how to train beagle not to kill

[ewyourpoor]

my 9 month old 13" female spayed beagle kills the wildlife i have been attracting to my yard for years. i understand she is a hunting dog but i never trained her to do so and she came from a petshop so i figured their wouldnt be much hunting blood in her. i was very wrong, shes a great dog, healthy and loving but she catches and kills birds, some are rare like bluebirds, not only does she kill them but she eats them. the first time she did this she was 4 months old, she cought a bird in mid flight as i was filling the bird feeders. i was shocked i yelled at her to drop it and she ran with it and played with it all afternoon not letting me get within 3 feet of her and her prize.
she has sinced moved on to killing shrews, mice, rabbits and frogs. she is in a fenced in area 6ft high vinyl privacy fence down to the ground so all these critters are coming in from a tiny space under the fences door (it has to have a space so the door can swing open and closed)
can this behavior be stopped? we have a hamster kept under lock and key because im afraid she will kill him. i have cats that she grabs by the neck. my daughter wants a ferret but there is no way this could happen. i wanted a kitten but i feel she would kill a kitten in 2 seconds.
what can i do about this monster? is their anyway to stop such a strong instinct to hunt and kill? im considering a muzzle for when shes in the yard. shes not out much only a few times a day to go to the bathroom. she makes a kill at least once a week

 

[Doberluv]

It is a dog's instinct to hunt and kill. It doesn't matter whether she's a "hunting" dog or not. Just think about what they do in the wild. Some dogs have a stronger instinct than others. My Lab use to hunt, kill and eat rabbits. There's really nothing you can do that I know of other than go with her outside and prevent it. Scolding wouldn't really be fair IMO. Distracting, keeping her busy with something else to do is really all I can think of. Small animals attract the very natural prey drive in dogs. I think a muzzle would be cruel. I guess if it were me, I'd stop attracting the wild birds to my yard. Let them go to a neighbor's yard instead.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

The short answer is, you can't.

I disagree with the muzzling. The dog is doing what it lives for. Taking that away would make for a very unfulfilling life for her, IMO.

I would discourage the wildlife, or encourage them to an unfenced area of the property, and let the dog go and have her fun.

And usually a supervised run in with a well clawed cat that is not a member of the household will teach her not to mess with cats so strongly. Sometimes not. I have a dedicated cat killer, but thankfully they don't come inside my fencing but VERY infrequently.

 

[mojozen]

my pit dachshund mix has a fairly strong prey drive. he will give chase to any small moving thing that crosses his eyesight. if he's not allowed to chase after he will go into a pointing stance and stay that way until i distract him.

this is just his nature. dogs are hunting animals. I keep him on a leash when we are outside, whether we are by our apartment or in a fenced yard. When we were out visiting my dad's farm he wanted very desperately to go harrass my dad's goat, and chase the neighbor's outdoor cat. He was leashed even out there.

I don't think you will ever get "rid" of your beagle's instincts. and muzzling her could make her more aggressive due to frustration. I'd get her into an obedience class to learn how to correctly distract her from her fixation... also teaching her some commands may help you keep her away from the small animals when she is outside.

 

[showpug]

My male pug has the prey drive of a terrier but the stamina of well, a pug! So, needless to say he can't catch anything, but he sure tries. He wants every squirrel and bird in out backyard. He almost went into heart failure once when he got into the guinea pig room I guess what I am trying to say is that some dogs have a stronger prey drive than others, but they all have the instinct and will act on it when they can. You have a hunting hound on your hands, so she's trying to do her job and appears to be pretty good at it LOL. If it bothers you then don't leave her outside, or keep her on a leash etc.

 

[aelizilly]

I would suggest you look into finding someone who specializes in the behaviors of hounds/Beagles. I have a 4 month old male, and I couldn't even imagine if he were doing this. But as for the majority of other behavioral/training advice I have been looking for, I know Beagles are very stubborn and have a drive of their own, so maybe someone from a local hound rescue could give you some good tips.

Also, I visit this site frequently, they seem to have some good advice, and it is fun to discuss our loving "Beagles."

http://beagles.meetup.com/boards/

Good luck and maybe I will see you on the discussions some time.

 

[ewyourpoor]

okee well i guess theres not much i can do.
shes a hunters dream i can tell you that much! lol she would be perfect going on duck hunts and small game hunts. she stalks her prey perfectly, she stands very still and low to the ground, she wont even blink, she slowly lifts one paw and shes off, and 95 percent of the time she captures whats in her sights.
she had a bite on her cheek last week, i never found what she had, it could have gotten away. you bet she has her rabies shots lol
my 4 cats are declawed so this is why she messes with them. i do have one overweight female cat that chases and beats up the beagle lol so she knows not to mess with her
i got an idea from one of the post above, about feeding in a an unfenced area, i could always fence off my bird feeding station, this way the birds and bunnies can feed in peace

 

[Doberluv]

Maybe she could do with an outlet, such as some proper hunting training. You could find a trainer to help you and enter her in some field trials. Yeah! Beagles are great! Love 'em.