Need ideas on training a difficult puppy?

Until you said Beagle, I was guessing this was a Jack Russell Terrier. This dog has obviously taken charge. You can be calm and assertive, but the dog will only walk off and get into mischief, leaving you standing there. You need to take back control a little at a time.

I am glad the dog crates. That can give you a place to begin your reform training. Do this exercise when you have a lot of time. Put the dog in the crate. Get down to her eye level. The moment the dog looks away from the handle where you let her out, immediately praise and let her out. Give her a treat and put her back end. Again wait for her to look towards you. After a couple of times, you can ask for her to make eye contact before you let her out. This becomes the cornerstone of reform.

When doing this the first time, don’t be surprised if the exercise takes a very long time. You will also need to repeat it a few times until she realizes that for her to get what she wants, she has to look at you first.

If she paws and whines to get out of the crate, then you first need to modify that habit. Let her paw and whine, but don’t reprimand. Really concentrate and wait for that instant that she takes a pause in that behavior. Immediately say “good” and let her out. Give her a treat. You may even try throwing a ball or using a squeak toy to give a little play as a reward for earning her way out of the crate.

I have an article I wrote which was nominated for an award this year from DWAA. This tells has more ideas on how do reform training with a dog such as yours. Email me with your email address and I will send it to you.

Oh and by the way, seven months isn't a puppy, you have a full blown adolescent.

Peggy Swager

APDT-Behaviorist

author of Training the Hard to Train Dog

www.peggyswager.com

Beagles aren't stubborn...they have a hidden agenda. They don't listen because they lack proper motivation, training plan that uses force, they don't understand what you are asking, or they can't make the proper 'decisions' and need more leadership. No matter the situation, all dogs deserve to be treated with respect and trained without any unnecessary force or pain. This does for choke chains, e-collars, prongs, yelling, hitting...etc.

It sounds like your dog in this situation needs proper leadership. Try nothing in life is free. This program shows the dog that they aren't in charge, and they have to work for everything, from pets, food, walks and play.

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

For her grabbing treats:

Get some boring treats (cheerios or kibble) and sit on the floor. Let her sniff your hand, but the minute she whines, barks, starts to paw...etc. stand up, turn around and ignore her. The minute she offers non-obssessive behavior, like sniffing on the floor, turning away or something like that, give her the treat. Do this for a couple days until she leaves you alone about the treats. Gradually start moving up the yumminess for something like cheese or liver. Repeat this. Only train this for a week or so. This, in combination of NILIF, shows her you're in control of every aspect of her life, and she needs to listen to you too.

For the cats & garbage:

This is how I trained an awesome 'leave it' as well as control around other animals (besides dogs, lol, but that's another issue).

I put my border collie Joy on a long line and put the cat in the middle of the room. The second she started fixating on the cat, barking, or lunging, I made the line taut (I didn't pull her back, but made it tight). For this type of training, I made her think a little. She had to figure out what I was asking. I let her bark all she wanted, lunge, growl, what ever. But the minute the line went slack, and she looked at me, I clicked (she's clicker trained) and gave her a treat. It may take a few times, but she'll start to associate her looking at you or not reacting to the cat with getting a treat. Do this a few times a day. Once she's solid with connecting the taut leash with looking at you, start saying 'leave it' right as she looks at the cat and make the line taut. Now she's connecting the word, the taut line, and the cat with looking back at you. Don't forget LOTS of treats and praise! When she's good at the verbal, you can try this off leash. Keep practicing, and be diligent! This is a behavior that's difficult to break, but it will happen.

*For the garbage, do this exercise, except replace the cat with the garbage*

These are my favorite training sites, and I hope they help your doggy insight no matter what training style. :)

http://clickerlessons.com/

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_lif...

http://www.clickertraining.com/

http://www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=2

http://www.positivedogtraining.org/

1 more thing to remember- not all dogs are the same, and training styles will vary!

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMd7K

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

I have a Border Collie and they are very hypper. I started her in Puppy Training at PetsMart, when she was 5 months old. I was very glad I did. It only cost me $100. for the 8 weeks, once a week. The lady I had was very good. My dog is 2 yrs now and walks beside me and doesn't bark at cars or people anymore. As for chewing on things take away the item and give him/her a toy in place of it and say "leave it" and they will learn very fast.

The best thing you could possibly do for you and the dog is to get into obedience classes. They teach you how to train your dog. This is not meant to be insulting, but helpful. Any dog is only as good as the training it receives and you could really use the help of a professional. Good luck.

NOT the dog....YOUR fault!

Your weak,sloppy ,random attempts at training are making no impression at all.The dog needs a firm hand & a strict schedule of *real* training/discipline. You're just dinking around,half-hearted.

you need to be calm and assertive , also you need to be dominant , watch the dog whisperer a couple times that stuff works wonders

www.dogwhisperer.com

***sorry glorianne , i did not know you wanted a 1000 word answer

*** peggy , getting down to the dogs eye level is the exact wrong thing to do , i can not believe you are here passing yourself off as an expert