificate. A sales contract should be provided as well. Read this document carefully; some contracts specify co-ownership between you and the breeder, and some require you to alter the Beagle within a certain period.