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Hi Chris,

I have a quick question about Beagle puppies, and more particularly, Snoopy. He's a little biter, he's bitten me quite a few times, and basically only STOPS biting once he's too tired to open and close his mouth. :-) I was hoping you may have some advice as to what we can do to get him to understand he can't bite people. Everything we're reading is indicating that you reward the puppy for good behavior, but don't discipline him for bad. We've tried both and he just doesn't stop biting. I really want him to be able to meet new people with out having to fear that as soon as they pick him up, he goes for their hair or face... How do you train a Beagle puppy that biting is not okay?
Also, I was wondering if you could tell me the schedule you kept the puppies on as far as eating is concerned? I'd like to keep him on a regular schedule, and maximize the total time we are able to sleep as well. So far we've only been "allowed" 3 hour increments..sometimes closer to 2 hour increments...before he cries and wakes us up...needing to be walked. The lack of sleep is starting to catch up.

Thanks for your time,

L.

and my response...

Hi L,

Biting is how beagle puppies play with each other at that age... he's trying to establish dominance over you, and you're allowing it (because he's still biting you). Here are some things you can do to regain dominance over him, at which point he will stop biting and can become a perfect citizen:

Keep him lower than you... don't let him sit up on the back of the couch or up on your shoulder.

Hold him on his back. As long as he kicks up a big fuss about that, he still would like to be the alpha dog. Be strong and persistent, and check him every so often by turning him on his back to see how his attitude is doing.

Put crackers in his food dish and make him watch you eat them before he gets the real puppy food at the bottom. Stare at him while you eat. Dominant dogs eat first.

"Block" his way with your body or feet from toys he would like, his food dish, etc.. Just keep maneuvering between him and the object that he wants. Let him have it when you want to, when he's quiet and watching you.

You go through a door first. Catch him in the jaw with your foot if he tries to go through first. Say "stay" as you "tap" him with your foot. Under the chin is best. This is important for his safety, too, if you live near a busy street. He only goes through the door after you have, and you must invite him.

Whatever he complains about (baths, nail clipping, etc.) make him do more of it until he complies nicely. Make him face his fears. Don't let him train you! Make sure he does whatever it is you want him to do.

Play "chase me", don't ever chase him, no matter what. Have nice yummy treats or a squeaky toy to lure him to you. Squat down sideways to him, don't look at him, and pat your thigh, saying "come". I don't know why this works, but they always come!

Don't greet him when you enter the room. Ignore him, don't look at him. Wait until he is quiet and attentive, then give him praise and let him out to play. You may have to leave and enter the room over and over until he gives up and sits quietly. Then praise and treat him!

Now you're speaking DOG. He'll never learn to interpret human language, so you have to communicate to him in Dog first. You're smarter.

Try renting some Dog Whisperer videos from Netflix (or watch the series on National Geographic). Bad dog behavior always comes from improper human behavior. You didn't mean to, but you've been behaving in such a way to communicate to Snoopy that he can be the leader if he likes. He'll accept that responsibility, but you won't like how he tries to manage the household! Like he decides how long you sleep? I don't think so! At your bedtime, make sure he hasn't eaten for 2 or 3 hours, no water for an hour before bed, put him in a small crate (so he won't try to potty in the far corner) with a soft blankie and a squeaky toy, put the crate in the car, in the garage, put on a fan in your bedroom so you can’t hear him (and earplugs if you have to), and let him out in the morning! If you want to set your clock for the middle of the night and let him out once, you can, but soon he'll be able to hold it all night. Three nights of crating and the worst will be over! Never let him out when he's noisy, only when he's quiet, 30 seconds of silence the first time, then wait 1 full minute the next time, then 2 minutes, etc.. And make a rule..."silent beagles get a treat". Treat him EVERY time he's silent and attentive, soon he'll sit and look up expectantly when you enter the room. Check into clicker training, it's a more immediate reward that dogs respond well to. My wild, horrible little pug babies turned into silent, expectant adults (but only for me until I trained the rest of the humans in our pack how to behave). Our one year old, previously boisterous, gangly beagle/lab mix now CANNOT cross a door threshold without being invited. We find him sitting "stuck" at a doorway, all by himself, waiting for someone to say "o.k.!" It's because I did all of the above and they are submissive to my dominant attitude. I expect and demand civilized behavior, just as I do from my children. Not that I am aloof with the dogs all the time, just when I first see them after being somewhere else in the house. I don't greet them because that's what the submissive dog does. And that takes the burden and worry off of them... it's a big responsibility to be in charge of a pack, they'd really rather have someone else do the job!

Three days of a change in your behavior will make a huge difference in Snoopy. Let me know how it goes!

Chris

Here's my very latest thinking on dog nutrition (as of April 27, 11 p.m.). I have been trying to make up recipes for natural dog food. I measure ingredients, look them up on Nutritiondata.com, and compare that to the nutritional requirements of dogs according to the latest from the National Academies of Sciences. Every time, the recipe comes up short, especially for calcium and other minerals, especially for young puppies. I end up getting out my vitamin stash and comparing International units with mg per kg of bodyweight, and I just don't know how to tell you to do the same. What's worse, commercial dogfoods don't tell you how much of each vitamin they have added. I discovered that Kirkland brand doesn't have rendered animal parts (no "meat and bone meal" on the label). So I don't feel so bad. I see lots of vitamins and minerals on the label, but did they add the bare minimum of vitamins or the recommended amount? I wish I knew. Maybe I will call them and ask. What I do know now is that none of the commercial raw food formulations I have seen have added vitamins, and when I run their ingredients on Nutritiondata.com, they don't meet the recommended requirements. So today's best advice is to feed your dog a commercial dry food that starts with meat as the first ingredient, has no "meat and bone meal" or "animal fat". Then bring it to life by adding a dollop of yogurt, a raw egg every so often, some cooked veggies, a blob of rice or oatmeal, raw chicken livers on Sunday, and give that dog a raw meaty bone to gnaw!

Dogs are omnivores. I’ve always argued that they are carnivores because they have carnivore teeth and the fact that their zoological classification is Carnivora. But their chemistry functions like an omnivore, like people and rats. For instance, they can change carotene into vitamin A. Cats are strict carnivores. It doesn’t matter how many carrots you feed a cat, they can’t get vitamin A out of it. I always said dogs could not digest grains, but now I am eating my words.

The next most important thing I learned is that feeding a dog is not an exact science. They can adjust to just meat for awhile (a few weeks or months), then just oatmeal for awhile, etc.. If a doggy’s diet is missing a mineral or vitamin for long enough, then he will show deficiencies (problems walking, bad coat, gunky eyes, etc.) but the problem goes away as soon as he gets that mineral or vitamin. Puppies are more sensitive to having all their nutrients. They get more adaptable as they get older. So the key is variety (just like people). That’s why dogs fed just Purina Mealtime every day and nothing else eventually end up either allergic to it, or end up with hypothyroidism or joint problems.

The third most important thing I learned is that after decades of animal research, science still can’t tell you how much to feed your beagle. At the end of the chapter on energy (calorie) needs, my textbook says “but we could be off by as much as 50%”. Just like a kid, he’ll have growth spurts, play in the snow and need more calories, or watch lots of t.v. with you and need less calories. You have to feel your beagle to tell how much to feed him. You should be able to find the ribs, but they shouldn’t be sticking out. Start with a measured amount (use the calculator below to start with a baseline) and add to that or take away on a daily basis, based on how his bones feel to you!