Dog problems

[Deactivated] on 20/07/2014 - 08:13

I'm staying over with my girlfriend for 5 weeks as her parents have gone on holidays.

She has a pure bred beagle that is 5 years old. The dog is very irritating. Everyday he would howl really loud at her parents window.

He is very fond of my girlfriends dad. I don't know if hes howling at the window to try and get his non-existent attention or what but ill always have to go outside and tell him hes a bad dog. I don't know what else to do because the second i start walking towards him, he runs away.

What's even worse, he does it also early in the morning (around 5:30am - 7:30am), I'm afraid it wakes up the neighbors.

His howls are so damn loud it almost echoes. He doesn't only do it once but does it on multiple occasions. Like for example, he did it at 5:45am this morning, then another at 7:30.

He knows hes doing someone bad because his tail goes between his legs when we tell him off.

I don't know what to do. I can't go near him. I've never owned a dog before so I don't know what to do.

PS. He howled a second ago -_-

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Comments

  • stemcell on 20/07/2014 - 08:18

    Try putting the radio on for him at night it can have a calming affect, unless you tune it to 2gb in which case it'll send him mental.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/07/2014 - 08:25

      We do turn on the radio in the kitchen all day that can be heard out the backyard. No effect unfortunately

  • cst on 20/07/2014 - 08:20
    +14

    Take him for a walk. Play ball with him. A dog happy from exercise and play may be less likely to bark. Give him a bone or some chew toys. Be kind.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/07/2014 - 08:40
      +8

      OP, big yes to all of that after you gain his trust.

      Beagles can be cute but they need serious exercise or they get bored - and howl and/or dig. Two of the most prominent traits of the breed.

      The howling is clearly the result of boredom combined with missing your girlfriend's father (his Dad too + playmate).

      You (and the neighbours) could well be in for an interesting 5 weeks, but things should improve…

      Tasty dog-treats > trust > exercise.
      Best of luck.

  • coolsteps on 20/07/2014 - 11:34
    -1

    try locking him up at night in the laundry room.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/07/2014 - 11:38

      We did. He wouldn't stop scratching the door

  • YouLIKEyouLICK on 20/07/2014 - 12:14
    +1

    Dog needs to get use to you, same thing happened to me also, just be firm with your voice every now and then, dog will eventually get it.

  • Davo1111 on 20/07/2014 - 13:03
    +2

    He wants attention/entertainment.

  • kwaker on 20/07/2014 - 13:53
    +7

    You should take him for a lot of exercise to tucker him out. He will wake up early in the morning because its cold right now.

    Stop yelling at him and being aggressive because this as you seen only results in an undesired effect - he runs away from you - Which is probably because he thinks your going to hit him which you might have already. He just thinks your a mean irrational person instead of you being the leader and giving commands.

    only say the word NO, when he his doing something wrong don't rant.

    whenever you tell a dog not to do something, you should be giving him something else to do. they love structure and jobs. beagles love walks and food.

    your not the dog person so your girlfriend should talk to her parents and discuss it. they might know what works for him. I highly suggest a dog crate in your laundry, that way he cant scratch the door and he will be comfortable overnight and might sleep in.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/07/2014 - 07:57
      +1

      Couldn't agree more. He is probably sad and bored. Telling him he is a bad dog will not stop the howling as a) dogs don't understand English, just sounds, and b) he's getting attention from you when he howls, which reinforces the behavior. Dogs mostly do not distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' attention.

      Walk him for at least half an hour right before you go to bed. It'll be cold but less unpleasant than getting up in frustration all night long. Then crate him if you can (plenty of article on the Internet about crating) or put him to bed. Make sure he has his favourite toys and if you do get up to him, get your girlfriend to give him a brief pat and kind words then back to bed with 30 seconds. Then don't get up to him again.

      Hopefully this is just because of missing his master and not how he normally behaves. If it's how he is normally he must be one unhappy dog. Happy dogs love knowing clear boundaries of how to behave. Too many anxious dogs happen because their owners aren't willing to train their dogs properly for whatever reason.

  • whodidthat on 21/07/2014 - 08:29
    +2

    Combination of boredom and separation anxiety.

    The dog needs reassurance and something to occupy mind, plus exercise.

    https://www.google.com.au/search?q=dog+separation+anxiety+te…

  • ibelynn on 21/07/2014 - 09:25
    +1

    I agree with the others.
    Beagles howl and dig, they love to scent, and its very hard to call a beagle back once he's off scenting! his nose is on the ground and its hard to call them off.
    he should be on a long lead for a start when you walk him
    1. So he will not get killed when he runs off under a car.
    2. You then have control over him.
    Take him for a good hours walk, go to a dog park if there's one in your area.

    keep him in the bedroom with you at night, then he has company, and he might not start to howl so early, but maybe he's used to a walk at that time too!
    Also get a supply of "brisket bones" from the supermarket, freeze them and give him one a day, it will keep him happy and quiet for a hours each day.
    Make sure they are brisket bones though and not just labeled dog bones, as brisket is safe for dogs to eat, some of the others are not and you don't want a vet bill.
    Good luck

    • mintysaurus on 24/07/2014 - 23:20

      If you go with freezing bones make sure they're thawed before you feed them. Might end up with broken teeth otherwise. Goodluck!

  • Dave-o on 25/08/2014 - 13:20

    Doesn't sound like an OzBargain to me ;o)

    What's he eating? Maybe he needs some decent food, like one of these - http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-f…

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