Foster Beagle

[Haven]

Hello all!

It's been months since I stopped by.We have been extremely busy. I think the last time I posted was about our two pit bull fosters (although I think the posts got lost when the site went down in April...) They were both successfully adopted , along with a few puppies and kittens since then.

Our latest project is a one year old beagle who we call Stretch (his shelter name is Little Guy, how generic can you get?). He has kennel cough, the official reason he is being fostered. When I picked him up from the shelter, he sounded horrible. The vet techs said it sounded so bad that if it got any worse he might not be able to recover. BUT since we brought him home he has barely showed any signs of the disease- no coughing, no weakness, just a little sneeze now and then. My husband is convinced the dog was faking it to get out of his cage.

Anyway, the reason I'm here is that I have very little experience with Beagles. This guy is very loving, very affectionate, goofy, great with our other dogs, and so well-behaved...when you are in the room. However, whenever you leave him where he can't get to you (in his kennel, in his crate) he goes crazy.

Now, I've dealt with separation anxiety before (both of our dogs have this issue) but the weird thing is that he will settle down pretty quickly, like five minutes. The bad thing is that within those five minutes he makes a big mess - he will poop and run around in it, cry, bark, and whine until he just gives up and lays down. He will even do this if you are just in the other room for a few minutes and he can still hear your voice. The worst part is that we take him out every time he asks (he is very good at ringing the bell on the door, learned what it meant in one afternoon) and then take him out some more. He'll pee every time, but I almost get the feeling he's "holding" the messy stuff to teach us a lesson the next time we leave him alone. He just won't make the effort to go.

We are working on very short time periods where we hide and then treat him if he's good, and it does seem to be helping a bit. We also (of course) never make a big deal of leaving or returning. Sometimes one of us will just duck out the back door and then come in the front door just so he gets the idea that we can come and go and it won't hurt him.

Any other advice? Do Beagles tend to be super sensitive about this? Or is it more due to him being a shelter dog? I have no history on him, don't even know how long he's been in "jail".

OK, now that you've patiently read my whole post you get to see pictures.

Some people think he's handsome (himself included )


Stretch loves gymnastics (part of why he got his name). He gets up on the futon and somersaults from one end to the other.


Then he waits for applause with a big grin!


Sometimes, he sneaks into our bedroom and jumps on the people bed. He's not allowed up there and he knows it. Here he is worried b/c he thinks his foster dad is coming...


False alarm... and Mom is such a push over. "You won't tell me to get down, will you?" says Stretch. Darn it, I can't say no to those eyes!

[poodlesmom]

Oh my, those eyes just draw you right in and I can see why you're such a pushover!

The one thing I thought of (which you've probably already tried) is if you think he is due to have to poop instead of just bringing him out to go potty, actually take him for a brisk walk. Sometimes this will do this trick.

[calgal]

He's a cutie for sure and he knows how to use those eyes. Well first off, the behavior isn't just a breed spacific one. Since he is very smart at learning things quickly, I would say he is exhibiting a behavior exactly like one he would have learned to do in the shelter. Poop, run around and yell and someone comes! He doesn't want to be alone, so this is where you will need to help him get over.
About the kennel cough. It's an air borne disease and your dogs WILL get it now too. Takes up to 16 days. Unless of course you got your dogs the kennel cough medicine a few days or more before you brought him home.

[Haven]

Thanks for the tip, poodlesmom! He does enjoy his walks, so I may start adding another short one in before we leave anywhere.

calgal, thanks for the concern!

Unless of course you got your dogs the kennel cough medicine a few days or more before you brought him home.

Our own dogs are vaccinated against kennel cough along with everything else. They also have a history of mighty strong immune systems, something we considered before we started fostering. Every dog I've ever dealt with who has kennel cough got it from being in a high-stress environment (shelter/boarding/shows). I call it a gateway disease, since in itself it isn't very bad, but it can seriously deplete a stressed out animal's immune system allowing for more serious illness to occur.

Stretch is taking a nap with our dog Chili right now, curled up against his belly. I'm pretty sure he is under a lot less stress than he was in the shelter

[rmci]

OMG! What a cutie! I bet he'll get adopted out as soon as he gets better.

[mrsgrubby]

oh my gosh, i love him, I want Him!!!!!I too have a rescue beagle, first I fostered her, then I couldn't give her up!!!!

Well, beagles are extremely vocal. They are very smart,and need TONS of exercise. nearly impossible to tire them out.

violet loves her cage, it is full of stuffed bunnies that are very, very soft. however if I put a baby gate up to keep her out of the room I am in, she will pee on the floor. ( I think because she knows I will come over to her to clean it up).

Try walking him more as suggested above. Also if you have a fenced yard teach him fetch, and violet will chase a remote control car too.

Are you putting yummy things in his cage to distract him? Beagles are known as huge chow hounds. try putting a stuffed kong in his cage, stuffed with canned food,or yougurt, or something. As soon as he finishes take him out of the crate, also you can try a bunch of stuffed friends like I did for Violet, and hide treats in the cage as well.

also try only feeding him in his crate, that way he associates his crate with good stuff, I did that with Violet too, because one of the reasons she was given to me to foster was that she cried in her crate all the time.

good luck, he is so georgous, I wish i could adopt him!!