Summer 2012 was a life changing period for both Renata and myself. It was a spontaneous however well thought through evening that we got Money. An incredible beagle that turned our schedules upside down. Unfortunately, through a series of longer events and happenings, Money passed away at the age of 10 months. It was a difficult period for both of us. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that we decided our home needed a new family member, hence Athos came into the picture. A pure breed beagle now at 14 months grew up with us from his first moments of being able to be removed from his mother (as a side note: new born dogs should be with their moms until the age of 3 months).
He has grown to become a powerful, dominant and strong dog. He learns incredibly fast and does things you think a dog could never do. However Athos is not alone. A few months ago we rescued another 8 month old beagle, initially wanting to give her up for adoption. After a few weeks she grew on us and we adopted her as well. (Fun fact: Athos is only a week older than Yara). We now have two healthy beagles and we simply love them. Yes, at times it can be strenuous on our schedule and planning, but it is incredibly rewarding.
I grew up with dogs, German shepherds to Pomeranian’s. However, the last 8 years or so leading up to the summer of 2012 were dog-less. Upon seeing Money, both Renata and I fell in love with beagles. Incredibly intelligent and family friendly dogs. You can learn so much from them however one thing I have learned is not about the dog, but about the humans that they follow.
It continues to fascinate me how unknowing many people are when it comes to guiding their pet friend. They get pulled in one direction, they yell and chase their dogs that run away and how they allow their furry friend to do as they please – some things I fell into as well. I do not claim to be a dog expert, but being the person I am I tend to seek as much information and learn as much about a subject as I can. Doing so has allowed both Renata and myself to become the Pack Leaders.
To my observation and research, here are the five most common dog problems you will face if you have a furry friend. If you know what to do in these situations, than you too will become the pack leader!
Five Most Common Dog Problems
- Your dog begins barking a certain stimuli such as a doorbell or someone passing the front lawn.
- Barking and whining while you are away. Example – leaving to work.
- Aggression towards other dogs – there are various signals of aggression, both positive and negative.
- Overexcited or hyperactive behavior, such as jumping up
- Problems while walking your dog, including pulling on the leash, lunging at other dogs, and walking more than one dog at a time.
If you know the techniques of how to approach the above and the corrective actions you need to take than both your dog and you (including family) will have it much easier.
Having spent a few hours in the park today playing with both Athos and Yara reminds me of how, due to our diligence and patience we have become the pack leaders. It is absolutely vital, as a dog owner to understand the basic principles of leading a dog – what to do and what to avoid. Ill dig into them on a step by step basis over the coming weeks and break it down to what I find important. Nonetheless, give it some thought. We can catch up later.
HK