Hi I'm brand new to the forum but found you when I ordered the Total Recall book ( fro which i am eagerly awaiting delivery). For the first time ( I've always had Springers) I have taken on a rescue Lab/beagle cross bitch. She is 10 months old and in many ways an absolute sweetheart but I am struggling to gain ground with her training. I don't know if I have just been fortunate in the past , if its a breed thing ( I have heard Beagles can be stubborn) or if its just this little lady's past - dont know too much about her ...of course it could equally be me I'm no professional.....but shes taking her time to master quite basic commands. Her recall in particular is patchy at best but blown completely if she meets another dog. Can anyone give me any tips as to hwo to improve her concentration and/or willingness to engage with me? all advice very gratefully received - we had a very narrow squeak this afternoon when she decided almost a mile from home to turn tail and head back across a very dangerous main road
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Beagles are quite popular around here and of all the ones I see out and about, I only see one off lead and that's because he's so old, he can't run very far or very fast anymore. Never underestimate the power of the instincts Hounds have been bred for generations for. Beagles were never bred to do as they were told, or to work in harmony with their handler, they were bred to follow a scent, chase and kill and so that instinct virtually overrides anything else. Ok, your girl is part Lab too, but it sounds like she has never been taught to Enjoy Learning from a young age, so she is resisting your attempts to train her and allowing her Beagly part to take precedence. If I were you, I'd try Clicker Training. Labs and Beagles tend to be very food orientated, so Clicker Training is ideal, as rewards are instant and tasty and most foody dogs are much more compliant once they realise Do something right = Click = Treat. That said, I would never ever fully trust her off lead. Having owned a Hound for 14 years, I can safely say no matter how well trained they are, when that Chase Instinct kicks in, their ears turn off and everything else goes out of the window. The only way I got around this was to constantly keep one eye on her and the instant she showed signs of focussing on the chase, I would drop a choke chain near her (so it went clang, not to hit her) to break her concentration, then I would leg it the other way, waggling a fluffy toy behind me (so giving her something else to chase as a reward). She was a Sighthound though, so happily chased anything moving. Your girl is a Scent Hound, so for a reward, you might be better off with a foxes tail, or a rabbit skin dummy and dragging it on the ground.....or if you don't like the thought of having something real in your pocket, then, you can get various scents (fox, deer, bear, etc) to put on toys to make them much more attractive to the dog. You might even find doing some Scent Work with her with one of these will give her an outlet for her instincts and help you bond together better.
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Thanks for replying.. yes you can definitely see shes a scent hound - nose down constantly but she seesm to have a lot of lab in her ( well physical looks anyway - most people assume shes a lab- only her big ears give her away) and i am hoping that will come through with training. the distraction idea is great and i will try that - sounds like it's going to be a much more difficult job than I thought ..she's worth it though- such a loving girl and so happy when shes out I hate the thought that I can't find a way for her to enjoy our country walks off lead.
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. [quote author=Kizzy Cal link=topic=1345.msg8833#msg8833 date=1364288859] I hate the thought that I can't find a way for her to enjoy our country walks off lead. [/quote] That was me too. Which is why I went out of my way to do everything I could, so I could allow my girl off lead. It would have been so easy to just keep her on lead, but in my eyes she needed to RUN and to enjoy what she was bred for, so I even took her Rabbiting. I had no idea what I was taking on when I got her, as she came from a local rescue. She was 14 weeks old, scrawny and scabby, and fell in love with her at first sight. I was told she was probably a Whippet cross Collie, but as she grew (and grew and GREW) it soon became apparent she was a Deerhound/Greyhound Lurcher. I'd never had a Hound before, but I had grown up with Terriers (another type of dog bred purely for hunting and not doing as it's told....lol), so I knew a little about having a reward enticing enough for the dog to want to work with me, so armed with that and the help of an old, been around the block, trainer, I eventually got her about as obedient as I could hope to. I never had FULL control over her. I'd be kidding myself if I said I did. But I had enough to keep her as safe as I could. I didn't let her run off lead near roads, just in case something caught her eye on the other side, but she did have some off lead time and a good run every time we went out. I don't regret having her, despite her challenging and often downright naughty ways, as in many other ways she was just perfect. I learnt so much from her and I still miss her dreadfully.
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Hi Jules [but in my eyes she needed to RUN and to enjoy what she was bred for] You're dead right I have always felt that my dogs needed that freedom to run and follow their nose (safely of course) which is why I am so keen to get the training right. I think it's a case of learning to understand my new girl - she is so different from my last dog - (which is not a bad thing- I love her dearly) so that I can meet her needs properly. Sounds like your girl had an owner who cared enough to do what was right for her too ...lucky dog so many don't.. I hate watching dogs and owners go by as one drags the other along, both obviously unhappy when it could be solved with just a little patient training and undertsanding. anyway thanks again - I'll let you know ho we get on
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Our very first dog was a lab / beagle cross. She could run all day, at the time we lived by the beach and she got pretty much all of exercise there but she if given any chance she'd have chased livestock. I was only little so I don't remember much of her training but she was my loyal companion, find one of us and the other wouldn't be far away! Wonderful little dog (we're used to huge hounds now so even labs are little!) and some fantastic memories. I hope your little warrior is as good for you. Kerryn PS welcome to the forum from me too
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Thanks for the welcome Pippa and Kerryn..... Kizzy is a wonderful dog and deserves the best I can give her....I have heard horror stories about rescue dogs but she is so loving and affectionate and has fitted into the family wonderfully well. I had my last dog ( a Springer) for 18 years and was heartbroken when we finally had to say good bye so it's taken almost 3 years for me to pluck up the courage to find a new friend. I am just concerned that I will let her down through lack of experience of the breed(s) and that her quality of life will be affected. Our dogs have always enjoyed a lot of freedom to run outdoors but i need to know she will be safe. Hopefully Pippa your book will be the stepping stone to that
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Welcome Kizzy, we are Hattie 5 years and Charlie 2 years. I know how you feel about doing the best for a rescue dog as we are in the exact same situation as we rescued Charlie and Lab x Pointer and we worry endlessly about this too. I am working through Pippa's Total Recall in hope that Charlie who has been an absconder, will settle and eventually have recall to whistle. Fingers and paws very much crossed and for you and your girl too. Good luck to you Helen x
Re: Lab/beagle cross.. Hi everyone and thank you so much for the warm welcome...Pippa's book arrived today ( in spite of the snow- good old amazon) so I have a lot of reading to do.... Kizzy meanwhile is enjoying the log fire and a raw hide chew Hazel
