new dog owner here, need advice please

jamielm

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#1
Hi there :)
I am hoping someone can help me out here. I just bought a beagle from the shelter last week, her name is haley, and she is 2 yrs old. She is a wonderful dog. We love her to pieces. I took her to the vet 2 days ago, and confirmed that she HAS already been spayed. Here is my concern.....i have a 3 yr old daughter, and I noticed tonight that Haley was trying to "bow up" on her. Haley hasn't tried doing it to me, she only follows my daughter around and tries to "hump" her. If my daughter sits down, haley will get behind her, if my daughter is standing there, haley will go for her leg, and so on......here are my questions...

I thought dogs stopped this after being "fixed"?
why do they do this?
how do you stop them from continuing to do this?
How long does it last? I mean, is it like they are in heat and they go thru a week of this then stop, or is this something they always do?
Thank you in advance for any pointers and advice, I do appreciate it.
 
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#2
Haley is trying to establish her position in the family. The humping and bowing behaviour is one of the ways dogs establish dominance. Haley's figured out that your daughter is the "puppy" in the family and in Haley's mind, she should be dominant over a puppy.

You need to make Haley believe your daughter is her boss. Start doing simple training exercises with your daughter participating. Have your daughter teach Haley things like "sit" and "come." Let your daughter be the one to put Haley's food out for her. Let your daughter give Haley treats to reward her for good behavior.

When Haley tries the dominant behavior, make her stop (as I know you already do) and tell her "No" very firmly - not loudly, that just excites a dog - just in a very firm tone of voice. If she goes back and tries to do it again, make her lay down and give you her belly in submission.

Beagles are very sweet natured little creatures, so I wouldn't anticipate any real problems with Haley. Just be firm with her, don't let anyone tease her, play with her, love her and she should figure out her position in the family and be a very happy little dog and a wonderful playmate for your daughter.
 

jamielm

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thank you for your reply. My daughter right now, she does some things for Haley-she gets her treats and such. She tries to "discipline" her-if haley tries to get her food she will tell her no. But I will have her keep working on it, and will make her more a part of everyday things for Haley such as getting her food and things. It's funny, when we go for walks, my daughter is the one who always holds the leash, and when it's time to play-haley will play with her-not me. i.e. I throw the ball-haley will just run around then come back and sit by me, but if daughter throws the ball, haley goes gets it, brings it back to her, and waits for her to throw it again. But when it's time to calm down and relax, haley comes to me for the belly rubs and attention. It amazes me how animals act when they show what they want from whom. Thank you again for your reply.
 

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