You don t have to go hunting to enjoy an outing with your Beagle. Just

Transcription

1 Bonus 1 Getting Active with Your Beagle You don t have to go hunting to enjoy an outing with your Beagle. Just name the time and place, and this little hound will love to go anywhere with you to see new things and meet new people. As long as he can give them all a sniff or two or three, he s happy. If you re looking for more to do, taking him for a walk regularly will keep his weight under control and keep him in good shape. Regular outings, even walking around an open-air shopping mall, will help spice up his daily routine and keep boredom at bay. Having him run alongside while you are bicycling or jogging are good Beagle activities, too, as long as he s on a leash so he won t decide to head off in another direction if he gets a whiff of something enticing. The weather shouldn t be over 75 degrees either. More than that is too hot for any dog to exercise in. You wouldn t want him to suffer from heatstroke, which can easily happen if he becomes overheated. Even though this is a hunting dog who was bred to run in warm temperatures, a pack Beagle had the luxury of shady trees to cool off under every few feet. Getting out and being active with your dog will help keep you in shape, too. Because you have to exercise him, you ll have a chance to get outdoors and burn off some calories. Think of him as a private trainer with a nose for no excuses. All the Right Papers Before you take your puppy home, the breeder should give you some written information about how to care for your Beagle. It s helpful if you know what to expect during your pup s first few weeks at home. Breeders spend a lot of time preparing these materials, so do read them. 1

2 2 Beagle: Your Happy Healthy Pet Along with the tips, the breeder should also give you the pup s AKC registration application, and her vaccine and deworming record. You ll also need a health guarantee, a three- or four-generation pedigree, and a sales contract. AKC Registration Application The breeder registers the litter, but you must register your individual dog. The breeder should have an AKC registration application for every puppy in the litter. On the day you take your pup home, the breeder should give you the pup s AKC application. Then it s your responsibility to fill it out and send it to the AKC with the fee. Or you can complete the process online. TIP Never accept the promise of registration papers to come later. Reputable breeders have the papers ready to go home with their pups. What s the benefit of registering your puppy with the AKC? Besides receiving a registration certificate with your dog s name recorded in the AKC registry, you ll receive sixty days worth of free pet insurance, a certificate for a complimentary first veterinary office visit, and a new puppy handbook, and you ll be able to participate in AKC events with your dog, such as conformation, agility, obedience, and field trials. Health Guarantee Reputable breeders give new owners a health guarantee. Once the puppy leaves the breeder s home, anything can happen. But most breeders offer some guarantee of the pup s health for a certain period. You must usually agree to take the puppy to the veterinarian for a checkup within two days. If anything is wrong with the puppy, the breeder will give you a full refund when you return the puppy. These terms vary from breeder to breeder, but most will do this. If the puppy develops any genetic problem by a certain age, most breeders will either replace the dog after she is returned to them or refund part of the original purchase price. Health Records It s a good idea to begin keeping a medical record for your Beagle. Include the date when she received her first vaccine and deworming. Your dog s breeder, shelter, or breed rescue group should give you this information and let you know when the next vaccinations or deworming should be done. The breeder should include copies of the health clearances given to your puppy s parents from PennHIP or the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

3 Bonus 1 Getting Active with Your Beagle 3 (OFA), showing that they do not have hip and elbow dysplasia, and certification from the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) showing that they do not have the genetic conditions that can cause blindness. If you re getting a puppy older than 6 months who has already been spayed or neutered, make sure you receive a copy of the spay/neuter certificate. You ll need this when you license your dog with your local animal control department. Ask the breeder what the dog is eating and keep her on the same food. Your Beagle is adjusting to her new environment, so you don t want to make too many changes at the same time. After a few weeks, you can choose another food for her if you want to. Pedigree Your dog s breeder should give you a copy of her pedigree. Three generations of your Beagle s family are listed on a typical pedigree. The top of the pedigree is her father s side of the family and the bottom section is her mother s family. Sales Contract Think of the sales contract as a bill of sale. It should list all of the specifics about the puppy her name, parents names, date of birth, sex, color, the date of the sale, and how much you paid for her. Pet-quality puppies are sold with the agreement that you will have your dog spayed or neutered. The contract is a two-way promise between you and the breeder. You agree to take proper care of the dog by having a fully fenced yard and not keeping her outdoors or tied in the yard, and that you will spay her. The breeder agrees to sell you a happy, well-adjusted puppy and to return part of the purchase price or give you another puppy if yours develops a genetic problem within a certain period of time. The breeder also agrees to take the dog back at any time if you no longer want her. Your Beagle Says Ah-Roo to the World After your Beagle comes home and has visited the veterinarian to receive a clean bill of health, it s time for him to meet the world. Your dog needs to be socialized, which means taking him out of the house so he has a chance to know what other people, new sights, and unfamiliar sounds are all about.

4 4 Beagle: Your Happy Healthy Pet Socializing helps build up his confidence. Beagles are not shy dogs by nature, but yours still needs to learn what the world is all about. It won t take him more than a time or two to relax in new surroundings. If your dog didn t have much handling as a young dog, or was shifted from place to place, you ll probably have to take him out a few more times before he will feel comfortable. It s definitely worth spending the time. You don t have to spend hours socializing your dog. A few ten-minute trips around the neighborhood work just as well. Perhaps he s never heard a loudspeaker or a thunderstorm before. He should know that these sounds won t hurt him, and he ll only discover that by being exposed to them. Put a few biscuits in your pocket when you go. Don t forget that this is everyone s favorite Snoopy dog and children as well as adults will come right up to him and ask if they can pet him. Your dog will think this is terrific. Even more terrific is if you ask these people if they want to give your dog a small food treat. When your Beagle realizes that strangers have food, he ll think he s died and gone to kitchen heaven! Getting out with your dog will also teach you more about him what he likes and dislikes. Maybe he ll encounter someone he just doesn t care for. Respect his concern and be wary of that individual. Dogs are pretty good judges of character and may sense something in that person that you d never pick up on. It s possible that he can sniff out some substance this individual might have on his body that could be dangerous to you, so be careful! Beagle Meetups and Clubs A new way to get you and your Beagle out to socialize is through a Beagle meetup. These are fairly new on the social scene, and are a good way to meet other people who also have Beagles and want to share Beagle information and just chat about their dogs. These meetups are usually held in public parks on weekends or weeknights, although this depends on the area. To find out more about Beagle meetups, go online and type Beagle Meetups into a search engine. You can type in your zip code as well and see who else in your area has Beagles and is interested in getting together. You can also find local AKC Beagle clubs in your area and meet other Beagle owners by searching on the American Kennel Club web site ( or the site of the National Beagle Club of America ( These clubs hold fun events just for Beagles and are a great way to learn more about the behavior, care, and health of your dog.

5 Bonus 1 Getting Active with Your Beagle 5 Basic Training Every dog needs basic training. Yours will benefit from some basic obedience training, such as knowing how to sit, stay, come, and lie down when you ask. It s best to enroll your dog in a good obedience class. Even if you ve trained other dogs before, there are new ideas trainers are coming up with all the time, and you can always learn some new way of working with your dog. Plus, a class is a great way for him to interact with other dogs and to learn some manners. There are good obedience classes in just about every area. To find them, go online, or ask your veterinarian or other dog owners to recommend classes. Your local Beagle club might also know about classes you can take. Training should be positive. The days of hard, punitive methods are out. Dogs learn best when they receive a reward from you after doing what you want them to do. The reward could be a food treat, having the chance to play with a favorite toy, or even verbal praise from you. Even if you don t plan to compete in canine sports, just going through the classes and taking the time to practice will give you a well-behaved dog you can be proud of. Being a Responsible Dog Owner Remember that you are the one who s totally in charge of everything your dog does in public. This includes going to the bathroom in the middle of the sidewalk. Always take a few plastic bags with you whenever you leave home, because you have to clean up your dog s messes. It s a good idea to keep cleanup supplies in your car at all times. There are also packages of pick-up bags you can buy at pet supply stores that attach to your dog s leash. Don t litter your environment. Even worse than the mess is the fact that if someone sees you ignoring a bathroom boo-boo your dog leaves behind, they ll think that they can leave their dog s mess on the ground, too! Don t let your dog poop and pee on your neighbor s lawn either! No one likes to clean up someone else s mess on their personal property. Your dog should always, always, always be on a leash when you take him anywhere. This is a breed that will pick up a scent in the air that s miles away. If he s off leash, he ll run after it without looking back and it doesn t matter if the scent takes him to the middle of a roadway or not. Your dog should also have current identification on his collar at all times, too. See the box in this chapter for more information about types of ID. There are also GPS tracking devices now available for dogs. These fit snugly on his collar and the signals are transmitted to an owner s computer or cell phone.

6 6 Beagle: Your Happy Healthy Pet Identifying Your Dog Always put a tag on your dog s collar. Choose a tag that s not so big that it will annoy your dog. Many pet supply stores will engrave a sturdy metal one for you, and pet food companies often also do this if you send in a few labels. Put your name and phone number on the tag. When you travel, use a tag that has a replaceable paper insert, so you can update your contact information at every stop. Write your name and cell phone number, your veterinarian s name and number, and the name and number of the place you are staying on the paper insert. A microchip is a form of permanent identification, in case your dog s tag falls off or is taken off. A microchip is a tiny transponder, about the size of a grain of rice, encased in sterile glass. It is placed under the skin on your dog s shoulder by the veterinarian and remains there forever. Each chip has a unique number. When a microchip reader is passed over the transponder, it reads the chip s number. That information is useless by itself, though, which is why you must register the number with a microchip recovery service. When you register (for a fee), the number is stored in a database with your contact information and pertinent information about the dog. Make sure you keep your dog s registration, and your contact information, up to date. Walking For regular exercise for both you and your Beagle, you can t beat a nice walk. You don t need to take any special classes or spend money on an instruction fee or equipment, and you can do it any time or day you choose. Walking also maintains flexibility, and the older your dog gets, the more this type of exercise will ease any joint pain he may develop. If you can keep a regular schedule, that s the best way to make sure you ll continue doing it. Your dog will even begin to anticipate that he s going for an outing the minute you pick up your walking shoes.

7 Bonus 1 Getting Active with Your Beagle 7 Games Beagles Play Beagles like a good game, that s for sure. While they re not always big on retrieving, they won t mind play an easy game of catch a few times if the mood strikes them. Playing with your dog is a healthy outlet for him because it helps relieve boredom and prevents him from thinking about destructive chewing or what s in the air that he can sniff out and follow. Chasing after a low-flying disc is a good Beagle game. Just don t throw the disc up too high! Not every dog is flexible in the air. If he jumps up and lands the wrong way, he can injure his back and body on the way down. Hide-and-seek is a great indoor game to play with your Beagle, especially on a rainy day when you don t feel like exercising outdoors. Teach your dog to wait, then you go hide somewhere in the house. When you re completely out of sight, call out, Okay, come! When your dog finds you, give him a treat and tell him what a good boy he is. Don t expect your dog to go out and play by himself. He d much rather interact with you, so go out and play with him. Canine Good Citizen CAUTION Don t use a retractable leash under any circumstances. These can be very dangerous if someone approaches from the side and doesn t see the leash. Also, if your dog is out ahead of you ten or more feet and a menacing dog approaches, you won t be able to reel him in fast enough to protect him. The AKC s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program certifies that your dog is wellbehaved and a welcome asset to any community. If you think that you d like to go with your Beagle to visit elderly residents or children in hospitals or therapeutic settings, he will need to pass the CGC test before he will be admitted. If you want to rent a home or an apartment with a dog, many landlords require dogs to have a CGC title before they will rent to you. Some obedience instructors offer CGC training, but if you and your dog have practiced basic skills at home or in a regular obedience class, he should pass the test with flying colors. This test is offered at many dog shows, some pet supply stores, and other canine venues. Any dog can take the test, whether or not he is AKC-registered.

8 8 Beagle: Your Happy Healthy Pet Your Beagle must perform these tasks to pass the CGC test. 1. Accept a stranger who approaches. 2. Sit and allow a stranger to pet him. 3. Allow a stranger to handle him, just like a groomer or a veterinarian might. 4. Walk nicely without pulling you on a loose leash. 5. Walk calmly through a crowd. 6. Sit and lie down on command, then remain in a sitting or down position while you walk away. 7. Come when called. 8. Greet another dog calmly. 9. Avoid distractions. 10. Remain with a stranger without becoming agitated while you walk away. When your dog successfully completes these tasks, he can add the title and the initials CGC after his name. This means he is a certified Canine Good Citizen and an all-around well-behaved hound. Therapy Dogs For adults and children who are confined to therapeutic facilities, having a Snoopy dog come to lick their faces is strong medicine. A well-behaved, happygo-lucky Beagle is welcome today at most hospitals. His small to medium size TIP To get involved with a pet therapy organization in your area, contact the Delta Society ( or ), or your local dog club. makes him the ideal candidate for lap visits. During therapy visits your dog remains on a leash at all times, but this doesn t prevent residents from reaching out and petting those luxuriously long hound ears. But before you go visiting with your dog, contact the facility you d like to work with to find out what their requirements are for therapy dogs. Delta Society clearances or Canine Good Citizen certificates are usually necessary, although some programs have their own testing procedures.