sugarbear1

Another thing to try is to pray and meditate on this. I once had an experience of asking my higher power to help me with my cat. Today I work this with two cats. It really seems to help; then I can focus on the footwork in front of me (yes, I do train my cats and always have, my special education background also helps).

Do your part and learn how to train your pup, then pray and meditate on it, too.

muvinon

Jenni, my dog owned me. At the end of her life she had back problem. It was serious, so she had to be crated to be sure she didn't move. She stopped peeing, for the first time ever, on the carpet.

She always had the capability of not puddling. I never knew that! lol

Crating really helps with dog training and can be a nice "time out" for both you and the dog. You can also enroll in a training program.

Mostly it's routine. Once she adjusts and figures out what the routine and limits are, I bet she'll relax.

dsmaxis10

I never owned a dog but I wouldn't give up on training the dog you can do it.

Soberpotamus

Thanks so much, y'all! Really appreciate all the advice and ideas Going to keep all of them in mind.

Today she has been much calmer, which is surprising! But then again, maybe not so surprising... I kind of had my moment of craziness yesterday after having her with us for 10 days or so. It all built up and I just had to let it go and kind of throw my hands up in the air in exasperation. It was like dreaming you're walking through sand with heavy feet in slow motion and you're kind of helplessly watching something take place before your eyes, and there's little you feel you can do to stop it... lol.

I had been watching videos online here and there... no one specific training program. So maybe a lot of my confusion was there... not knowing which technique to follow, hearing different approaches and all. Just was overloading my brain for a second.

Also, her Dad is home to help today, it's rained and so all the animals are cozy inside the house, peacefully snoozing and coexisting... almost miraculous I've actually had time to clean out my fridge, clean up the kitchen, and my husband rearranged the living room area to make it more dog friendly. We've put away anything she could destroy that she can reach (ha! bet she'll still find something we missed), and laid out some blankets just for her... and I gave her a few more plush toys... she goes bonkers with those!!! She loves the cats' mouse toys too. Who'd have thought?? She lies on her back, legs up in the air, and holds the mouse in her mouth and looks at us upside down!!!! Omg, it's the cutest thing ever. She is way too charming!!! I think she is beginning to realize it too

She hasn't peed on the carpet in two days. Yay!!! She is consistently going to the door to be let out. Today, I made sure to walk out the door first, let her follow, told her to go "pee-pee", waited until she went... and then we went back inside together. I no longer let her out alone and shut the door behind. Now, she is not afraid of the door being locked on her! Wow, was I a dummy!!! And I thought I was smart, lol.

I looked at the Cesar Milan website and I'm going to look at the link by MesaMan too.

Ordering the Kong toys. And some poop bags for when we go to the park. And probably a collapsible water bowl.

I think once I put more blankets out, moved away some temptations, and provided her with more toys and then accompanied her while peeing... all of that has made her a bit calmer today.

Soberpotamus

Another thing... I did research the breed before we got her. That's why I picked her. I liked what I read about the Beagle demeanor and felt she'd be a good family pet.

CaiHong

Sober Jennie

I second Toxic tonic on the Ceasar Milan training videos, he really is amazing. And as much as we may not want to hear this, it's usually the owners that need to be trained. Taught me a lot about myself and I am so much better with my own dog now.

Good luck Jennie.

Caihong

Soberpotamus

Glad you all mentioned crating as a time-out technique... I was only crating her for bed at night. I'll try crating her at some point in the future when she is getting me stressed out again. That's a good idea. I hesitated to crate her, and put her outside thinking it was better because at least she would be able to run free in the backyard and play... but I see now she felt alone, sad, and isolated when I did that! I kept thinking she'd take to it. But she didn't. So maybe I just wanted her to do what I felt she should do... which is ridiculous!! Since I have no idea what she wants sometimes, that's silly of me to assume she'd just bend to my will. *sigh*

Just because I think something is better or more appealing does not mean she is going to see it that way... lol. Apparently, I am being educated just as much as she is. My husband calls it "downloading"... she is young and still downloading info

fini

Jennie,
couple more things, which are really along the same lines: whatever you want to be able to do/need her to be able to do, start it now with small steps. daily. several times.
if you want to be able to leave her home alone, start by going into a different room for a few seconds with closed door. make it matter of fact. reappear very soon, eventually stretching the time frame. then go outside without her for a few seconds. stretch this out also, and if you keep doing this and increasing the time and showing up again matter-of-factly as if being alone is no big deal for you or her, you can get her to be okay with being home alone.
just don't come back to her if she whines or cries. if she does, wait til the smallest break and come back when she's quiet. right away.
whatever behaviour you want to re-inforce, do it immediately. a minute later...the dog won't know what the toy or the "good stuff!" is for.

same for crate training. if you want her to be okay in the crate for time-outs, start it now, make it a good experience, start with small increments and do it daily.

oops, i'm sounding bossy. i speak from experience, though, and know that this kind of stuff pays off big time. you end up with a dog who's confident about being alone and happy to be in her own space once in a while.

Grungehead

Lots of sound advice here. I have found through raising several dogs from puppyhood:

I MUST be seen as the "alpha dog" by my dog.

Positive reinforcement ALWAYS works better than negative reinforcement.

It's true that it's hard to "teach old dogs new tricks". Puppies and adolescent dogs are much easier to train than trying to change an unwanted behavior later.

Crating as a puppy is a good thing, not punishment. I didn't crate my first dog as a puppy and he always had at least some separation anxiety throughout his life (which led to many unpleasant surprises when returning home). I crated my last 2 dogs as puppies and it turns out they ended up loving their crate -- it was their "safe place" and it was the "go to" spot for one of them during thunderstorms.

I had a good friend growing up who had a beagle mix live to be 22 years old!

Soberpotamus

Fini, that really helps. The smaller time increments makes sense. Will try starting tomorrow.

Good news. I was able to get her to sit consistently tonight, four or five times, using tiny bits of chicken jerky. She sat and even stayed the last time. It was pretty amazing thats all it took. Then later on the leash I was able to get her to sit which rarely happens because of all the distractions outside. She walked closer to my side tonight and was pulling much less

Also, I played jazz piano on the surround sound for her all day and i think she likes it.

MesaMan

Our 4th Goldie givin' it the big stretch in his Crate. He loved it.

Soberpotamus

Beautiful puppy, MesaMan

muvinon

I take care of dogs for others, and most of them which are crated love their crate. It takes a bit of training...but apparently not much.....for them to learn to go there on command.

It's their "safe" place.

Soberpotamus

Her Kong toy arrived today... filled it with kibble and sealed it with peanut butter. She went to town on it! I placed it in her crate so she'd have the initial association with it being connected to her crate.

She is doing fine in her crate now on days I have to leave the house to run errands. Seems to be no problems whatsoever. No peeing or pooping in it either.

We got a little strap that buckles into a seat belt buckle and snaps onto her leash/harness to hold her safely in the backseat. She won't be able to climb all over us anymore in the car.

Also go her one of the collapsible water bowls for long walks and traveling. Her larger crate arrives today by FedEx. We'll be able to carry this one with us when traveling.

I got 4 different Cesar Millan books and audiobooks yesterday. Still probably going to get the 6 DVD set as well. Concerned about what is going to happen as far as bad habits being ingrained as I make time to read all this stuff... hoping nothing can't be undone.

My husband's uncle trains German Shepherds and he showed me how to lay her on her side, hold her nose/mouth shut and gently rub her belly when she is being too feisty, in order to calm her down and put her in a submissive hold. It works well. She is so incredibly energetic lately, chasing the cats more than before, and biting at my hands... I tell her "No Bite" and retract my hand immediately. It helps sometimes. She seems to be catching on, but she is just really hyper still.

I take her for a long walk first thing in the morning into the back of the neighborhood, and there's a field back there she wants to run through sooooo much! I am tempted to unleash her but really don't know if she'll come back to me yet. I am going to keep her leashed until she is trained, and then I might consider unleashing her back there.

We gave her several plush toys... my husband tied one to some twine string, and we toss it through the air, and then pull it with the string and she just goes crazy on it!!! She chases it like she would chase a rabbit. So we use that to get rid of some of that energy... she sleeps well after that.

Hopefully the Kong toy is going to get her to quit chewing on things in the house. I'm going to place it in front of her every time I tell her "no" chewing the household items.

Soberpotamus

Oh... I emailed Wellness, Natural Balance, and Taste of the Wild companies to get some dry kibble samples before we decide on a big bag of food for her. One of them is sending samples, the others are sending coupons and they guarantee their food so if she refuses the food I can send it back and try another one.

We tried some Royal Canin from my husband's uncle's stash (for his German Shepherds), and she liked it but the chunks were too large... they make them customized for the dog size. Anyway... she is probably going to eat any of those three brands because they are all better than Royal Canin ingredients, from what I can tell so far.

We'll probably switch cat food brands too... and get these cats off the corn/wheat based junk food.

Grungehead

That's one of the great things about crates -- a dog tends to not soil their "den" if they can help it.

Boleo

I was going to quote some stuff out of the BB and 12&12 to address the "concept of control" until I noticed that you were getting some very good advice about how to train your dog. I will hold off on the "Spiritual" stuff till you dog's life is back under control.

I believe psychology is the wrong tool for treating the ISM of alcohol-ISM. However, I believe Ethology is the right tool for treating doggy-ISM.

Ohio1

Hi Jennie- I just had to post, I feel for you so much and what you are going through and your post just jumped out at me.

"We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people- " from the big book.

These are the bedevilments that alcoholics tend to suffer from. These things intrude on our lives over and over. This is why I couldn't be truly happy even though I had stopped drinking- I couldn't live in these things and I couldn't get rid of them. This is why "just stop drinking" didn't help me even when I did manage to somehow force myself away from pills/alcohol.

Beagles are nice dogs but like all dogs they can be a handful- this isn't the problem though.

Soberpotamus

Please do post, Boleo. There's no time like the present

Doggie is rearranging my life anyway... things are changing around here!! Lol. Hard to get a cup of coffee down, read a book, write a post... I am getting her used to a routine, one that is largely being created as we go along!

Soberpotamus

I think this dog was the thing I needed to give me some good sober, life lessons