At Wit's End - Need Help Badly

What do I do about this dog? Brandy is a four-year-old beagle who has
been in our family since a tiny puppy. She is cute, friendly, lively,
and very healthy, but we have many (and increasing) problems with her.
These are:

1. She is excessively dominant and has been since the day she came
home with us. She tries to hump every other dog she encounters. She
learned quickly to bark to go out and come in to do her toilet - but
she abused it to the point that we finally had to move her to a covered
porch outside (i.e., barking to go in and out for her own enjoyment

Janet B...

Ok, it's happened. Why not change it now? She shouldn't be living
outside. Dogs living outside on their own have little reason to care
what you think.

rather than toilet). Essentially, she trained us.

2. Is there such a thing as "Doggie Attention Deficit Disorder"?
Brandy has an attention span of about three seconds. Give her a
command and she will obey - but only for a second. We cannot get her
attention long enough to train her. She's just as hyper today as when
she came home with us as a puppy. We went to a group training class at
Petsmart just to observe, and felt that it would be useless since we
knew that Brandy would be uncontrollable and would just hump the other
dogs.

Janet B...

So you haven't actually enrolled in an obedience class? I hear from
people like you all the time. "hand throwers". "my dog couldn't
possibly learn to behave". Yanno what? You don't know anything until
you've tried and every dog has the capacity to learn. Humping other
dogs would not be allowed, BTW.

3. We have been struggling for four years to get her to walk properly.
Sometimes she is OK with me. Sometimes she pulls to the extent of
choking herself. We have tried numerous training aids and treats, but
nothing works. She doesn't like doggie treats of any kind. The only
treat she responds to is human food (even though she usually eats dog
food, you'd think nice dog treats would be effective but they aren't).

Janet B...

You need to TRAIN her.

4. As mentioned above, she was moved outside about a year ago. She is
currently living in an open crate under a covered porch with a large
screened open patio. She has a dog door to the grassy, fenced area.
She has been trained to use the dog door and indeed, most of the time
she uses the dog door. This worked well for several months. In the
last two or three months, however, she has developed NEW bad behaviors.
The first is the "howl". If she wants in and we don't respond, she
sometimes goes to the back door or the side of the house and howls.
The only way I could deal with this without giving in to the demand or
driving ourselves and the neighbors crazy was to lock her up in the
crate for a while.

Janet B...

I'm confused. In where? the house? I thought she was living
outside? Why not actually let her IN if she is showing she wants to
LIVE with you?

5. The worst change has been the regression in her toilet habits.
Now, after months of doing things basically correct, on certain days
she will simply choose to use the patio or the mat directly in front of
the house door. Three days in a row last week, we cleaned up poop and

Janet B...

She's never been properly housetrained.

pee on the patio and it seems from the volume that she gave the patio
"all her business." This week, only once so far. I understand
accidents will happen, but this is either willfulness or laziness.
This happens only when she is home alone and there is no attempt to
hide it. We Cloroxed the patio area over and over and finally
repainted the entire area to no avail. We have no idea why she does
this - it isn't like she doesn't get attention or that anybody is
traumatizing her on special days. We also have no idea how to deal
with it since we have never actually observed her doing it. You can't
punish or reward the dog several hours after the behavior.

6. As a general comment for anyone considering getting a dog, you'd
better love the "doggy characteristics" a lot more than we do. We
still let Brandy inside when we are all downstairs in the kitchen or
watching TV in the family room, which she enjoys. However, she shakes
her loose hair the minute she steps inside (is there any way to stop
this???) and even from just a couple of hours in the house, my wife
sweeps up a dustpan full of hair every day. Frankly, the volume of
hair was another reason why she was moved outside. And the doggy odor?
It doesn't matter what food she eats, she stinks if she isn't bathed
every other day.

Janet B...

Of course it matters what food she eats, and dogs shed. Did you not
know that when you got that cute little puppy? Your story is classic.
Got a cute little puppy. Didn't like that it grew into an adult dog,
had needs, failed to train it, and haven't researched enough to find
out why the dog stinks. Living OUTSIDE is a contributing factor, as
are many other things.

Suja...

I am staying out of this one, because I just got back from a temperament
test on a very nice dog (young, people friendly, dog friendly, too skinny
yet takes food gently and is not food aggressive, knows to sit and down,
keeps her kennel run clean despite having diarrhea...) and am not in a very
charitable mood. You'd think that a dog that was found with a collar AND a
halti on would have an owner who'd care enough to look. Apparently not.

I really shouldn't offer to do any more temp tests. Makes me really dislike
people.

Janet B...

Tell me about it. She sounds like a gem and so many like her lose
their lives due to no fault of their own.

Paula...

My kids were telling me about the big argument they got into with
their stepmother who insists that all dogs in rescue and shelters are
there because they have issues so they couldn't adopt because it would
be a nightmare. At least my kids have been raised to know better.

TaraG...

Wow. She's just full of....umm....interesting information.

You've got cool kids.

shelly...

Poor kids! It's tough having to reconcile yourself to the fact that
you are more smarterer than some of your elders.

Also, has their stepmother never considered that you have used dogs,
and that they are not any kind of "nightmare"?

Janet B...

I think you're not very good dog owners either. Beagle rescue may be
able to help you.

I don't ask or expect help with #6 but does anyone have any suggestions
for how to deal with #s 1-5? Cuteness and friendliness only go so far

pfoley...

Has the dog been neutered? This might help with the humping and possibly a
few of the dominance issues. Does the dog get any daily walks; this sounds
like a dog that probably could use a couple of walks a day to tire him out.
It would keep him less bored and more content, thus less annoying. I also
would consider taking this dog to obedience training. It will form a bond
between you and the dog, and you could ask the trainer what you could do to
teach your dog better manners at home.

Lynne...

this is such a sad but typical story. As I have been looking to adopt
a new dog, I've seen how overwhelmed the rescues are with lovely dogs
who were not properly trained by their owners and then cast aside like
trash. The rescues try like crazy to keep dogs from being gassed at
the shelters, but there is only so much they can do. I can't bear to
think of how many innocent dogs are put to death DAILY in this country.

Properly trained Beagles are wonderful dogs--an by proper training, it
sounds like you need to go to classes with a *good* trainer. Beagles
(and all dogs) need to be with their family, though, no matter what
else you do. Interesting factoid about Beagles, and I have found this
to be true with my Beagle mix: they are one of the cleanest dog breeds
(when they live indoors). My girl smells lovely, and all I do is brush
her (somewhat) regularly. She's only had maybe 2 baths in a year and I
just love to stick my nose in her fur and take in huge whiffs of her
sweet smell, especially right behind her ears. I've taken her tromping
through the woods on a very regular basis, where she often gets covered
in mud. Usually by the time the hike out is done, the mud falls off
her coat. It's like magic how clean she is.

Bring your dog inside and train her! Love her and enjoy her. Isn't
that why you got her??

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Yes. One. Go with your gut. Please find this dog another home. It's
the least you can do.

You're right. You're just not a dog person. There's no law that says
you have to be one, and you've given it a good go. But it's time to
admit the obvious.

So start looking for a good home for this dog. Your vet may be able to
help. Or you can call various rescue organizations, run ads, pass the
word, etc.

And please don't be tempted to get another dog later on. Again,
you're just not a dog person.

Think cat.

Janet B...

I wouldn't recommend a cat. They shed too and do things in the home
that may not be looked upon kindly. They are animals, only as good as
the training and nature made them. Cats who live outside have pretty
short lives in general. I'd hate to see these folks get a cat, shove
it outside, and be bad cat owners as well, as a result. Maybe a nice
pet rock.